The nominees for the 9th iHeartRadio Music Awards have been announced with WizKid scoring a nomination in the “Hip-Hop Song” of the Year category.
In a keenly contested category highly dominated by American elite musicians, the Nigerian gold-selling artiste, who is nominated for his Tems-assisted commercial song “Essence”, will be competing against Moneybagg Yo’s “Time Today”, Cardi B’s “Up”, Drake’s Future & Young Thug-assisted “Way 2 Sexy” and “What You Know Bout Love” by Pop Smoke.
“Essence” was released on 9 April 2021, as the fourth single from Wizkid’s fourth studio album, Made in Lagos. The “sensual” song sees the duo express their desire for each other. It is the first Nigerian song in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200. The song has received a nomination at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Global Music Performance.
In 2021, a remix featuring additional vocals from Canadian singer Justin Bieber was released on 13 August, and appears on the deluxe edition of Made in Lagos.
The iHeartRadio Music Awards are returning this March and are happening live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, celebrating this year’s most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app — everything the fans have been listening to.
In its ninth year, this year’s show will feature awards presentations in multiple categories, live performances from the biggest artists in music, plenty of surprises, and more. Fans can tune in to watch the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Tuesday, March 22nd on FOX from 8pm-10pm ET (PT tape-delayed). The show will also be broadcast on iHeartMedia radio stations across the country and on the iHeartRadio app.
As always, the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards will celebrate the fans by giving them an opportunity to decide the winners in several new and established categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s Best Fan Army, Best Lyrics, Best Cover Song, Best Music Video, the Social Star Award, Favorite Tour Photographer, TikTok Bop of the Year, and the first-ever TikTok Songwriter of the Year and Best Comeback Album.
Tickets for the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards are on sale to the general public.