(Image courtesy of TV Insider. “The 2025 iHeartRadio music awards celebrated many accomplishments this year.”)
Maxi France
Connector Contributor
The iHeartRadio Music Awards celebrated the most-played artists and songs on radio and streaming platforms, honoring the best and brightest from a variety of genres. Its purpose is to celebrate recent popular music based on streamer and listener engagement as well as fan voting. The event took place at 8 p.m. on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The biggest winner was Taylor Swift, earning nine awards and 10 nominations along with her country counterpart Morgan Wallen. In addition to recognizing the winners for their popularity, the event featured well-received collaboration performances. To kick off the show, Billie Eilish gave a performance of the song “Wildflower” featuring her brother from her latest alternative and bedroom pop album “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” when the lights were dimmed as fans flashed their camera lights while listening to their idol perform.
For Artist of the Year, listeners gravitated towards long-time awardee Taylor Swift, who specializes in pop, rock, country and folk music. In the country realm, she beat Morgan Wallen, and in the pop sphere, she was listened to more than SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, and Billie Eilish. The Song of the Year, “Beautiful Things”, was from up-and-coming pop rock artist Benson Boone, and won over songs from veterans to the music industry like Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, and Hozier. Also having been signed to a record deal recently, Gracie Abrams, a pop, rock and indie artist who has made quick progress in her career with chart-topping albums, was named Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Eilish, who is similar in age, promoted her music by giving a heartfelt tribute while presenting her the award. Finally, less than two months after the album’s seven Grammy nominations, Eilish’s profitable “Hit Me Hard and Soft” earned the Album of the Year.
A well-received standout performance included Taylor Swift’s “Mirrorball,” which was pre-recorded from the opening night of her Eras tour, as part of the award coordinators honoring it as the “tour of the century.” Some artists made tributes to others on live television, with Lady Gaga calling rapper Doechii an innovator herself before giving her acceptance speech for the Innovator Award. In addition, R&B singer Ashanti handed the iHeartRadio Landmark Award to her husband Nelly, a fellow veteran artist who has come out with chart-topping albums celebrates people whose albums have shaped culture with their music. A moment that went viral during the show is when Mariah Carey, one of the most raved-about artists of all-time, lived up to her “diva” status when she complained about bad lighting during her Icon Award acceptance speech.
A feature that makes this awards ceremony unique is its fan-driven component, where the major categories are determined by indirect fan input like streaming. The winners of the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards reveal a great deal about how the tastes of listeners have evolved.
Some of Swift’s most popular releases this year include “The Black Dog” and “But Daddy I Love Him” from the album “The Tortured Poets Department.” Critic Gabriel Ssulog praised “The Black Dog” as revealing the mechanisms of the mind of Swift. Lyrics such as “Now I want to sell my house and set fire to all my clothes / And hire a priest to come and exorcise my demons” exemplify her revelations about her thinking to the listener, increasing relatability to the average viewer and likeability. Its focus on addressing heartache and depression in a raw manner resonates with a large range of people. Confessional music, which Swift sometimes covers, is deeply popular among people during times of decreased stigma about discussing mental health issues and increased support lines for them, like the ones we have at the university.
Boone’s “Beautiful Things” was used as a TikTok soundtrack by creators for sentimental and emotional videos, and has been broadcasted on the radio rather quickly after its release. It’s attractive to the typical listener because it reflects our primal urge to appeal to a higher power, with Boone appealing to God to preserve the blessings in his life. It can be used as a tribute song towards a particular special someone.
Abrams’ latest album was “The Secret of Us,” and a popular song from it that was nominated for Best Lyrics was “I Love You, I’m Sorry.” The way she expresses apologetic regret and responsibility for the failed relationship in her song tugs at the heartstrings of those who have been in one. What’s especially relatable is the future reality she pictures herself in where she and her ex are “cool,” representing people’s wishes to avoid drama after breakups.
What these artists have in common that makes them so attractive to fans are their relatability and emotional intensity, making them deserve their top spots.
