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Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny Lead 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominations

2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards nominations are led by Taylor Swift with nine nods, followed by Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Alex Warren, and more

Swift Carpenter Bunny

Kate Green/Getty Images; Mike Coppola/Getty Images/MTV; Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

The iHeartRadio Music Awards return live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 26, with a star-studded slate of nominees. For 2026, Taylor Swift leads with nine nominations, including Song of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia,” Artist of the Year, Pop Artist of the Year, and more. Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, and Alex Warren follow with eight nominations each.

Benson Boone, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Leon Thomas, and Shaboozey are also among the year’s top-nominated artists. The 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards provided a few new opportunities for artists to rack up nods with the introduction of three new categories, including Favorite TikTok Dance, Favorite Debut Album, and Favorite K-Pop Collab. The show also celebrates life on the road with the socially voted categories Favorite Tour Tradition, Favorite Tour Style, and Favorite Tour Photographer.

“This is an annual awards show made exclusively for fans, celebrating the biggest songs and artists they’ve loved listening to on iHeartRadio stations and our iHeartRadio app all year long,” said John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises, and Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer of iHeartMedia.

Social voting will open on Jan. 8 and close on March 19 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Fans can vote on the official iHeartRadio website.

2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominations

Song of the Year
“Anxiety” – Doechii
“Good News” – Shaboozey
“Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen
“luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“MUTT” – Leon Thomas
“Ordinary” – Alex Warren
“Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else” – Benson Boone
“Stargazing” – Myles Smith
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny
Benson Boone
Chris Brown
Jelly Roll
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga
Morgan Wallen
Sabrina Carpenter
Tate McRae
Taylor Swift

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Pop Artist of the Year
Alex Warren
Benson Boone
Sabrina Carpenter
Tate McRae
Taylor Swift

Pop Song of the Year
“Golden” – HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Ordinary” – Alex Warren
“Pink Pony Club” – Chappell Roan
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

Best New Artist (Pop)
Alex Warren
Jessie Murph
Myles Smith
Ravyn Lenae
sombr

Duo/Group of the Year
HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
Linkin Park
Maroon 5
Shinedown
Twenty One Pilots

Best Collaboration
“All The Way” – BigXthaPlug ft. Bailey Zimmerman
“APT.” – ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
“luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA
“Timeless” – The Weeknd ft. Playboi Carti
“WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” – GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red

Country Song of the Year
“After All The Bars Are Closed” – Thomas Rhett
“Good News” – Shaboozey
“Liar” – Jelly Roll
“Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen
“Whiskey Drink” – Jason Aldean

Country Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Jelly Roll
Lainey Wilson
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen

Best New Artist (Country)
Chase Matthew
Ella Langley
Hudson Westbrook
Josh Ross
Zach Top

Hip-Hop Song of the Year
“luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA
“NOKIA” – Drake
“Outside” – Cardi B
“The Largest” – BigXthaPlug
“WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” – GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red

Hip-Hop Artist of the Year
Cardi B
GloRilla
Kendrick Lamar
Playboi Carti
Tyler, The Creator

R&B Song of the Year
“Burning Blue” – Mariah the Scientist
“Folded” – Kehlani
“MUTT” – Leon Thomas
“Residuals” – Chris Brown
“SOMEBODY LOVES ME” – PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake

R&B Artist of the Year
Chris Brown
Kehlani
Leon Thomas
Mariah the Scientist
SZA

Best New Artist (R&B)
Jenevieve
Kwn
Leon Thomas
Mariah the Scientist
Sailorr

World Artist of the Year
Ayra Starr
Jackson Wang
JO1
MOLIY
Tyla

Alternative Song of the Year
“Back To Friends” – Sombr
“Ensenada” – Sublime
“One Eyed Bastard” – Green Day
“Stargazing” – Myles Smith
“The Contract” – Twenty One Pilots

Alternative Artist of the Year
Cage the Elephant
Green Day
Linkin Park
Sublime
Twenty One Pilots

Best New Artist (Alternative)
Almost Monday
Gigi Perez
Lola Young
Role Model
Sombr

Rock Song of the Year
“Afterlife” – Evanescence
“Bad Guy” – Falling In Reverse ft. Saraya
“Dance, Kid, Dance” – Shinedown
“Even If It Kills Me” – Papa Roach
“Heavy Is the Crown” – Linkin Park

