Post Malone leads 2020 Billboard Music Awards nominations with 16

Top nominees include Lil Nas X (13), Billie Eilish (12), Khalid (12), Lizzo (11) and Kanye West (9)

Hosted by Kelly Clarkson, the awards air live Wednesday, Oct. 14, on NBC

dick clark productions and NBC announced the nominees for the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, which honor the year’s most successful artists in 55 categories across all genres of music. Rapper Post Malone leads the pack with 16 Billboard Music Award (BBMA) nods, followed by first-time nominees Lil Nas X with 13 and Billie Eilish with 12. BBMA winner Khalid ties Eilish with 12 nominations. Other nominees and possible record-breakers include first-time nominee Lizzo (11), Kanye West (9), Taylor Swift (6) and Justin Bieber (4).

The 2020 Billboard Music Awards, hosted by Kelly Clarkson, will broadcast live from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 14 (8 p.m. ET), on NBC.

This year’s awards are based on the chart period of March 23, 2019, through March 14, 2020. The show was originally scheduled April 29, but was postponed due to the pandemic. The original eligibility period remained intact to recognize and honor the chart-topping artists and musical successes achieved and to maintain consistent tracking periods for future shows.

Post Malone earned nominations in coveted categories including Top Artist, Top Male Artist and Top Billboard 200 Artist, notching a total of 16 nods and only narrowly missing his personal record of 17 nominations in 2019. He is also a double nominee in the Top Rap Song category. Lil Nas X received 13 nominations, with nods in many of the same categories, including Top Male Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist and Top Hot 100 Artist. Khalid and Eilish are tied for third-most nominations this year with 12 each, marking Eilish’s BBMA nominations debut. Lizzo received a total of 11 nominations, including Top New Artist, and West follows with nine, including a quadruple nomination in the Top Gospel Song category.

Fan-voted categories this year include Billboard Chart Achievement Award, Top Social Artist and Top Collaboration. Voting opens Oct. 1 and will be available on TikTok, this year’s primary voting platform, reflecting its increasing impact on music and role as a staging ground for chart-topping hits.