It’s almost time for the best night of the year — the 2021 Billboard Music Awards!
While we wait only one more day until the big show, Celeb Secrets is giving you our thoughts on who will win a BBMA at this year’s show in ALL of the categories.
Across artist, album and song categories, The Weeknd leads the pack as a finalist in 16 categories, including Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Streaming Songs Artist, and Top Song Sales Artist. His 2020 album After Hours received multiple nods, including Top Billboard 200 Album and Top R&B album, with the hit single “Blinding Lights” recognized in five categories. Other top nominees include DaBaby, as he’s up for 11 BBMAs, followed by Pop Smoke (10), Gabby Barrett (9), Juice WRLD (7) and Megan Thee Stallion (7).
2021 Billboard Music Awards: Complete Coverage
As previously announced, Cynthia Erivo, Chelsea Handler, Dixie D’Amelio, Gabrielle Union, Henry Golding, Kathryn Hahn, Kelsea Ballerini, Lena Waithe, Leslie Odom, Jr., Lil Rel Howery, Padma Lakshmi, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Swizz Beatz, and Tina Knowles-Lawson are all confirmed to show up to the BBMAs, with special performances fromAJR, Alicia Keys, Bad Bunny, BTS, DJ Khaled feat. H.E.R. and Migos, Doja Cat & SZA, Duran Duran, Glass Animals, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with Sounds Of Blackness featuring Ann Nesby, Jonas Brothers with Marshmello, Karol G, The Weeknd, and twenty one pilots.
In addition, global superstar P!NK will perform and receive the distinguished ICON Award, Drake will receive the Artist of the Decade Award and Trae Tha Truth will receive the Change Maker Award.
Hosted by Nick Jonas, the 2021 Billboard Music Awards air LIVE from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles this Sunday, May 23rd @ 8PM ET/5PM PT on NBC.
Check out our winner predictions below and let us know yours by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
Top Artist: Drake, Juice WRLD, Pop Smoke, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd
Who We Think Will Win: With three, yes, three, Billboard number one albums released in the span of a year, Taylor Swift winning the Top Artist award is almost a no brainer. Granted both Drake and The Weeknd also had an incredible year on the charts but Swift’s record is unlike any other.
Top New Artist: Gabby Barrett, Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Pop Smoke, Rod Wave
Who We Think Will Win: After an incredible past year of amazing hits, Doja Cat has quickly risen to the top and has made her mark in the music industry with her catchy tracks which is why we think she’ll take the W for Top New Artist.
Top Male Artist: Drake, Juice WRLD, Lil Baby, Pop Smoke, The Weeknd
Who We Think Will Win: From headlining the Super Bowl halftime show to releasing After Hours and claiming the Billboard number one spot, we think that The Weeknd will take home the Billboard award for Top Male Artist.
Top Female Artist: Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Taylor Swift
Who We Think Will Win: Although we were fooled by the neon green and black wig for a couple of months, Billie Eilish’s success the past year is no lie! She’ll be taking home the award for Top Female Artist without a doubt.
Top Duo/Group: AC/DC, AJR, BTS, Dan + Shay, Maroon 5
Who We Think Will Win: With the resounding success of their first English-only track, “Dynamite,” and their latest album, BE, BTS are an absolute shoe-in for this award. The guys are even performing their second English-only track, “Butter,” for the first time on the Billboard Awards stage!
Top Billboard 200 Artist: Drake, Juice WRLD, Pop Smoke, Post Malone, Taylor Swift
Who We Think Will Win: Drake has been breaking numerous records with his chart topping tracks which make us believe he’ll be the winner of Top 200 artist this year.
Top Hot 100 Artist: DaBaby, Drake, Dua Lipa, Pop Smoke, The Weeknd
Who We Think Will Win: Our love for The Weeknd doesn’t blind us from the fact that he’s had an incredible year with his latest album and hit singles. We think he’ll take home the award for Top Hot 100 artist.
Top Social Artist (Fan Voted): BLACKPINK, BTS, Ariana Grande, SB19, Seventeen
Who We Think Will Win: We think that ARMY will be keeping their winning streak for this category, giving the BTS guys another win in this category for another year.
Top R&B Artist: Jhené Aiko, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Doja Cat, The Weeknd
Who We Think Will Win: We think The Weeknd will take home the award for Top R&B artist this year. The artist leads with the most nominations this year and we think that this award will definitely be his for the taking.
Top Rap Artist: DaBaby, Drake, Juice WRLD, Lil Baby, Pop Smoke
Who We Think Will Win: DaBaby has had an incredibly successful year of music after going viral with his hit track “ROCKSTAR” and collab with the one and only Dua Lipa. We think he’ll take home the award for Top Rap Artist on award show night.
Top Rock Artist: AC/DC, AJR, Five Finger Death Punch, Machine Gun Kelly, twenty one pilots
Who We Think Will Win: Tickets To My Downfall took over the Rock scene in 2020 and that is why Machine Gun Kelly will collect the award for Top Rock Artist this year.
Top Dance/Electronic Artist: The Chainsmokers, Kygo, Lady Gaga, Marshmello, Surf Mesa
Who We Think Will Win: Lady Gaga is a definite win in this category. Her latest album, Chromatica, was a hit amongst many and was the perfect dance album to help us get through the pandemic.
Top Billboard 200 Album: Juice WRLD, Legends Never Die, Lil Baby, My Turn, Pop Smoke, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, Taylor Swift, folklore, The Weeknd, After Hours
Who We Think Will Win: After Hours was the hit album of 2020 which is why we think this will be another win for The Weeknd!
