The Weeknd to Perform at 2021 Billboard Music Awards

Jem Aswad
·2 min read
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The Weeknd will perform at the Billboard Music Awards on May 23 — which is only fitting since he’s the top finalist this year with nominations in 16 categories, riding the success of his blockbuster “After Hours” album and its smash single “Blinding Lights,” which has crushed multiple streaming and chart records.

Over the course of his decade-long career, the Weeknd has racked up a dazzling number of Billboard chart records: He’s had 34 top 40-charting hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including six No. 1s, three of which came from “After Hours”: “Heartless,” “Blinding Lights” and his recent duet with Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears,” which hit No. 1 more than a year after the album was released. “Blinding Lights” spent a record-breaking 57 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

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He’s also had four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, including “After Hours,” which is the first album with three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s since 2018.

The performance comes at the end of a year that has seen a bounty of videos and TV performances from the Weeknd, even during the pandemic: He made eye-popping performances on the MTV VMAs, the American Music Awards and the Super Bowl Halftime show.

In a recent interview with Variety, he revealed a few details about what his next album will sound like.

The Billboard Music Awards, hosted by Nick Jonas, will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 23 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC. Pink will receive the Icon Award and will also perform on the show.

This year’s awards are based on the chart period of March 21, 2020 through April 3, 2021. According to the announcement, the finalists and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including audio and video streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including MRC Data and Next Big Sound. Fan-voted categories include Top Social Artist and Top Collaboration. Voting is open from May 10 at 9am PT to May 21 at 11:59pm PT on Twitter and billboard.com/bbmasvote.

The 2021 Billboard Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions. Barry Adelman and Robert Deaton are executive producers.

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