Apple has announced the winners of the third annual Apple Music Awards, which recognize "the best artists of 2021 and their influence on global culture."
The awards honor achievements in music across five categories, with winners chosen through a process that reflects both Apple Music's editorial perspective and what customers around the world have been listening to most.
Apple has named The Weeknd as Global Artist of the Year, while Olivia Rodrigo is Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Rodrigo also bagged the Album of the Year award for her debut album, "SOUR," and Single of the Year for "drivers license." The Songwriter of the Year award went to multi-instrumentalist H.E.R. especially in recognition of her 21-track R&B album "Back of My Mind."
This year, the Apple Music Awards also introduces a new category of awards for Regional Artist of the Year, recognizing artists from five countries and regions: Africa, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia. The Regional Artist of the Year awards recognize artists who made the greatest impact culturally and on the charts in their respective countries and regions, according to Apple.
"The past 12 months have proved to be a remarkable year for music, and we're thrilled to honor the artists who are shaping culture and connecting with fans around the world on Apple Music," said Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Apple Music and Beats. "This year we're also recognizing more regional artists, showing the world the impact of extraordinary talented musicians who are making waves globally."
The Apple Music Awards celebration kicks off Tuesday, December 7, 2021, with interviews, original content, and more all streaming worldwide on Apple Music and the Apple TV app. Apple's full article has a more complete list of details on all of the artists that are to be honored with a special Apple-designed award.
Top Rated Comments
Congratulations!!!
The Weekend wins Global Artist of the Year at the third annual Apple Music Awards.
Music is meant to elicit an emotional response out of people. Whether to energise, help contemplate or think, inform, emotional processing, or what else, it's popular with human beings precisely because it affects the way we feel and it can do so in multiple different ways.
You can't judge a song for what it's not trying to be, she's not going after a Pulitzer. It's music meant to help you decompress. That has its value too. Apple Music is a streaming platform, they go by what people listen to. We may not enjoy it, but for something as utterly and completely subjective as music, who are we to either say they're not allowed to or the music we listen to is better?
If these people are doing good, more power to them. Music you like is still out there, music I like is still out there. There's room for both. Not everything has to be for everybody.