Ariana Grande on the 2015 Post-Super Bowl Fallon [Douglas Gorenstein/NBC]
NBC announced the final nominees for the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards, and while the lists are not necessarily rich with surprises, they do contain some interesting matchups.
Most notably, the Artist of the Year category includes Ariana Grande and Luke Bryan (as well as Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith and Taylor Swift). One of the most newsworthy moments at last year’s inaugural iHeartRadio Awards show came when Bryan and Blake Shelton were caught watching Grande’s performance with looks that fell on the spectrum between bored and bewildered.
Iggy Azalea and Ariana Grande will each be competing against themselves in the Best Collaboration category. Azalea is nominated for her “Fancy” and “Problem,” while Grande is up for “Problem” and “Bang Bang.” Other nominees include Jason DeRulo’s “Talk Dirty (featuring 2 Chainz)” and Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse (featuring Juicy J).”
Beyonce (“Flawless” and “Drunk in Love”) and Chris Brown (“Loyal” and “New Flame”) each possess two nominees in the Hip-Hop/R&B song of the year category, while Calvin Harris is nominated twice for dance song (“Blame” and “Summer”).
Charli XCX and Iggy Azalea, who collaborated on “Fancy,” do battle in the “Renegade” category. Also up for that prize are Meghan Trainor, Hozier and Brantley Gilbert.
The full nominations list follows. Voting opens on March 3. The show takes place on March 29.
Artist of the Year:
• Ariana Grande
• Iggy Azalea
• Luke Bryan
• Sam Smith
• Taylor Swift
Song of the Year:
• “All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor
• “All of Me” – John Legend
• “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
• “Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift
• “Stay With Me” – Sam Smith
Best Collaboration:
• “Bang Bang” – Jessie J + Ariana Grande + Nicki Minaj
• “Dark Horse” – Katy Perry featuring Juicy J
• “Fancy” – Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX
• “Problem” – Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea
• “Talk Dirty” – Jason Derulo featuring 2 Chainz
Best New Artist:
• Bastille
• Cole Swindell
• Iggy Azalea
• Meghan Trainor
• Sam Smith
Country Song of the Year:
• “Bartender” – Lady Antebellum
• “Burnin’ It Down” – Jason Aldean
• “Dirt” – Florida Georgia Line
• “Give Me Back My Hometown” – Eric Church
• “Play It Again” – Luke Bryan
Hip Hop/R&B Song of the Year:
• “Don’t Tell ‘Em” – Jeremih featuring YG
• “Drunk in Love” – Beyoncé featuring Jay Z
• “Flawless” – Beyoncé
• “Loyal” – Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga
• “New Flame” – Chris Brown featuring Usher and Rick Ross
Dance Song of the Year:
• “Animals” – Martin Garrix
• “Blame” – Calvin Harris featuring John Newman
• “La La La” – Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith
• “Summer” – Calvin Harris
• “Waves” – Mr. Probz
Alternative Rock Song of the Year:
• “Come With Me Now” – KONGOS
• “Do I Wanna Know?” – Arctic Monkeys
• “Fever” – The Black Keys
• “Something From Nothing” – Foo Fighters
• “Take Me to Church” – Hozier
Best Lyrics:
• “All of Me” – John Legend
• “Blank Space” – Taylor Swift
• “Counting Stars” – OneRepublic
• “Habits (Stay High)” – Tove Lo
• “Stay With Me” – Sam Smith
• “Thinking Out Loud” – Ed Sheeran
Best Fan Army:
• 5SOSFAM – 5 Seconds of Summer
• Arianators – Ariana Grande
• Bey Hive – Beyoncé
• Team Breezy – Chris Brown
• Sheerios – Ed Sheeran
• Church Choir – Eric Church
• Directioners – One Direction
• Selenators – Selena Gomez
• Mendes Army – Shawn Mendes
• Swifties – Taylor Swift
Renegade:
• Brantley Gilbert
• Charli XCX
• Hozier
• Iggy Azalea
• Meghan Trainor
