Unstoppable Stars Shine Bright at 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards Celebration
On Thursday, March 26, music stars of all genres joined together for the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards. The awards show aired on the Fox network at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, hosted by rapper and actor Ludacris. The Swifties had a great night as Taylor Swift was nominated for nine awards, walking away with her hands full. Other artists that shone last night are Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, and ROSÉ from the K-Pop group Blackpink.
Award Night Dominated by Icons
Alex Warren, the award show’s first performer at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, is one artist to watch next year. Warren won the Breakthrough Award, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist Pop. Swift won seven of the awards she was nominated for, sweeping the Pop categories, winning Pop Album of the Year and Pop Song of the Year. The “Shake It Off” singer also claimed the titles of Album of the Year and Artist of the Year.
Lamar won three of the four awards in the Hip-Hop genre. Bad Bunny won every award in the Pop Latin categories except Best New Artist. 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards host Ludacris won the Landmark Award, and Miley Cyrus received the INNOVATOR Award. But the night’s most prestigious award went to John Mellencamp, who was honored with the ICON Award.
Surprise Victories Shake Up Awards
Unexpected victory went to Chris Brown for winning R&B Artist of the Year at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards against Leon Thomas. Brown had a great year in 2025 with a viral dance challenge and success with his “Breezy Bowl XX” world tour. Still, Thomas has had a breakout year, dominating the R&B categories this award season and earning six Grammy nominations.
Another debatable win of the night at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards went to Coldplay, Crowd cam in the category Favorite Tour Tradition: *Socially Voted Category. Coldplay’s Crowd cam went viral last year for capturing a scandalous affair, but does that compare to Beyonce, Blue Ivy & Rumi’s family moment during the Cowboy Carter tour, or to several artists like the Jonas Brothers bringing out surprise guests?
2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards Winner Circle
See every award Swift took home, and discover new artists to add to your music rotation based on the winners in the Best New Artist categories at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Below is the complete list of winners from last night’s awards, not including the nominees in the category, courtesy of iHeart.com
2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards Winners
Breakthrough Award:
Alex Warren
INNOVATOR Award:
Miley Cyrus
ICON Award:
John Mellencamp
Landmark Award:
Ludacris
Song of the Year:
“Ordinary” – Alex Warren
Artist of the Year:
Taylor Swift
Album of the Year:
Taylor Swift, The Life of a Showgirl
Pop Artist of the Year:
Sabrina Carpenter
Pop Song of the Year:
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift
Pop Album of the Year:
Taylor Swift, The Life of a Showgirl
Best New Artist (Pop):
Alex Warren
Duo/Group of the Year:
HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
Best Collaboration:
“APT.” – ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
Country Song of the Year:
“Good News” – Shaboozey
Country Artist of the Year:
Morgan Wallen
Best New Artist (Country):
Ella Langley
Country Album of the Year:
Morgan Wallen, I’m The Problem
Hip-Hop Song of the Year:
“luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA
Hip-Hop Artist of the Year:
Kendrick Lamar
Hip-Hop Album of the Year:
Kendrick Lamar, GNX
Best New Artist (Hip-Hop):
Real Boston Richey
R&B Song of the Year:
“Folded” – Kehlani
R&B Artist of the Year:
Chris Brown
Best New Artist (R&B):
Leon Thomas
R&B Album of the Year:
Leon Thomas, PHOLKS
World Artist of the Year:
MOLIY
Alternative Song of the Year:
“Ensenada” – Sublime
Alternative Artist of the Year:
Twenty One Pilots
Best New Artist (Alternative):
sombr
Alternative Album of the Year:
sombr, I Barely Know Her
Rock Song of the Year:
“Heavy Is the Crown” – Linkin Park
Rock Artist of the Year:
Shinedown
Best New Artist (Rock):
Sleep Theory
Rock Album of the Year:
Sleep Token, Even in Arcadia
Dance Song of the Year:
“No Broke Boys” – Disco Lines & Tinashe
Dance Artist of the Year:
David Guetta
Dance Album of the Year:
Lady Gaga, MAYHEM
Latin Pop/Urban Song of the Year:
“DtMF” – Bad Bunny
Latin Pop/Urban Artist of the Year:
Bad Bunny
Latin Pop/Urban Album of the Year:
Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Best New Artist (Latin Pop/Urban):
Beéle
Regional Mexican Song of the Year:
“Amor Bonito” – Luis Angel “El Flaco”
Regional Mexican Artist of the Year:
Grupo Frontera
Best New Artist (Regional Mexican):
Los Dos De Tamaulipas
Regional/Mexican Album of the Year:
Fuerza Regida 111XPANTIA
K-pop Artist of the Year:
ROSÉ
K-pop Group of the Year:
Stray Kids
K-pop Song of the Year:
“Golden” – HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
Best New Artist (K-pop):
Cortis
K-pop Album of the Year:
Jennie, Ruby
Songwriter of the Year:
Amy Allen
Producer of the Year:
Andrew Watt
Favorite Broadway Debut: *Socially Voted Category
Tom Felton, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
Favorite TikTok Dance: *Socially Voted Category
“MONA LISA” – j-hope
Favorite Debut Album: *Socially Voted Category
Alex Warren, “You’ll Be Alright, Kid”
Best Lyrics: *Socially Voted Category
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift
Best Music Video: *Socially Voted Category
“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift
Favorite On Screen: *Socially Voted Category
Jimin and Jungkook, “Are You Sure?!”
Favorite Tour Photographer: *Socially Voted Category
Rahul Bhatt for KATSEYE
Favorite Soundtrack: *Socially Voted Category
“KPop Demon Hunters”
Favorite Tour Style: *Socially Voted Category
Taylor Swift, “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour”
Favorite Tour Tradition: *Socially Voted Category
Coldplay, Crowd cam
Favorite K-pop Collab: *Socially Voted Category
“Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel)” – j-hope, Miguel
Stream 2026 Awards Highlights Now
If you missed the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, you can watch it on streaming services like Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV. You can also watch music performances by Kehlani, TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue, as well as acceptance speech highlights, on the Fox and iHeartRadio YouTube pages.
