November 30, 2021
Press Launch
Apple announces 3rd once-a-year Apple Music Award winners: The Weeknd wins global award for Artist of the Calendar year Olivia Rodrigo and H.E.R. also take home major awards
Apple gives 5 new Regional Artist of the Yr awards to Aya Nakamura (France), Official HIGE DANDISM (Japan), RIN (Germany), Scriptonite (Russia), and Wizkid (Africa)
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple right now announced the winners of the third once-a-year Apple Tunes Awards, recognizing the ideal artists of 2021 and their impact on world wide culture.
The Apple Audio Awards honor achievements in new music across 5 distinctive categories — Artist of the Yr, Songwriter of the Calendar year, Breakthrough Artist of the Calendar year, Best Song of the Yr, and Best Album of the Calendar year — and winners are preferred as a result of a course of action that demonstrates each Apple Music’s editorial point of view and what shoppers all over the globe are listening to the most.
This yr, the Apple Tunes Awards will introduce a new classification of awards for Regional Artist of the Calendar year, recognizing artists from five international locations and locations: Africa, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia. The Regional Artist of the Year awards acknowledge artists who produced the biggest impression culturally and on the charts in their respective nations around the world and areas.
“The previous 12 months have proved to be a amazing yr for songs, and we’re thrilled to honor the artists who are shaping culture and connecting with lovers close to the environment on Apple Songs,” claimed Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “This year we’re also recognizing much more regional artists, exhibiting the earth the influence of extraordinary proficient musicians who are creating waves globally.”
The Apple Music Awards celebration kicks off Tuesday, December 7, 2021, with interviews, authentic content material, and more all streaming globally on Apple Music and the Apple Tv set app. New music admirers who are not presently subscribed to Apple Tunes can indication up for a three-thirty day period totally free demo at apple.com/apple-songs.
And the winners are…
Worldwide Artist of the 12 months: The Weeknd
Filtering R&B and pop by means of an formidable widescreen lens, The Weeknd took about common tunes and tradition on his personal conditions. The worldwide superstar’s 2020 album “After Hours” speedily surpassed a person million pre-provides on Apple Music, and is the most pre-included album of all time by a male artist on the platform. “After Hours” also holds the record for the most streamed R&B/Soul album in its to start with 7 days in 73 nations around the world. The smash one “Blinding Lights” peaked at No. 1 on Apple Music’s Day by day Major 100: Worldwide chart, and ranks as a single of the 20 most Shazamed tracks of all time. The Weeknd also hosts the massively well-liked taste-making Apple Songs Radio present “MEMENTO MORI,” celebrated for its eclectic playlists and important planet premieres. He’s graced latest handles of TIME, Forbes, Variety, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, and GQ, and blew away followers with his 2021 Super Bowl LV Halftime Exhibit, which was a single of the most Shazamed moments of the 12 months.
“I’m so grateful for this massive honor and want to thank Apple for all its guidance, not only for my get the job done but also for wonderful tunes by more recent artists, in which it issues so a great deal for creators to be identified and supported,” The Weeknd explained.
Breakthrough Artist of the Calendar year, Album of the 12 months, and Song of the Year: Olivia Rodrigo
For Olivia Rodrigo, 2021 will go down as the calendar year of epic firsts. The 18-yr-aged singer-songwriter released her tear-soaked debut solitary, “drivers license,” in January, which promptly topped the charts and became one of the most streamed new releases of the 12 months. “drivers license” registered the highest very first-week streams ever for a debut single by an artist on Apple New music globally, achieving No. 1 on the Day by day Prime 100: World wide chart, in which it remained for more than a month, and was the fastest-ever debut solo observe by a US artist to accumulate 5 million Shazams. Her very predicted debut album, “SOUR,” followed in Could, and was celebrated with an Apple Songs Initially Listen virtual celebration with lovers and an accompanying job interview with Zane Lowe. “SOUR” carries the highest to start with-7 days streams for a debut album on Apple Audio globally, with all 11 tunes on the album ranked on the Every day Major 100: Global chart, as properly as the Day by day Best 100 chart in 66 additional international locations. Rodrigo has been on the address of Apple New music playlists Today’s Hits, A-List Pop, and New Audio Day by day, and closes her daily life-transforming calendar year as the deserving recipient of her very first a few Apple Audio Awards. She took house Breakthrough Artist, Album of the Calendar year (“SOUR”), and Music of the Yr (“drivers license”).
“I did my to start with interview for ‘drivers license’ with Apple Audio, and so significantly has transpired considering the fact that then,” Rodrigo said. “It’s really surreal. Thank you to Apple Songs for these amazing awards.”
Songwriter of the Yr: H.E.R.