Rock Artist of the Year
Linkin Park
Papa Roach
Shinedown
Sleep Token
Three Days Grace

Best New Artist (Rock)
Architects
Poppy
Return to Dust
Sleep Theory
Spiritbox

Dance Song of the Year
“Blessings” – Calvin Harris feat. Clementine Douglas
“In My Arms” – ILLENIUM & HAYLA
“No Broke Boys” – Disco Lines & Tinashe
“Save My Love” – Marshmello, Ellie Goulding and AVAION
“Won’t Be Possible” – Tiësto, Odd Mob & Goodboys

Dance Artist of the Year
Calvin Harris
David Guetta
John Summit
Martin Garrix
Tiësto

Latin Pop/Urban Song of the Year
“Angel” – Grupo Frontera & Romeo Santos
“DEGENERE” – Myke Towers & benny blanco
“DtMF” – Bad Bunny
“Qué Pasaría…” – Rauw Alejandro and Bad Bunny
“Soltera” – Shakira

Latin Pop/Urban Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny
Feid
J Balvin
Karol G
Shakira

Best New Artist (Latin Pop/Urban)
Alleh Mezher
Beéle
De La Rose
Dei V
Louis BPM

Regional Mexican Song of the Year
“Amor Bonito” – Luis Angel “El Flaco”
“El Amor De Mi Vida” – Calibre 50
“Flores” – Xavi
“Hecha Pa’ Mi” – Grupo Frontera
“Lejos Estamos Mejor” – Eden Muñoz

Regional Mexican Artist of the Year
Alejandro Fernández
Carin León
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Frontera
Luis Angel “El Flaco”

Best New Artist (Regional Mexican)
Clave Especial
Edgardo Nuñez
Los Dos De Tamaulipas
Óscar Maydon
Oscar Ortiz

K-pop Artist of the Year
JENNIE
J-hope
Jin
LISA
ROSÉ

K-pop Group of the Year
ATEEZ
BLACKPINK
ENHYPEN
Stray Kids
TWICE

K-pop Song of the Year
“APT.” – ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
“Golden” – HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
“JUMP” – BLACKPINK
“Killin’ It Girl” – J-hope feat. GloRilla
“Like JENNIE” – JENNIE

Best New Artist (K-pop)
82Major
AllDay Project
Cortis
Hearts2Hearts
Meovv

Songwriter of the Year
Amy Allen
Ashley Gorley
Cal Shapiro
Charlie Handsome
Julia Michaels

Producer of the Year
Andrew Watt
Dijon
Jack Antonoff
Max Martin & Shellback
Sounwave

Favorite Broadway Debut: *Socially Voted Category
Ashley Graham, “Chicago”
Cheryl Porter, “& Juliet”
Durrell “Tank” Babbs, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Jack Wolfe, “Hadestown”
Kelsie Watts, “Six! The Musical”
Lencia Kebede, “Wicked”
Lizzy McAlpine, “Floyd Collins”
Meg Donnelly, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Ne-Yo, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Tom Felton, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
Trisha Paytas, “Beetlejuice”

Favorite TikTok Dance: *Socially Voted Category
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“Gnarly” – KATSEYE
“GO!” – CORTIS
“Happen To Me” – Russell Dickerson
“JUMP” – BLACKPINK
“Like JENNIE” – JENNIE
“Midnight Sun” – Zara Larsson
“MONA LISA” – J-hope
“Revolving Door” – Tate McRae
“SPAGHETTI” – LE SSERAFIM, J-hope
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift

Favorite Debut Album: *Socially Voted Category
Addison Rae, Addison
Alex Warren, You’ll Be Alright, Kid
Audrey Hobert, Who’s the Clown?
Calum Hood, ORDER chaos ORDER
Coco Jones, Why Not More?
JADE, THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!
JENNIE, Ruby
LISA, Alter Ego
Michael Clifford, SIDEQUEST
Perrie, Perrie
Sombr, I Barely Know Her
Tucker Wetmore, What Not To

Best Lyrics: *Socially Voted Category
“Anxiety” – Doechii
“BAILE INoLVIDABLE” – Bad Bunny
“Camera” – Ed Sheeran
“Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley
“DAISIES” – Justin Bieber
“Golden” – HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
“Man I Need” – Olivia Dean
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Ordinary” – Alex Warren
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift
“Undressed” – Sombr
“WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” – RAYE

Best Music Video: *Socially Voted Category
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“BAILE INoLVIDABLE” – Bad Bunny
“BORN AGAIN” – LISA feat. Doja Cat & RAYE
“Gabriela” – KATSEYE
“JUMP” – BLACKPINK
“Like JENNIE” – JENNIE
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Ordinary” – Alex Warren
“Sapphire” – Ed Sheeran
“Shake It to the Max (FLY) (Remix)” – MOLIY, Shenseea, Skillibeng, Silent Addy
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift
“Toxic till the end” – ROSÉ

Favorite On Screen: *Socially Voted Category
AJ McLean, Nicole Scherzinger, Liam Payne, Kelly Rowland, “Building the Band”
Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good”
Bad Bunny, “Happy Gilmore 2”
Becky G, “REBBECA”
Ed Sheeran, “ONE SHOT with Ed Sheeran: A Musical Experience”
Jimin and Jungkook, “Are You Sure?!”
Jonas Brothers, “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie”
Karol G, “Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful”
Lady Gaga, “Wednesday”
LISA, “The White Lotus”
Taylor Swift, “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era”
Zara Larsson, “Up Close”

Favorite Tour Photographer: *Socially Voted Category
Abby Waisler for Gracie Abrams
Adam DeGross for Post Malone
Anna Lee for Coldplay
Baeth for Tate McRae
Chris Cornejo for Shakira
Cynthia Parkhurst for Katy Perry
Henry Hwu for Billie Eilish
Hyghly for The Weeknd
Joshua Halling for Oasis
Rahul Bhatt for KATSEYE
Thomas Falcone for Shawn Mendes
Tom Pallant for YUNGBLUD

Favorite Soundtrack: *Socially Voted Category
“A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (Original Soundtrack)”
“F1 the Album”
“Frankenstein (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)”
“KPop Demon Hunters”
“Nobody Wants This Season 2: The Soundtrack”
“Sinners (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)”
“Smurfs Movie Soundtrack (Music From & Inspired By)”
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere”
“Tron: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)”
“Wicked: For Good – The Soundtrack”
“Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (Original Soundtrack)”

Favorite Tour Style: *Socially Voted Category
Bad Bunny, “DeBí TiRaR MáS FOtoS World Tour”
Beyoncé, “Cowboy Carter Tour”
Billie Eilish, “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour”
BLACKPINK, “Deadline World Tour”
Dua Lipa, “Radical Optimism Tour”
Ella Langley, “Still Hungover Tour”
KATSEYE, “Beautiful Chaos Tour”
Lady Gaga, “The Mayhem Ball”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Short n’ Sweet Tour”
Tate McRae, “Miss Possessive Tour”
Taylor Swift, “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour”
Zara Larsson, “Midnight Sun Tour”

Favorite Tour Tradition: *Socially Voted Category
Benson Boone, Cover song
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy & Rumi on stage
Billie Eilish, “when the party’s over” silent loop
Coldplay, Crowd cam
Dua Lipa, Surprise guest
Jonas Brothers, Surprise guest
KATSEYE, “Gnarly” dance break
Lainey Wilson, Cowgirl of the night
ROLE MODEL, Sally
Sabrina Carpenter, Celebrity “Juno” arrest
Tate McRae, Fan cam on stage
Zara Larsson, “Lush Life” star

Favorite K-pop Collab: *Socially Voted Category
“Blink” – Corbyn Besson & TZUYU of TWICE
“BORN AGAIN” – LISA feat. Doja Cat & RAYE
“BUCK” – Jackson Wang feat. Diljit Dosanjh
“Confessions” – Flo Rida, HEESEUNG & JAKE of ENHYPEN, Paul Russell
“Dirty Work” – aespa feat. Flo Milli
“ExtraL” – JENNIE, Doechii
“EYES CLOSED” – JISOO X ZAYN
“Illegal + SEVENTEEN” – PinkPantheress, SEVENTEEN
“On My Mind” – Alex Warren & ROSÉ
“Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel)” – J-hope, Miguel
“TOO BAD” – G-DRAGON feat. Anderson .Paak
“WE PRAY (TWICE Version)” – Coldplay, TWICE, Burna Boy, Elyanna, TINI, Little Simz

From Rolling Stone US