Ariana Grande, Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani To Perform On The “2016 Billboard Music Awards”

Billboard and dick clark productions announced today that Ariana Grande, Blake Shelton, and Gwen Stefani have  been  added  to  the  star-studded  lineup  of  performers  at the “2016 Billboard Music Awards.” Grande is set to perform new music, and Shelton and Stefani will take to the stage for the awards show debut of “Go Ahead And Break My Heart,” a song they wrote and perform on Shelton’s new album If I’m Honest. The “2016 Billboard Music Awards” will broadcast LIVE from Las Vegas on Monday, May 23 8am (7am JKT/BKK) on RTL CBS Entertainment HD. This year’s show, which  will  be  hosted by hip-hop artist Ludacris and international music sensation Ciara, will showcase big performances,  unexpected collaborations and much-discussed pop culture moments. These  artists  join  previously announced performers Justin Bieber, Celine Dion, DNCE, The Go-Go’s, Demi Lovato, Shawn Mendes, P!nk, “Kia’s One to Watch” Troye Sivan, Britney Spears, and collaborations with Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla $ign, and Nick Jonas with Tove Lo, and Madonna will pay tribute to Prince.

Within less than a year, Ariana Grande captured No. 1 on the Billboard 200 twice first with her Republic Records debut Yours Truly and also with its 2014 follow-up My Everything. Yours Truly yielded the game- changing pop smash “The Way” featuring Mac Miller, which  went  triple-platinum,  landed  in  the  top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and seized #1 on the iTunes Overall Top Songs chart. Meanwhile, the platinum-selling  My Everything garnered a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Pop Vocal Album” and spawned the six times-platinum hit “Problem.” Upon the single’s release,  Ariana  became  “the  youngest  woman  to  debut with over 400K sold first-week,” while the song ranked as the 5th “highest digital song debut for a female artist” and 9th highest ever. Moreover, it debuted at #1 in 85 countries, topping the iTunes Overall Top Songs and Pop Songs charts for four weeks. During release week, My Everything was No. 1 on Spotify as Ariana personally rose to #1 on the Billboard Artists 100 chart. She also became the first woman in history and the  first artist since Michael Jackson to simultaneously have three  songs “Problem,”  “Break  Free”  featuring Zedd, and “Bang Bang” with Nicki Minaj and Jessie J in the Top 6 of the Digital Songs Chart. “Bang  Bang”  went platinum and was Grammy-nominated for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.” By the end of the year, she landed four songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, the most of any artist in 2014. In total, Ariana   has enjoyed seven top 10 smashes on the Billboard Hot  100.

In  2013,  she  was  named  “Best  New   Artist”   at   the  American   Music   Awards.   Other   accolades  followed with Ariana winning “Favorite Breakout Artist” at the People’s Choice Awards 2014, the “Young Influencer Award” at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the “Radio Disney Chart Topper Award,” “Choice Female Artist” and “Choice Single” “Problem” at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards, and more. At the 2014 MTV VMAS,  “Problem” was named “Best Pop Video” as well. In November, Ariana took home the award for “Favorite Female  Artist Pop/Rock” at the 2015 American Music Awards.

2016 sees her release her mega-anticipated third full-length album, Dangerous Woman, driven by the title track which captured No. 1 on both iTunes Overall Top Songs Chart and Top Pop Songs Chart minutes after release. “Dangerous Woman” also debuted in the top 10 of  the  Billboard  Hot  100  earning  her  the distinction of becoming the first artist to debut in the top 10 with the lead single from each of her first three albums.

Country Music Association’s 2012 “Entertainer of the Year,” Grammy Award nominee and five-time CMA Awards Male Vocalist of the Year, Blake Shelton continues to add to his superstar status. With 16 consecutive No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, Shelton owns the record of successive No. 1 singles in the modern era, and has a total of 21 No. 1 singles. “Came Here To Forget,” is the first single from his forthcoming album If I’m Honest, out May 20. The album includes three songs written by Shelton which include the gospel tinged “Savior’s Shadow,” “Friends,” which is also featured in the upcoming Angry Birds movie and “Go Ahead and Break My Heart,” a song he wrote and performs with Gwen Stefani. Shelton’s last three studio albums have all debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, and are among his 13 top 10s on the chart. A member of the Grand Ole Opry, he has earned a host of awards throughout his career, including the recent People’s Choice Award for Favorite Male Country Artist. Shelton is celebrating his 10th season on NBC’s “The Voice” and recently hosted Nickelodeon’s slime-filled Kids’ Choice Awards. Shelton will be the subject of a career-spanning exhibition at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. Blake Shelton: Based on a True Story, which opens May 27, 2016, will explore the life and work of one of country music’s most popular and multi-dimensional artists. He will hit the road in September for his Blake Shelton presented by Gildan tour, which kicks off with a two-night stand in Oklahoma City.

Three-time Grammy Award winner Gwen Stefani has achieved worldwide success as a performer, songwriter, and recording artist who has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide with No Doubt and as a multi-platinum solo artist. Stefani released two solo albums Love.Angel.Music.Baby and The Sweet Escape featuring the hit singles “Rich Girl,” “Sweet Escape,” “What Are You Waiting For?” and the Pharrell Williams-produced Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Hollaback Girl,” which became the first digital download to sell more than one million copies in the United States. In the fall of 2015, Stefani returned as a coach for the ninth season of The Voice and released the synth-pop ballad “Used To Love You,” a song that has since been certified gold. Stefani kicked off 2016 with the release of her second single “Make Me Like You” and a music video that was created on live television. Both “Used To Love You” and “Make Me Like You” are featured on Stefani’s third studio album This Is What The Truth Feels Like which was released March 18th on Interscope Records and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Billboard Music Awards finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital  songs sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social interactions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify and other popular online destinations for music. These measurements are tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The awards are based on the reporting period of tracking dates March 23, 2015 through March 17, 2016 and Billboard chart dates April 11, 2015 through April 2, 2016. Since 1940, the Billboard charts have been the go-to guide for ranking the popularity of songs and albums, and are the ultimate measure of a musician’s success.