Taylor Swift, fun., Maroon 5 Lead 2013 Billboard Music Awards Finalists
One Direction, Rihanna and Carly Rae Jepsen will also contend in several major categories
Taylor Swift, fun. and Maroon 5 lead the finalists for the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, which will air live on Sunday, May 19 beginning at 8/7c on ABC from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
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While all three artists are finalists in a whopping 11 categories this year, Swift and Maroon 5 will also compete for the coveted Top Artist prize at this year's ceremony. Swift is coming off of another blockbuster year in which her album "Red" notched the biggest debut sales week of any album in 2013, while Maroon 5 added more hits to its arsenal with songs like "Payphone," "One More Night" and "Daylight." fun., which scored its first No. 1 single with the anthem "We Are Young," will contend in the Top Hot 100 Artist and Top Duo/Group categories, among others.
After scoring 18 category appearances in 2011 and 13 more in 2012, "Diamonds" superstar Rihanna once again lands double-digit finalist slots by competing in 10 categories this year, including Top Artist. Meanwhile, Carly Rae Jepsen's breakout year -- marked by the song of last summer, "Call Me Maybe" -- landed the Canadian pop singer showing in nine categories this year, including Top Hot 100 Song, Top Pop Song, Top Digital Song and Top Radio Song.
And don't forget about One Direction, which released two albums in the U.S. in 2012 and racked up eight spots as a finalist at the 2013 BBMAs. 1D will compete against Swift, Maroon 5, Rihanna and Justin Bieber for the Top Artist prize, and the boy band will square off against Jepsen, Gotye, PSY and the Lumineers for Top New Artist.
Also of note in 2013: the addition of EDM categories at the Billboard Music Awards, which reflects the overwhelming demand for electronic music. David Guetta, Skrillex, Swedish House Mafia and deadmau5 will compete for the Top EDM Album prize, while finalists for Top EDM Song include Baauer's "Harlem Shake," Calvin Harris' "Feel So Close" and Swedish House Mafia's "Don't You Worry Child" (feat. John Martin), respectively.
Billboard Music Awards finalists were based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital singles sales, radio airplay, touring, streaming and social interactions on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, VEVO, Spotify and other popular online destinations for music. These measurements were tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Entertainment and Next Big Sound.
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Swift, Bieber, Bruno Mars and Miguel are all set to take the stage at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, which will be hosted by Tracy Morgan and executive produced by Don Mischer. Additionally during the broadcast, Billboard will honor Prince with the coveted Billboard Icon Award, and the ingenuity of this year's hitmakers will be celebrated with the new Milestone Award, presented by Chevrolet. Fans can vote for their favorite finalist now at Billboard.com/milestone.
Stay tuned for more announcements on performers, presenters and more for the May 19 airing of the 2013 Billboard Music Awards on ABC.
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