We’re just days away from Sunday’s (May 15) Billboard Music Awards, where music’s biggest stars get to celebrate their success on the Billboard charts. Who are some of the biggest artists of all time at the awards show, and who might dominate this year?

BBMA finalists and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay and touring.

Drake currently has more BBMAs than any artist in history with 29 wins, thanks to his string of top albums and hit singles. Taylor Swift follows as the biggest female BBMA winner of all time with 25 total wins, stretching all the way back to 2011 when she won her first top country album award for Speak Now. Justin Bieber rounds out the top three with 21 total wins, thanks in part to his standout year in 2017, when he won five awards for just one song: his remix of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee‘s “Despacito.”

Who could win big at this year’s Billboard Music Awards? The Weeknd leads the pack this year as a finalist in 17 categories. He already has 19 wins, making him the fifth-winningest artist of all time. If he wins 11 of his 17 nominations, he can take Drake’s crown as the biggest BBMAs winner in history. Swift could also win the title if she wins five of the seven categories that she’s a finalist in this year. Drake could also break his own record, as he’s a finalist in 11 categories.

Watch the latest episode of Billboard Explains above to learn more about how to dominate the BBMAs.

After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and why Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” was able to shoot to No. 1 on the Hot 100.

The Billboard Music Awards are produced by MRC Live & Alternative, a division of MRC. MRC and Penske Media are co-parent companies of Billboard.

A$AP Rocky joined N.O.R.E. for an unfiltered conversation about fashion, his new whiskey brand and more for the latest episode of Revolt’s Drink Champs, which arrived Thursday night (May 12).

Amid the wide-ranging discussion, the “Sundress” rapper explained how the Astroworld tragedy in November changed how performances are run. “I would say ever since that horrific night, they’ve been really adamant about how you mosh,” he told the host. “I was just out in Brazil and they just stopped the show like, ‘Yo, some people were getting a little rowdy in the front and trampled and stuff.’ They just stopped the show and I was like, ‘Aight, cool.’ I get it.”

Ten people died at Travis Scott‘s Astroworld festival, and according to a new filing this week, there were 4,932 total alleged victims. In addition to 10 people who died, the new filing said 732 claims have been filed by people who needed “extensive medical treatment” and 1,649 who needed less extensive care. Another 2,540 were listed as “other,” meaning the extent of their injuries was still being reviewed.

“I think everybody taking precautions now is just because of what happened,” A$AP added. “More so than ever, I don’t think even Live Nation or any venue has seen this kind of travesty of lawsuits before. This is new for everybody. So I think a lot are trying to take it easy.

“We’re still going crazy at my sh–,” he concluded. “We’re still going stupid. That’s part of our culture. We rap but we got a punk mentality to this sh– […] You go to a show, you get out anger, you get out energy. You get socked in the face.”

Rocky also briefly mentioned Rihanna in a conversation about his new “D.M.B.” music video, in which the couple, who are expecting a child together, enjoy an afternoon in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.

“You and RiRi going through the ‘hood,” N.O.R.E said. “That’s a real n—a, because I would have stayed in Beverly Hills. I would have stayed in Manhattan.”

“That’s my lady. She’s thorough,” Rocky replied as the group gave her a round of applause.

Drink Champs is airing now on Revolt. Billboard will add video when it’s available.

Tuesday afternoon seemed to be another uneventful day at a Coconut Grove marina as the wind softly rocked the yachts by the pier and music played at a distance. Esteban … Click to Continue »
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Wednesday that she hoped a surprise settlement in the Surfside condo collapse lawsuit would bring “closure” in the disaster that killed 98 people. … Click to Continue »
Consumer prices in South Florida shot up 9.6% during the 12 months ending in April, outpacing the U.S. consumer inflation rate of 8.3% — still hovering around a 40-year nationwide … Click to Continue »
LOS ANGELES — A brush fire fueled by intense coastal winds roared into an upscale Laguna Niguel subdivision Wednesday evening as it ballooned to at least 150 acres, burning multiple … Click to Continue »

Justin Bieber teamed up with Don Toliver for the sleek collaboration, “Honest,” which the duo dropped in April.

According to Universal Music, “Honest” is Bieber’s first official single since “Ghost,” the finale to the Canadian pop star’s Billboard 200 chart leader Justice and itself a No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Airplay Chart.

If you need a guide to follow along with Justin Bieber’s “Honest” featuring Don Toliver, find the lyrics below:

(Yeah)
Honest (honest)
You’re modest, I like it (I like it)
You stay down and you’re the baddest (baddest)
Find you in the cut, I copped it (I copped it)
Honest (honest)
You kept it real with me from jump (with me from jump)
It’s twenty-three when you get dunked on (splash)
I put it in and that sh– sunk (and that sh– sunk)

Off top, you the sun in my morning (in my morning)
I tried to get away, but it’s boring (but it’s boring)
You’re my safe haven, I needed all along (all along)
And you’re my dime piece
And I can’t take less than one (less than one, you the)
You the (whew, yeah, yeah)
You the one (you the one)
Trinity, you like three in one (three in one)
Ratio, ten to one (ten to one)
You get spicy (you get spicy)
I like that cajun on you (yeah)
On occasion, that’s your testimony (that’s your testimony)
I like that hazel on you (like that hazel on you)
I look straight in your eyes, holy matrimony (yeah)

Honest (honest)
You’re modest, I like it (I like it)
You stay down and you’re the baddest (baddest)
Find you in the cut, I copped it (I copped it)
Honest (honest)
You kept it real with me from jump (from jump)
It’s twenty-three when you get dunked on (splash)
I put it in and that sh– sunk (and that sh– sunk)

