By: Daniel Fishman — A&E Editor

The Billboard Music Awards, held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, was like no other. Hosted by Kelly Clarkson and aired on NBC, the awards show had a different feel to it with no packed red carpet nor audience, leaving the show highly dependent on at-home fans. Originally scheduled for April 29th, 202,  the awards show was pushed back due to the virus which ultimately changed the dynamic of the voting. 

Headlined by major performers like Sia, Post Malone, John Legend, and Demi Levato, fans received a new hearing to many new songs and fancy sets. 

Post Malone’s performance was like no other, starting out with his hit song, “Circles”. His performance was showcased in a distinct background with fireworks and flames up in the air. He then switched to his hit song with Tyla Yaweh, “Tommy Lee”. Usually a performance like this would be on stage with the audience dancing all around, however, producers were creative and allowed both of them to perform on the unbelievable set. Kane Brown, Swae Lee, and Khalid also performed their summer hit, “Be Like That”. 

Senior Sam Levitt enjoyed Malone’s 2019 run and his album. “I liked the emotion he brought out to the songs and how diverse the album was. It has some great features and some choruses by Post hit the heart,” he said. 

Post Malone also owned the nominations for the award show. He brought in the most nominations, sixteen, while winning nine. This included “Top Rap Album”, “Top Artist”, “Top Male Artist”, and “Top Billboard Artist”. Along with Post Malone, there were three other artists that received twelve to thirteen nominations: Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and Khalid. All four of these artists are real superstars that have made many hits in the past. Billie Eilish’s album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go won best album, which is an amazing feat because she is the youngest female artist (19) to win the award at the awards show. Her album received highly positive reviews and also is 3 times certified platinum. Headlined by her hit song, “Bad Guy”, Billie Eilish is a star in the making. 

Senior Jessica Kalmowitz is a huge fan of Billie Elish’s work. “It’s fascinating how much she has accomplished at such a young age in a short amount of time and that she has created the majority of her music in her bedroom with her brother Phineas. My favorite song is definitely When The Party’s Over, ” she said.

Even without the red carpet and a large celebrity crowd, Kelly Clarkson did a wonderful job keeping the fans at home engaged. Fans were very happy with the way it went and wished they could’ve seen the performances live. The awards show also covered another amazing performance by a latino singer and rapper. Bad Bunny, Ivy Queen, and Nesi teamed up for their hit song, “Yo Perreo Sola”. The performance was a great way to change the feel and dynamic of the show, using another language to keep all the fans around the world entertained. 

“I felt that the usage of other genres like latino and allowing Americans to recognize new international music was a great success to the awards show. They have some good songs as well,” senior Rohan Prakash.

A large surprise from the show was the fan voted award. The Billboard Music Awards allowed the fans to have their input on their favorite social artist. The award went to K-Pop boy band, BTS, however, it was a large surprise because Post Malone and Billie Eilish took home the majority of the top artist awards. Some fans were surprised by this result but others are huge fans of BTS and believe they definitely deserved the award.

Sophomore Zara Khan, a BTS fan said they were very deserving of recognition. “Starting in middle school I immediately loved BTS. I kept listening to the songs with english captions and it made me feel a whole other way. I started to really appreciate their lyrics and it made me very emotional. They definitely deserved the award.”

The awards show presented why the need for music is at an all time high right now. With the majority of the country staying home a lot, music is a necessity. Listening to these amazing performers and seeing them live is a great way to love our favorite artists even more. With young superstars like Billie Eilish, Dababy, and Lizzo, the world is in great hands for the future. By the next Billboard Awards show, fans and the rest of the world will hope that it can be back to normal.