Silk Sonic, Florence + The Machine, Maxwell and Morgan Wallen joined the lineup of performers slated to take the stage at this 2022 Billboard Music Awards. MRC and NBC announced the additions to the roster on Friday (April 29) to the event that will be broadcast live from coast-to-coast from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 15 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC (and streaming live on Peacock).
The show will be hosted by music mogul and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs, and also feature performances from previously announced acts Burna Boy, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Rauw Alejandro and Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as this year’s Icon Award recipient, Mary J. Blige. More information about the BBMAs, including additional performers and presenters, will be announced in the coming weeks.
It will mark the BBMA performance debut for the Bruno Mars/Anderson .Paak-led Silk Sonic, who are first-time BBMA finalists in four categories including Top Duo/Group, Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Song, and Top R&B Album.
The inclusion of Wallen on the performer lineup comes one year after the country star was caught on camera yelling the N-word and other expletives on Feb. 2, 2021, after which he said using the racial slur was “ignorant and wrong,” and said he’d spend the rest of the year out of the spotlight working on himself. Since then, Wallen has taken part in several surprise performances, announced a headlining tour, taken home a number of major awards (including album of the year at the 2022 ACM Awards) and broken Billboard chart records.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by MRC Live & Alternative, a division of MRC. The inclusion of Wallen on the BBMAs broadcast came after a diverse team of MRC staffers spent several months in extensive discussions, both internally and externally, with partners and the artist’s team, according to MRC. The team concluded the incident was not part of a consistent pattern of behavior for Wallen and that he’d shown a commitment to change.
“We oppose discrimination, harassment, or racism of any kind,” read a statement from an MRC spokesperson. “We believe in treating everyone with dignity and respect. After a thorough review and robust discussions internally and with the artist’s team, in which we found a demonstrated and ongoing commitment to meaningful work and outreach, we extended an invitation to participate in this year’s show.”
This year’s awards are based on the chart period of April 10, 2021, through March 26, 2022. Billboard Music Awards finalists and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, and touring, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Luminate.
The 2022 BBMAs is produced by MRC Live & Alternative; Robert Deaton and Sean “Diddy” Combs are executive producers. Tickets to attend the show are open to the public. Prices per ticket start at $90 USD and are available for purchase here. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET 3:30 p.m. PT.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by MRC Live & Alternative, a division of MRC. MRC and Penske Media are co-parent companies of Billboard.
https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2022-bbmas-silk-sonic-florence-machine-morgan-wallen-maxwell-performing-1235064858/