Yeah, honest (honest)
Spicy, I like it (yeah)
FaceTime me the weed, I just might buy it
Throw it back on the couch, I just might try
Ooh, spicy (yeah, yeah)
Damn that booty thick, I like it (yeah)
Hey, Justin B (yeah)
I know you don’t do this often
This a sneak and geek (sneak)
F— that McLaren
I’m ridin’ the Jeep (yeah)
I got in the club with all of my thugs
I’m packing that Pistol Pete (yeah, yeah)
Better watch your mouth
Gotta pick a side before you jump and leap (leap)
I was sellin’ the nickels and dimes and dubs
The crack in my sock, it ain’t neat
But, baby, I like it (I like it)
I’ma pull that double R to your crib just for once
It’s twenty-three when you get dunked (twenty-three when you get dunked)
Me and JB, we smokin’ skunk (ooh)

Honest (honest)
You’re modest, I like it (I like it)
You stay down and you’re the baddest (baddest)
Find you in the cut, I copped it (I copped it)
Honest (honest)
You kept it real with me from jump (from jump)
It’s twenty-three when you get dunked on (splash)
I put it in and that sh– sunk (and that sh– sunk, hmm)

Ooh, honest

Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Written by: Alecia Gibson, Amir Stivie B, Caleb Zackery Tolivier, Justin Bieber, Simon Plummer, Sony Anderson de Sousa Ramos, Tyshane Thompson

Kelly Clarkson took the second star to the right on Wednesday (May 11), performing Kelsea Ballerini‘s “Peter Pan” to open The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Accompanied by just her pianist, the multi-hyphenate pared Ballerini’s 2016 country hit down to a tender ballad, singing, “You’re just a lost boy with your head up in the clouds/ You’re just a lost boy, never keep your feet on the ground/ You’re always gonna fly away just because you know you can/ You’re never gonna learn there’s no such place as Neverland/ You don’t understand, you’ll never grow up/ You’re never gonna be a man, Peter Pan.”

Released as the third single from Ballerini’s 2015 debut album The First Time, the track completed the young country singer’s hat trick atop the Country Airplay chart following fellow No. 1s “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs.” It also earned Ballerini her first — and so far lone — No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

After wrapping up her daily “Kellyoke” number, Clarkson chatted up guests Michelle Pfeiffer and Dakota Fanning about their new Showtime series The First Lady — in which the pair play, respectively, Betty Ford and her daughter Susan — as well as about working together more than two decades ago on Fanning’s first film, 2001’s I Am Sam.

Her take on “Peter Pan” wasn’t the only musical moment in the show, either. Later, she welcomed Rick Springfield to the show to perform his classic song “Jessie’s Girl” in honor of the track’s recent 40th anniversary.

Watch Clarkson’s rendition of Ballerini’s “Peter Pan” below.

On Wednesday (May 11), Casanova pleaded guilty to two counts — for racketeering and marijuana conspiracies — after his alleged involvement with a gang.

Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, claims that Casanova (né Caswell Senior) played a “leadership role in the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation Bloods Gang (‘Gorilla Stone’) in Westchester County, New York City and Florida.” As part of his racketeering conspiracy offense, Casanova admitted to his involvement in a 2018 robbery at a Manhattan diner and a 2020 shooting in Miami following a “gambling dispute.” He was allegedly affiliated with the gang, which is described as “particularly violent,” from 2004 to December 2020.

Senior’s attorney James Kousouros tells Billboard, “Mr. Senior pled guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and in that regard he admitted to selling marijuana and a robbery in which he took a phone from a lady who refused to stop filming him. He deleted the videos and returned the phone to her. He is sincerely sorry for his involvement in this case and hopes that the Court will accept his remorse and positive plans for the future. Mr. Senior has every intention of giving back to the community in a positive way.”

Williams said in a statement, “Like 12 of his co-defendants, Caswell Senior, an accomplished recording artist and performer, now stands convicted of playing a leadership role in Gorilla Stone, a particularly violent Bloods gang that operates throughout New York and across the country. In addition to his supervisory role, Senior was an active, hands-on participant in the gang’s senseless violence, including a shooting in Miami and contributing to a robbery at a Manhattan diner.”

Senior is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern on the morning of Dec. 6.

Prior to his guilty plea, Casanova was poised for success in his music career. He peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart in 2019 after the release of his album Behind These Scars. Chatting with Billboard at the time, Casanova was hopeful for the future and excited that his music was being recognized globally.

“I go out to these different places overseas and they recognize who I am, I’m shocked,” he said then. “Like right now I’m by myself and people can walk right by. But when you’re out in London by yourself and they call out your name it’s amazing and I love it. I think that’s because I’m beginning to travel more and people are getting to know who I am now more than ever.”

Per a statement from the DOJ, the maximum prison sentence for Senior’s charges is 60 years.

Luis Figueroa claims his third top 10 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart as his latest single “Todavía Te Espero” jumps 12-10 on the May 14-dated survey.

The song, released March 24 via Sony Music Latin, rises to the upper tier with a 5% boost in audience impressions, to 2.6 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending May 8, according to Luminate.

One of the new voices of the salsa movement, Figueroa scored his first No. 1 on Tropical Airplay less than a year ago when his version of the 1993 classic “Hasta El Sol De Hoy” landed at the summit in July 2021.

“Todavía,” which was written by Luis Figueroa and ICON and produced by Motiff, is the first single from Figueroa’s eponymous upcoming album and follows the Puerto Rican’s second chart entry “Si Tú Me Dices Ven” (No. 6 peak, Oct. 2021).

Elsewhere, the track breaks into the all-Latin genre Latin Airplay chart at No. 45, also his third career entry there.