The iHeartRadio Music Awards are returning this March and are happening live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, celebrating this year's most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app — everything the fans have been listening to.
The show will include recognition for some of the biggest stars in country music in a few major categories — and will name the best newcomer in the industry. The Best New Country Artist presented by Stifel, a nod to “the journey to success,” includes several up-and-coming nominees that fans need to know: Lainey Wilson, Niko Moon, Parker McCollum, Ryan Hurd and Tenille Arts.
Fans can tune in to watch the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Tuesday, March 22nd on FOX from 8pm-10pm ET (PT tape-delayed). The show will also be broadcast on iHeartMedia radio stations across the country and on the iHeartRadio app.
Meet each of the nominees below. Check out all the country artists nominated at the iHeartRadio Music Awards here, and see the full list of nominees in all genres here.
Lainey Wilson
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Wilson was an iHeartRadio “On The Verge” artist when she released her debut album last year. Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ is a 12-track project that includes her breakout single, “Things A Man Oughta Know.” Wilson is also among several artists featured in the new American Currents: State of the Music exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The exhibit features the biggest artists and events “that shaped the genre” last year, and Wilson said seeing the exhibit “gave me a kick in the butt to do what I have to do to make sure it ends up in that glass case for a lifetime.”
Niko Moon
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Anyone trying to catch a “Good Time” is probably already familiar with Niko Moon, a Georgian whose genre-bending music is inspired by both traditional country and Atlanta-infused hip-hop. “If my life was to have a sound, this is it,” Moon said of “Good Time” in a statement shared on his website. “The way I think of it is bass and drums is Atlanta, and everything above it is Douglasville [his hometown]. …I'm a country artist 100%, and I'm going to be a country artist. I just love to feel that hit in the chest, and that's what I love about the Atlanta thing.”
Parker McCollum
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The Texas singer has recorded major hits, including “Pretty Heart” and “To Be Loved By You.” McCollum knows the kind of artist he is and the success he hopes to achieve, saying in a statement: “I want to have Luke Bryan success, singing Chris Knight-caliber songs. To have longevity, you can’t sacrifice integrity to get on the radio. People know the difference, look at Willie (Nelson), look at (George) Strait. I knew I could do Texas and never leave, or come to Nashville and do the pop-country thing. My goal is to ride the middle.”
Ryan Hurd
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A longtime songwriter, Hurd released his 15-track debut album Pelago in October of 2021. The collection includes fan-favorites like “What Are You Drinking,” “Pass It On,” “June, July, August,” and “Chasing After You,” Hurd’s hit duet with his wife, fellow singer-songwriter Maren Morris, which he credits with setting up his entire album. “It’s been a journey,” Hurd said on the day of his album release. “I hope you love it as much as I do.”
Tenille Arts
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Arts celebrated her first No. 1 single with her history-making, all-female-written “Somebody Like That” on her 12-track album, Love, Heartbreak, & Everything in Between, her website notes. The Weyburn, Saskatchewan-born singer was recently named one of the Next Women of Country, and embarked on the “What A Song Can Do” Tour with Lady A, Carly Pearce and Niko Moon.