While some argue that most award shows are the same, a point that is kind of difficult to argue, it doesn’t stop us from tuning in to watch each one and highly anticipating the performances, acceptance speeches, red carpet outfits—and all the surprising moments that seem inevitable at every award show.
This year’s annual BMAs start tonight, May 17th, at 8 p.m. on ABC. The event is happening at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and hosted by Chrissy Teigen and Ludacris. Below is a list of which celebrities you can expect to see tonight during the three hour show—whether it be presenting, performing, or winning (ahem, or losing) an award.
Presenters
- Idina Menzel
- Kyle Jenner
- Khloe Kardashian
- 50 Cent
- Laverne Cox
- Ellen Pompeo
- Florida Georgia Line
- Hannah Davis
- Lily Aldridge
- T.I.
- Charlie XCX
- Ne-Yo
- Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, and Adrian Grenier
- One Direction (for the first time as a—gasp—four-some)
- Celine Dion
Performers
- Mariah Carey (performing at the Billboards for the first time since 1998)
- Kanye West
- Ed Sheeran
- Fifth Harmony
- Can Halen
- Nick Jonas
- Imagine Dragons
- Fall Out Boy with Wiz Khalifa
- Meghan Trainor with John Legend
- Pitbull with Chris Brown
- Britney Spears with Iggy Azaela
- Little Big Town with Faith Hill
- Tori Kelly
- Nicki Minaj with David Guetta
- Hozier
Nominees (This is not everything, just some of the highlight categories – click here for the full list)
Top New Artist
Sam Smith
Meghan Trainor
5 Seconds of Summer
Iggy Azalea
Hozier
Top Male Artist
Drake
Sam Smith
Justin Timberlake
Pharrell Williams
Ed Sheeran
Top Female Artist
Katy Perry
Taylor Swift
Iggy Azalea
Ariana Grande
Top Artist
Ariana Grande
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift
One Direction
Katy Perry
Top Billboard 200 Album
Maroon 5, V
Pentatonix, That’s Christmas to Me
Ed Sheeran, x
Sam Smith, In the Lonely Hour
Taylor Swift, 1989
There is also the Billboard Chart Achievement Award, fan-voted, that is presented by Samsung Galaxy. The nominees are Iggy Azalea, Taylor Swift, and Meghan Trainor. In case you haven’t noticed, Taylor Swift and Sam Smith are the most nominated nominees—swift leading with 14 nominees and Smith with 13. The show will kick off with the world premiere of Taylor Swift’s star-studded music video for “Bad Blood.”