Award-successful singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist H.E.R.’s operate in just the R&B genre grew even more expansive in 2021 with the launch of her acclaimed 21-monitor album “Back of My Intellect,” which captures the artist at her most fantastic, self-assured, and freewheeling. The chart-topping album was the third most streamed R&B/Soul album on Apple Music in its initial week of launch by a female artist this yr, with singles “Damage” and “Come Through” (featuring Chris Brown) the two paying a number of months on the Day by day Leading 100 chart in about 30 international locations. The previous Apple Songs Up Next artist also penned the anthemic first “Fight for You” for the celebrated movement photo “Judas and the Black Messiah,” and included Marvin Gaye’s “Inner Metropolis Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” for Apple Music’s special “Juneteenth: Flexibility Songs” compilation. H.E.R. is a regular guest on Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden’s reveals on Apple Music 1, and she has been showcased as the cover of common Apple Songs playlists New Music Every day, R&B Now, and extra.
“I am really honored and blessed to obtain this recognition,” H.E.R. stated. “As a youthful Black and Filipino artist, and a woman who is on the stage supplying my all, there is no question that illustration is significant. Thank you so a lot, Apple Tunes.”
Artist of the Year (Africa): Wizkid
Singer-songwriter Wizkid is 1 of Africa’s major crossover functions, obtaining worked with Drake, Skepta, and Chris Brown, amid other individuals. The Nigerian musician initially located regional achievements in 2011 with the massively preferred single “Holla at Your Boy,” which appeared on his debut album, “Superstar.” Wizkid went world wide in 2016 immediately after his collaboration with Drake on “One Dance,” which soared to the leading of the charts in 15 nations around the world. Among 2019 and 2020, Wizkid was highlighted in Beyoncé’s assignments “The Lion King: The Gift” and its companion piece, “Black Is King.” In October 2020, he launched “Made in Lagos,” his critically acclaimed and most commercially effective album, which bundled his hit music “Essence,” a monitor that attained 125 million performs on Apple Audio and around 2.8 million Shazams. This past yr, he’s been the most streamed African artist on the continent on Apple Audio and rated on the Daily Best 100 charts in 60 nations around the world, in addition to his regular monthly performs on Apple Tunes escalating by additional than 250 per cent outdoors of Africa. He’s also been showcased on Apple Music’s Today’s Hits and R&B Now playlists, and he’s a recurrent guest on Apple Music Radio reveals, like “Africa Now Radio,” “The Ebro Clearly show,” “New New music Everyday with Zane Lowe,” and “OVO Audio RADIO.”
“Thank you to Apple Music for this award,” Wizkid mentioned. “It’s a blessing to get to do what I do, and I’m very pleased to be representing for Africa.”
Artist of the 12 months (France): Aya Nakamura
French-Malian pop singer Aya Nakamura is the most streamed Francophone artist in the earth. Very best identified for her hit music “Djadja,” she has introduced a few albums showcasing many chart-topping tunes, such as “Copines,” “Pookie,” “Plus Jamais,” and “Jolie nana,” and she has been on the cover of Apple Music’s Hits Français playlist. In France, Nakamura is a person of the only feminine artists to continuously surface in the streaming charts in a industry dominated by male rappers, and her album “AYA” garnered the greatest 1st-week streams for an album released by a woman artist on Apple New music. Her tracks “Jolie nana” and “Plus Jamais” maintain the top two spots for the highest very first-7 days streams for a song by a woman artist on Apple Tunes in France, and all 15 tunes on the album entered the Day-to-day Prime 100 chart in France, Belgium, and Niger, with “Jolie nana” peaking at No. 1 in these countries. Her track “Bobo” also peaked at No. 1 on the Every day Top 100 chart in France, Niger, Cape Verde, and Micronesia. It marked her fifth single topping France’s Day-to-day Apple charts.
“I am exceptionally honored to be the pretty 1st Francophone artist to earn an Apple Audio Award as Artist of the Calendar year (France),” Nakamura said. “Thank you, Apple!”
Artist of the Calendar year (Germany): RIN
Rapper Renato Simunovic, aka RIN, was born in 1994 in Bietigheim-Bissingen close to Stuttgart in the south of Germany. Right after releasing his first EP, “Genesis,” in 2016, his debut album, “Eros,” adopted immediately in 2017. A 25-time gold and a few-time platinum artist, RIN has done numerous live displays, carried out options with legends, and collaborated with some of the world’s most influential makes. With his 3rd album, “Kleinstadt,” RIN freed himself from the notion of what German rap must sound like, and followers and critics alike cite this album as vastly influential in shaping the present audio of rap in the south of Germany. He was the initial German artist to host his individual clearly show on Apple Music, “KLEINSTADTRADIO,” tied to the new album, and he has graced the go over of Apple Music’s HYPED and Deutschrap 100 playlists.
