iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026 Night Celebrates Biggest Stars

The 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards delivered an unforgettable evening, showcasing the biggest names in music while recognizing outstanding achievements across genres. The show, hosted by Ludacris, was broadcast live from Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on Thursday, March 26, highlighting the iHeartRadio Music Awards winners of the year. 

Taylor Swift dominated the night, taking home seven awards from nine nominations, including the prestigious Artist of the Year. Her seven wins extend her record as the most-awarded artist in iHeartRadio history, bringing her total to 41 awards. Swift also made headlines by attending the ceremony with her fiancé, Travis Kelce, marking her awards show debut alongside him.

Highlights of the Ceremony

In addition to Swift’s success, several artists were honored with special awards. John Mellencamp received the Icon Award, Miley Cyrus was recognized with the Innovator Award, Ludacris earned the Landmark Award, and Alex Warren claimed the Breakthrough Artist of the Year title along with Song of the Year for “Ordinary.” 

Performances included Warren, Mellencamp, Kehlani, Lainey Wilson, Ludacris, RAYE, and a historic collaboration of TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue performing together for the first time.

This year’s show celebrated the most-played artists and tracks on iHeartRadio stations and its app throughout 2025. Notably, three new categories were introduced: Favorite TikTok Dance, Favorite Debut Album, and Favorite K-pop Collab, reflecting the evolving music landscape and fan engagement.

Major Winners Across Categories

General Categories

• Song of the Year: Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
• Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift
• Duo/Group of the Year: HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
• Best Collaboration: ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
• Songwriter of the Year: Amy Allen
• Producer of the Year: Andrew Watt
• Album of the Year: Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl
• Breakthrough Artist: Alex Warren
• Innovator Award: Miley Cyrus
• Icon Award: John Mellencamp
• Landmark Award: Ludacris

Read About the Music Awards That Matter Today

Pop

• Pop Artist of the Year: Sabrina Carpenter
• Pop Song of the Year: Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”
• Best New Artist (Pop): Alex Warren
• Pop Album of the Year: Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl

Country

• Country Song of the Year: Shaboozey – “Good News”
• Country Artist of the Year: Morgan Wallen
• Best New Artist (Country): Ella Langley
• Country Album of the Year: Morgan Wallen – I’m the Problem

Hip-Hop

• Hip-Hop Song of the Year: Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “luther”
• Hip-Hop Artist of the Year: Kendrick Lamar
• Best New Artist (Hip-Hop): Real Boston Richey
• Hip-Hop Album of the Year: Kendrick Lamar – GNX

R&B

• R&B Song of the Year: Kehlani – “Folded”
• R&B Artist of the Year: Chris Brown
• Best New Artist (R&B): Leon Thomas
• R&B Album of the Year: Leon Thomas – PHOLKS

Alternative

• Alternative Song of the Year: Sublime – “Ensenada”
• Alternative Artist of the Year: Twenty One Pilots
• Best New Artist (Alternative): sombr
• Alternative Album of the Year: sombr – I Barely Know Her

Rock

• Rock Song of the Year: Linkin Park – “Heavy Is the Crown”
• Rock Artist of the Year: Shinedown
• Best New Artist (Rock): Sleep Theory
• Rock Album of the Year: Sleep Token – Even in Arcadia

Latin Pop/Urban

• Song of the Year: Bad Bunny – “DtMF”
• Artist of the Year: Bad Bunny
• Best New Artist: Beéle
• Album of the Year: Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos

K-pop

• Artist of the Year: ROSÉ
• Group of the Year: Stray Kids
• Song of the Year: HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI – “Golden”
• Best New Artist: Cortis
• Album of the Year: JENNIE – Ruby

Dance & World

• Dance Song of the Year: Disco Lines & Tinashe – “No Broke Boys”
• Dance Artist of the Year: David Guetta
• World Artist of the Year: MOLIY

Socially Voted

• Favorite TikTok Dance: j-hope – “MONA LISA”
• Favorite Debut Album: Alex Warren – You’ll Be Alright, Kid
• Favorite K-pop Collab: j-hope & Miguel – “Sweet Dreams”

The 13th annual iHeartRadio Music Awards reinforced the prominence of streaming, fan-driven voting, and cultural influence, while celebrating music’s biggest names across pop, hip-hop, country, and global genres. Swift’s historic wins and the evening’s performances underscored the continued power of music to unite fans and artists alike.