So proud to give @Shawn Mendes the #ArtistOfTheYear award. So freaking deserved, and followed by an amazing performance.” – Scott Helman, THE 2018 IHEARTRADIO MMVA presenter
“I loved hanging out with #iHeartRadioMMVAs host @awkwafina (the first American Asian actress to host a North American awards show!!) and @Meghan_Trainor! Fierce, fine ladies!!” – Tyra Banks, THE 2018 IHEARTRADIO MMVA presenter
– Rising superstar Awkwafina electrified the corner of Queen and John Streets in Toronto tonight in her broadcast hosting debut at THE 2018 IHEARTRADIO MMVAS.
During the two-hour broadcast, hometown hero Shawn Mendes charmed fans with two stellar performances and four big wins – Artist of the Year, Best Pop Artist or Group, Fan Fave Artist, and Fan Fave Video (“In My Blood”). Toronto’s own Drakeadded two more IHEARTRADIO MMVAS to his hardware collection for Best Hip Hop Artist or Group and Best Director with Karena Evans for “God’s Plan”, while London, ON-bred DJs Loud Luxury claimed the Song of the Summer
Presented by Coca-Cola award for “Body” ft. Brando. Ottawa’s Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine, featured on the first season of CTV’s THE LAUNCH, took home Best New Canadian Artist for their hit “Ain’t Easy,” while Brampton’s Alessia Cara locked downVideo of the Year for her and Khalid’s collaboration on Logic’s song “1-800-273-8255”.
Many performers made their debut on the THE 2018 IHEARTRADIO MMVAS stage including bülow, lighting up the audience with glow-in-the-dark LED masks during a performance of “Not A Love Song”; Kris Wu, performing a smoking-hot medley of his hit singles, “18,” “Like That,” and “Deserve”; Canadian indie rock band, The Beaches, who captivated the audience with “T-Shirt”; Halsey, winner tonight of the Artist for Change, stunning viewers at home with animated effects that had flames and butterflies dancing around her; Anne-Marie, performing “2002,” before being joined on-stage by Marshmello to perform their up-beat pop single “FRIENDS,” which helped snag Marshmello an IHEARTRADIO MMVA for Best EDM/Dance Artist or Group;
Meghan Trainor rocking a four-song medley of “No Excuses,” “All About That Bass,” “Me Too,” and “Let You Be Right”; and Brett Kissel, making IHEARTRADIO MMVA history as the first country singer to perform on the MMVA stage when he joined Bebe Rexha on smash hit “Meant To Be,” which earned Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line a win for Best Collaboration. Finally, 98 Degrees graced the audience with a classic throwback medley of their top hits as they returned to THE IHEARTRADIO MMVA stage after nearly a decade.
The show hit big in the Twitterverse today with 1.3 million mentions, reaching more than 1.5 billion worldwide, and with #iHeartRadioMMVAs holding the top trend in Canada during the broadcast. Host Awkwafina summed up her boisterous turn as host by tweeting a photo of one of the night’s best moments: Shawn Mendes accepting an award on behalf of Marshmello – helmet and all! Marshmello alsotweeted about the moment, joking that the two were now a duo. In the weeks leading up to the show, fans turned out to vote for their favourites with more than 46 million votes cast across six Fan Fave categories online and on social.
The IHEARTRADIO MMVA hardware was handed out by star-studded celebrities including, Alexandra Shipp, Ashlee Simpson-Ross and Evan Ross, Chrissy Metz,Colton Haynes, Craig McMorris, Derek Hough, Francesco Yates, Gus Kenworthy,Jenni “JWOWW” Farley, Jus Reign, Kristin Cavallari, Madison Beer, New City, Prince Michael Jackson, Scott Helman, Sofi Tukker, Sonequa Martin-Green, The Reklaws,Tyler Shaw, and Tyra Banks.
