Who has won the most Billboard Music Awards in the show’s history?
The correct answer is Taylor Swift, though Drake is moving up fast and could conceivably overtake her at this year’s BBMA telecast on May 1.
Swift has won 23 BBMAs and is nominated for two more this year. Drake has won 15 BBMAs and is nominated for 17 more this year. If Drake converts about half of his nominations to wins, he is within striking distance of Swift’s record.
When she was still known primarily as a country star, Swift took home her first BBMA in 2011. She continued to rack up awards as she evolved from country to pop. Swift is the only artist to win eight or more Billboard Music Awards more than once, taking home eight prizes in both 2013 and 2015. Her tally increased to 23 in 2018 after she brought home awards for top female artist and top selling album.
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Justin Bieber is runner-up to Swift on the all-time winners’ list, with 20 awards. This makes him the male artist with the most awards — though Drake may overtake him this year. Bieber’s awards include top new artist of 2011. He is the only top new artist winner to have amassed 10 or more BBMAs. Like Swift, Bieber has undergone a noteworthy musical transformation in these years, from teen idol to mainstream pop star. Bieber has one nom this year.
Destiny’s Child is the group with the most Billboard Music Awards: 10. The trio is one of only two acts in BBMA history (along with Garth Brooks) to receive back-to-back awards for top artist. DC frontwoman Beyoncé has won 11 additional awards on her own. Bey has three more noms this year, all for her tour with husband Jay-Z.
The Chainsmokers and Twenty One Pilots are tied as the duo with the most BBMAs: seven. Both duos have two more noms this year.
Want a little more trivia? Usher is the R&B artist with the most BBMAs: 18. Drake is the hip-hop artist with the most — and that’s before this year’s awards.
There is only one late artist on the all-time winners list: Whitney Houston, whose 16 awards puts her in sixth place, died in 2012. Her high ranking is impressive because her first two albums — both blockbusters — were released years before the BBMAs began in 1990.
Carrie Underwood, who has won 10 awards, has two more noms this year.
The Billboard Music Awards began in 1990 and aired yearly on Fox through 2006. During those years, the categories and winners were based on Billboard‘s year-end charts, which are published in December each year. Not all year-end charts were represented on the yearly show. The BBMAs went on hiatus from 2007 through 2010. The show returned in 2011, on ABC, and then moved to NBC in 2018. From 2011 onward, the show’s categories were no longer based on the year-end charts.
Nominees and winners for the 2019 Billboard Music Awards are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The 2019 Billboard Music Awards are based on the chart period of March 23, 2018, through March 7, 2019.
The 2019 Billboard Music Awards, hosted by Kelly Clarkson, air Wednesday, May 1, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Here’s a list of all artists who have amassed 10 or more BBMAs, through the 2018 ceremony.
ARTIST, WINS
Taylor Swift, 23
Justin Bieber, 20
Garth Brooks, 19
Usher, 18
Adele, 18
Whitney Houston, 16
Drake, 15
Mariah Carey, 14
R. Kelly, 12
Rihanna, 12
Lil Jon, 11*
Beyoncé, 11
Janet Jackson, 11
Mary J. Blige, 10
Eminem, 10
Destiny’s Child, 10
Carrie Underwood, 10
50 Cent, 10
*Includes six awards with East Side Boyz
