Nick Jonas is set to host the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, which will air live Sunday May 23, on NBC. Kelly Clarkson hosted the last three years. Both superstar singers are coaches on NBC’s smash hit, The Voice.
Jonas and Clarkson are two of five musical artists who have served as sole host of the BBMAs. The others are Phil Collins, LL Cool J and Ludacris.
This is Jonas’ first time as host of the Billboard Music Awards, which is two years older than he is. (He’s 28; the show launched 30 years ago). But he’s had lots of awards show experience, including teaming with his wife, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, to announce this year’s Oscar nominations.
The artist had a little fun with his hosting announcement on social media, sharing a video of himself with the “preemptive best host ever” award:
Truly an honor to have already received the first preemptive 2021 #BBMAs award. Best host ever?! Wow! Tune-in May 23rd at 8pm ET/5pm PT on @NBC 😎 pic.twitter.com/mx0LIqXX2j
— Nick Jonas (@nickjonas) April 30, 2021
Jonas Brothers won three Billboard Music Awards last year: top duo/group, top radio songs artist and top radio song for “Sucker,” their first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. They were also nominated for top artist.
Jonas Brothers had great success as a teen pop act from 2007-10, landing a pair of No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and a Grammy nomination for best new artist. Remarkably, they have come back even stronger in the past two years with a third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and another Grammy nomination, best pop duo/group performance for “Sucker.”
Jonas has also had success as a solo artist, notably with “Jealous,” a top 10 hit on the Hot 100. Jonas teamed with Nick Monson and Justin Tranter to co-write the Golden Globe-nominated song “Home” for the 2017 movie Ferdinand. Also as a solo artist, Jonas received the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016.
As an actor, Jonas has appeared in such films as Goat, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Midway and Chaos Walking.
Jonas’ selection as host was announced Friday (April 30), one day after this year’s BBMA finalists were revealed. The Weeknd is this year’s leading nominee with 16 nods, followed by Da Baby (11), Pop Smoke (10) and Gabby Barrett (nine).
This year’s awards are based on the chart period of March 21, 2020, through April 3, 2021. Billboard Music Awards finalists and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including MRC Data.
The 2021 Billboard Music Awards is produced by dick clark productions. Barry Adelman and Robert Deaton are executive producers.
The show will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 23, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC.