Cardi B leads Billboard Music Award nominations

Los Angeles, April 5 (IANS) After winning Top Female Rap Artist last year, rapper Cardi B is the leading contender at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards with 21 nominations.

NBC and Dick Clark Productions on Thursday announced that the 26-year-old rapper is up for honours including Top Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Rap Artist, Top Selling Song and Top Rap Album, reports billboard.com.

The "I like it" rapper is nominated 21 times in 18 categories -- just missing the record for most nominations set by Drake and The Chainsmokers, who each had 22 in 2017. Cardi B will compete against herself in three categories -- Top Hot 100 Song, Top Selling Song, and Top Collaboration.

Following Cardi B, Drake and Post Malone each have 17 nominations. Travis Scott is up for 12 awards, and XXXTentacion is up for 10.

Among the other nominees are Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper -- who are up for the chart achievement award, top soundtrack for "A Star Is Born", and Top Selling song for "Shallow". Gaga is up separately for Top Song Sales Artist.

For this year's ceremony, there are two fan-voted categories -- Top Social Artist, and Chart Achievement. American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson will host the award ceremony in Las Vegas on May 1.

Here are some of the nominations:

• Top Artist:
  Cardi B
  Drake
  Ariana Grande
  Post Malone
  Travis Scott
• Top New Artist:
  Bazzi
  Juice Wrld
  Lil Baby
  Dua Lipa
  Ella Mai

• Billboard Chart Achievement Award:
  Dan + Shay
  Drake
  Ariana Grande
  Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
  Dua Lipa

• Top Male Artist:
  Drake
  Post Malone
  Travis Scott
  Ed Sheeran
  XXXTentacion

• Top Female Artist:
  Cardi B
  Ariana Grande
  Halsey
  Ella Mai
  Taylor Swift

• Top Duo/Group:
  BTS
  Dan + Shay
  Imagine Dragons
  Maroon 5
  Panic! At The Disco

• Top Billboard 200 Artist:
  Drake
  Ariana Grande
  Post Malone
  Travis Scott
  XXXTentacion

• Top Hot 100 Artist:
  Cardi B
  Drake
  Ariana Grande
  Juice Wrld
  Post Malone

• Top Streaming Songs Artist:
  Cardi B
  Drake
  Ariana Grande
  Post Malone
  XXXTentacion

• Top Song Sales Artist:
  Drake
  Ariana Grande
  Imagine Dragons
  Lady Gaga
  Post Malone

• Top Radio Songs Artist:
  Cardi B
  Drake
  Ariana Grande
  Maroon 5
  Post Malone

• Top Social Artist:
  BTS
  EXO
  GOT7
  Ariana Grande
  Louis Tomlinson

• Top Selling Song:
  Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin "I like it"
  Drake "In my feelings"
  Halsey "Without me"
  Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper "Shallow"
  Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B "Girls like you"

• Top Collaboration:
  Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin "I like it"
  Khalid & Normani "Love lies"
  Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B "Girls like you"
  Marshmello & Bastille "Happier"
  Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign "Psycho"