The Billboard Music Awards nominations hit a much higher note for The Weeknd than the Grammys did.
The R&B superstar, who shockingly didn’t receive a single Grammy nod in 2021 despite having a prolific musical year, leads all nominees at next month’s Billboard ceremony as a finalist in 16 categories.
His nominations, which were unveiled Thursday, include top artist, top male artist and top Hot 100 artist, while his album “After Hours” is up for top Billboard 200 album and top R&B album.
The singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, vowed to boycott future Grammys following this year’s snub. “After Hours” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart last year, while the song “Blinding Lights” reached the top spot on the singles chart.
Other top nominees for the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, which take place May 23 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, include rapper DaBaby, who received the second-most nominations with 11, and Gabby Barrett, who led all female artists with nine.
The Weeknd, meanwhile, is joined in the coveted top artist category by Drake, Taylor Swift, Pop Smoke and Juice WRLD.
Juice WRLD died at age 21 from a seizure linked to drugs. The Brooklyn, New York-born Pop Smoke was shot to death in 2020 in Hollywood Hills at age 20.
Other notable nominees at next month’s award ceremony include Megan Thee Stallion, who is a finalist in seven categories, including top female artist. Swift is also nominated in that category, as are Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish.
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