{"id":348308,"date":"2026-03-26T05:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T05:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/348308\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T05:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T05:23:13","slug":"ludacris-on-what-hes-looking-forward-to-at-iheartradio-music-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/348308\/","title":{"rendered":"Ludacris on What He’s Looking Forward to at iHeartRadio Music Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIt\u2019s time to roll out to this year\u2019s iHeartRadio<\/a> Music Awards \u2014 and leading the charge is this year\u2019s host and recipient of the highly coveted Landmark Award, Ludacris.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Atlanta native is no stranger to the hosting gig. He hosted the Billboard Music Awards for back to back years in 2016 and 17. And two years ago, Luda took on the emcee role for the iHeartRadio Music Awards<\/a> where he delivered a joyous opening monologue, honored fellow musical legends, cracked jokes at his own expense and also performed a medley of his own biggest hits. With this experience already under his belt, hosting the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards is a return to form for him.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith Luda at the helm, this year\u2019s ceremony is looking to be as exciting as ever. Alongside the rapper\u2019s Landmark Award, iHeartRadio has announced several other major honors that are to be presented. Miley Cyrus, hot off the heels of last week\u2019s Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, will receive the Innovator Award, given out to an artist with global musical and cultural impact. Best New Artist Grammy nominee and chart topper Alex Warren will get the award for Breakthrough Artist. Grammy-winning singer-songer writer John Mellencamp will be bestowed with the Icon Award. Though it is not yet known what awards she may receive, Taylor Swift, who is nominated in a whopping nine categories, is set to make a special appearance, marking the first time she\u2019s attended the event since 2023. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe awards categories aren\u2019t the stacked lineup at this year\u2019s iHeartRadio Music Awards. 90s hiphop and RnB legends Salt-N-Pepa, TLC and En Vogue will all hit the stage together for the first time \u2014 a perfect kickoff to their recently-announced It\u2019s Iconic tour<\/a>. Vocal powerhouse Raye, whose second studio album This Music May Contain Hope drops the day after the ceremony, will also perform. The Landmark himself, Ludacris will take a break from hosting to put on his performer hat, as he shows off just why he\u2019s receiving the major award this year.<\/p>\n

\n\tAhead of Thursday\u2019s (March 26) ceremony, Billboard caught up with Ludacris to chat all things iHeartRadio Music Awards, why he\u2019s looking forward to hosting, and what he thinks of some of this year\u2019s performers and awardees.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou hosted the iHeartRadio Music Awards in 2024 \u2014 what are you most excited for with hosting again?<\/p>\n

\n\tJust it being live, because anything can happen. Not all award shows are live, and I just love that element. It brings a whole new excitement to it. You just never know what can happen\u00a0\u2014\u00a0anything can happen.<\/p>\n

\n\tDo you have any ideas or plans for crazy surprises that people should look out for it?<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are a bunch of those types of crazy surprises. I can\u2019t give them away, because then it wouldn\u2019t be a surprise, but there are definitely some really good things. I know there\u2019s not a surprise with Taylor Swift making an appearance. She hasn\u2019t done that in a long time, so just that alone is going to get a lot of people excited. She has nine nominations, so she\u2019s making a special appearance.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are a lot of awards being given out \u2014 how do you keep up your energy and keep the audience excited throughout the night as a host?<\/p>\n

\n\tI got a team of individuals around me that help me stay sane and keep me on point. I can\u2019t do it all myself. I always make sure that I give love to the team that\u2019s around me. Having the experience of doing it before is also something that comforts me, and I feel like we\u2019re going to make it even better, and are trying to top last time.<\/p>\n

\n\tMajor congratulations on receiving the Landmark Award this year! What does it mean to you to receive this honor?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt means the world, because as artists, when we first put music out, you never know exactly how long it\u2019s going to have impact. So when you can be in the industry for over two decades and look back at it, these are the type of awards that bring joy to your heart. You\u2019re able to reflect on the impact, the amount of time and relevancy that your songs have made in the culture. So I\u2019m extremely excited.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlex Warren is receiving the breakthrough artist award. As a veteran of the industry, do you have any advice for him as a young artist reaching new levels of success?<\/p>\n

\n\tTry not to take anything personal. Just keep going in the industry, that\u2019s what I would say. Just keep your passion in the music, and don\u2019t let the behind-the-scenes mess up your your [ability] to stay focused on the music.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019re also performing this year! Without giving too much away, do you have anything special planned for it?<\/p>\n

\n\tSomething new. Absolutely something new and something classic, [we\u2019re molding] those together.<\/p>\n

\n\tOutside of your own, are there any performances at this year\u2019s awards that your particularly excited about?<\/p>\n

\n\tMan, I can\u2019t wait to see TLC \u2014\u00a0you know, the hometown, that\u2019s Atlanta, Georgia, right there. And Salt-N-Pepa, they are a pioneer female rap group. I love seeing pioneers be able to come back. For those who may not have been around when Salt-N-Pepa started, they\u2019re able to witness their history and people that have paved the way for all of these current female artists. So those are the ones I\u2019m most excited about.<\/p>\n

\n\tMiley Cyrus is receiving this year\u2019s innovator award. What do you think makes her an innovator?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not easy to transition from child star into super stardom and have this type of role for so long. You see a lot of people that started in the children\u2019s space, and it\u2019s not as easy to transcend all of those years, still keep a level head and continue to grow as an artist. So I just want to salute her for just being consistent in elevation as a star and as a person that\u2019s passionate about all that she does, it definitely shows.<\/p>\n

\n\tDo you have any final words of encouragement you want to share with any of the nominees ahead of the ceremony?<\/p>\n

\n\tMan, good luck. That\u2019s all I would say.<\/p>\n


\n \"Billboard
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