In case you’re wondering what the kids are listening to nowadays, the iHeart Radio Music Awards were held on Tuesday night to remind you just how old you really are. According to Billboard, Lil Nas X, Silk Sonic and Jazmine Sullivan were among the big winners at this year’s event.
Silk Sonic won for Best Duo/Group of the Year, R&B Song of the Year for “Leave The Door Open” and R&B Album of the Year for An Evening With Silk Sonic. However, the most emotional moment of the show came when Lil Nas X accepted his award for Male Artist of the Year and reflected on all the “delusional” things he’s accomplished.
“I wouldn’t be where I am right now in my life and career if I weren’t delusional. Believing that I could drop out of school and become an international success within a year is delusional,” the 22-year-old artist said. “Believing that I could come out of the closet at the height of my career…to think that I could make a song about a man lusting after another man in a world where it’s still legal in many places to be prosecuted and killed for being who you are, for being gay, it’s delusional to think that song could be the number one song in the world. It’s okay to be delusional when you’re chasing your dreams, when you have a vision in mind.”
Special awards went to Megan Thee Stallion as the iHeart Trailblazer and Jennifer Lopez as this year’s ICON recipient. And for the old folks like me, who are still trying to figure who half these people are, the show was hosted by LL Cool J, who performed a medley of his hits.
Here are some other notable winners:
Song of the Year: “Levitating” – Dua Lipa
Female Artist of the Year: Olivia Rodrigo
Hip-Hop Artist of the Year: Drake
Best New Hip-Hop Artist: Yung Bleu
Hip-Hop Song of the Year: “What You Know Bout Love” – Pop Smoke
Hip-Hop Album of the Year: The Off-Season – J. Cole
R&B Artist of the Year: Jazmine Sullivan
Best New R&B Artist: Giveon