Top R&B Album: Jhené Aiko, Chilombo, Chris Brown & Young Thug, Slime & B, Doja Cat, Hot Pink, Kehlani, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, The Weeknd, After Hours
Who We Think Will Win: Once again, we think that The Weeknd will take home another award for After Hours but this time for Top R&B album! There’s not a single miss on this album and we think that this album will finally get the recognition it deserves.
Top Rap Album: DaBaby, Blame It On Baby, Juice WRLD, Legends Never Die, Lil Baby, My Turn, Lil Uzi Vert, Eternal Atake, Pop Smoke, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon
Who We Think Will Win: We think Billboard will give the award for Top Rap Album to the late Pop Smoke for Shoot For The Stars. The last album from the artist was incredible and we think it’ll take home this award for the evening.
Top Rock Album: AC/DC, Power Up, Miley Cyrus, Plastic Hearts, Glass Animals, Dreamland, Machine Gun Kelly, Tickets to My Downfall, Bruce Springsteen, Letter to You
Who We Think Will Win: Although all these albums have had an incredible run over the past year, we think that MGK’s Tickets To My Downfall will take home the award for Top Rock Album. The artist accompanied a film special for the album which had people talking about it for weeks on end.
Top Latin Album: Anuel AA, Emmanuel, Bad Bunny, El Último Tour Del Mundo, Bad Bunny, Las que no iban a salir, Bad Bunny, YHLQMDLG, J Balvin, Colores
Who We Think Will Win: If his tour selling out in record time wasn’t evidence enough, we’re sure having three albums in this category alone will get Bad Bunny that win. It’s just a matter of seeing which one it’ll be, especially since all three of them debuted on top of the Latin album chart.
Top Dance/Electronic Album: DJ Snake, Carte Blanche, Gryffin, Gravity, Kygo, Golden Hour, Lady Gaga, Chromatica, Kylie Minogue, Disco
Who We Think Will Win: Her latest album, Chromatica, was a hit amongst many and was the perfect dance album, we think Billboard will agree with us when we say Lady Gaga will get the win for Top Dance/Electronic Album.
Top Hot 100 Song Presented by Rockstar: 24kGoldn ft. iann dior, “Mood”, Gabby Barrett ft. Charlie Puth, “I Hope”, Chris Brown & Young Thug, “Go Crazy”, DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch, “ROCKSTAR”, The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
Who We Think Will Win: “ROCKSTAR” took the Internet by storm after going viral on TikTok and has been in people’s heads ever since. Even if you’ve never heard of the artists, you’ve definitely heard the song in passing one way or another. For that reason, we think it’ll win Top Hot 100 song.
Top Streaming Song: Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP”, DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch, “ROCKSTAR”, Future ft. Drake, “Life Is Good”, Jack Harlow ft. DaBaby, Tory Lanez, & Lil Wayne, “WHATS POPPIN”, The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
Who We Think Will Win: If you didn’t stream this song at least once, you’re lying. Although very explicit, the song took over for a good couple of weeks and you’ve probably found it stuck in your head maybe once or twice. We think that WAP will definitely win in this category.
Top Radio Song: Gabby Barrett ft. Charlie Puth, “I Hope”, Chris Brown & Young Thug, “Go Crazy”, Dua Lipa, “Don’t Start Now”, Harry Styles, “Adore You”, The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
Who We Think Will Win: We’ve heard all of these songs at least once on the radio, but not anymore than we’ve heard “Blinding Lights!” This song was a major hit on the radio waves and we still can’t get enough of the hit track.
Top Collaboration (Fan Voted): 24kGoldn ft. iann dior, “Mood”, Gabby Barrett ft. Charlie Puth, “I Hope”, Chris Brown & Young Thug, “Go Crazy”, DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch, “ROCKSTAR”, Jack Harlow ft. DaBaby, Tory Lanez, & Lil Wayne, “WHATS POPPIN”
Who We Think Will Win: A hit amongst every crowd, we think fans will choose “ROCKSTAR” as their top collaboration of the year!
Top R&B Song: Jhené Aiko ft. H.E.R., “B.S.”, Justin Bieber ft. Quavo, “Intentions”, Chris Brown & Young Thug, “Go Crazy”, Doja Cat, “Say So”, The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
Who We Think Will Win: If you’re like us, you were also obsessed with Doja Cat’s “Say So” right after your first listen! This song made waves after going viral on TikTok with a trendy dance that people can’t stop doing till this day. We think “Say So” will take home the award for Top R&B song.
Top Rap Song: 24kGoldn ft. iann dior, “Mood”, Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP”, DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch, “ROCKSTAR”, Jack Harlow ft. DaBaby, Tory Lanez, & Lil Wayne, “WHATS POPPIN”, Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyoncé, “Savage”
Who We Think Will Win: Who doesn’t love Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé’s “Savage?” This track was a hit from the very start and we think it’ll definitely take home the award for Top Rap Song.
Top Rock Song: AJR, “Bang!”, All Time Low ft. blackbear, “Monsters”,Glass Animals, “Heat Waves”, Machine Gun Kelly ft. blackbear, “my ex’s best friend”, twenty one pilots, “Level of Concern”
Who We Think Will Win: Even with a twenty one pilots comeback, we think Machine Gun Kelly will win Top Rock Son this year. His track “my ex’s best friend” with blackbear was a big hit and we think that Billboard will agree too!
Top Dance/Electronic Song: Lady Gaga, “Stupid Love”, Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande, “Rain on Me”, SAINt JHN, “Roses (Imanbek Remix)”, Surf Mesa ft. Emilee, “ily (i love you baby)”, Topic & A7S, “Breaking Me”
Who We Think Will Win: “Rain On Me” was the song of he summer last year and the collaboration people never knew they needed! The dance track was a huge hit and even had massive play on the radio which is why we think it’ll take the win for Top Dance/Electronic Song.
Written by Abbey Paolim and Karen Alvarado
