The twelfth annual iHeartRadio Music Awards show happened on March 17th, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and was hosted by LL Cool J, an American rapper and actor. In this article, a look will be taken at some of the winners and nominees of some of the most popular categories. This year’s awards also paid tribute to the rebuilding of Los Angeles after the destructive wildfires, driving donations to FireAid LA.
The iHeartRadio Music Awards celebrate the most played and listened to artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations, as well as the iHeartRadio app throughout the previous year. It also features live performances from huge artists, surprise collaborations and award presentations from all different kinds of categories. Let’s take a look at some of the most known categories.
Artist of the Year:
The nominees for Artist of the Year were Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Jelly Roll, Kendrick Lamar, Morgan Wallen, Post Malone, Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, Teddy Swims, and Taylor Swift. The award was won by Taylor Swift, who holds the most winnings (nine) for the iHeartRadio 2025 awards.
Song of the Year:
The nominees for Song of the year were “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Greedy” by Tate Mcrae, “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, “Agora Hills” by Doja Cat, “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen, “Lovin on Me” by Jack Harlow, and “Too Sweet” by Hozier. The lucky winner was “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone. Boone is an American singer and songwriter who started to gain popularity after participating in the 19th season of “American Idol.”
Best collaboration:
“Fortnight” by Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen, “Like That” by Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar, “Miles On It” by Kane Brown and Marshmello, and “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars were all nominees for best collaboration. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars were declared the winners of the category. “Die With a Smile” peaked at number one on Apple Music, Spotify, and iTunes during the release week of the song and has received lots of positive reviews from critics.
Pop Artist of the Year:
Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, and Taylor Swift were all nominated for pop artist of the year, however only one person can take the award home. For this category it was Sabrina Carpenter, who won two awards in total for the iHeartRadio Music Awards this year. This year was her first year winning Pop Artist of the Year.
Hip-Hop Artist of the Year:
Drake, Future, GloRilla, Kendrick Lamar, and Travis Scott were all nominated for Hip-Hop Artist of the Year. GloRilla ended up being the lucky winner. GloRilla has been making a name for herself since 2022 in the hip-hop scene and has earned lots of recognition in a short amount of time.
Country Artist of the Year:
The nominees for Country Artist of the Year were Jelly Roll, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, and Morgan Wallen. The winner ended up being Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll began to gain popularity after his single “Son of a Sinner” which was released in 2022 and has also been nominated for Best New Artist at the 66th Grammy Awards.
Additional winners:
- Taylor Swift won Tour of the Century for The Eras Tour
- Mariah Carey ended up winning the Icon Award
- Lady Gaga won the Innovator Award
- Label of the Year went to Republic Records
- Landmark Award was won by Nelly
- Gracie Abrams won the Breakthrough Award