“2021 was such a good calendar year for me due to the fact it has borne a large amount of fruit of matters that I postponed for a long time,” RIN said. “My new music has evolved in the identical perception. I am a lot more private.”
Artist of the Calendar year (Japan): OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM
Shaped in Shimane, Japan, in 2012, Official HIGE DANDISM, aka HIGEDAN, is composed of guide vocalist and keyboardist Satoshi Fujihara, guitarist Daisuke Ozasa, bassist and saxophonist Makoto Narazaki, and drummer Masaki Matsuura. They introduced their debut mini album, “Love to Peace wa Kimi no Naka,” in 2014. Their first total-duration album, “Escaparade” — which includes their well known tune “No Doubt” — was introduced in 2018, but it was their 2nd single, “Pretender,” that rocketed to the leading of the Apple Music charts in Japan. HIGEDAN entered Shazam’s emerging artists lists in Japan and Australia for the first time in June 2019, in advance of the release of the band’s observe-up album, “Traveler,” which turned their initial No. 1 album in Japan. The team has been showcased in 3 different Apple New music Japan commercials, with their strike tunes “Stand by You” and “I Love…,” alongside with the 2021 tune “Apoptosis,” taken from their 3rd album, “Editorial,” which carries the third-best to start with-week streams for an album launched in 2021 in Japan, and was not too long ago highlighted in an Apple Audio Japan spatial audio with Dolby Atmos professional. The band has also built various visitor appearances on “J-Pop Now Radio” on Apple Music 1.
“We didn’t know Japanese artists could get this award and were being shocked when we had been informed,” the band mentioned. “We’re tremendous satisfied to be the winners of the to start with Apple Audio Award for Artist of the Calendar year (Japan).”
Artist of the 12 months (Russia): Scriptonite
Rapper Scriptonite, aka Adil Zhalelov, was identified by Basta and signed to his label Gazgolder in 2015. Scriptonite’s debut album, “House with Ordinary Activity,” became an instantaneous classic and has been considered one of the major information of the new Russian hip-hop revolution. In 2017, Scriptonite adopted up with two more LPs on Gazgolder, growing to the leading-rated producer and performer of the present-day hip-hop period, with followers and critics crediting him as the most essential voice and seem of the new technology. Right after starting his very own label, Musica36, in 2019, Scriptonite’s “2004” album was unveiled completely on Apple Audio to critical acclaim, getting to be the No. 1 streamed history of the year. Scriptonite also retains the report for the two most streamed albums for its 1st 7 days on Apple Songs in 5 nations (Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova). His solitary “Baby Mama” landed him in the Top 20 of globally Shazam charts. In 2020, Apple Tunes exclusively unveiled the short movie “Behind Scriptonite’s ‘2004’” along with a “36 Jam” live concert of all Musica36 artists. This year noticed the release of his album “Svistki Y Bumazhki,” as well as a COVID-postponed clearly show in Moscow, the two produced exclusively on Apple Tunes. Scriptonite has graced the covers of Apple Music’s Kirillitsa, Russian Hits, and New New music Everyday playlists, and he’s at the moment working on his initially English-language report in collaboration with Gee Baller, a young Nigerian climbing star who lately signed to Musica36.
“This award is the end result of an outstanding couple of yrs, and Apple Tunes has been with me for so a great deal of it alongside the way,” Scriptonite reported. “Thank you for the recognition.”
About the Apple Songs Awards
Apple intended a collection of actual physical awards that characterize the extraordinary craftsmanship integral to producing songs. Each individual award characteristics Apple’s custom made silicon wafer suspended between a polished sheet of glass and a machined and anodized aluminum physique. The consequence of this multi-thirty day period process, ahead of it is sliced into hundreds of personal chips, is gorgeous and distinct. In a symbolic gesture, the exact chips that electricity the devices that put the world’s music at listeners fingertips sit at the pretty heart of the Apple Music Awards.
About Apple Tunes
Apple loves new music. Apple revolutionized the tunes working experience with iPod and iTunes. Now, Apple Audio celebrates musicians, songwriters, producers, and fans with a catalog of about 90 million tunes, expertly curated playlists, and the best artist interviews, conversations, and global premieres with the award-successful Apple Songs Radio. With initial content from the most highly regarded and beloved individuals in new music, autoplay, time-sync lyrics, Lossless Audio, and immersive seem run by Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, Apple Audio features the world’s finest listening knowledge, supporting listeners find new music and get pleasure from their favorites even though empowering the worldwide artist community. Apple New music is offered in around 165 nations and locations on Iphone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple Check out, Apple Television, HomePod mini, CarPlay, and on the internet at tunes.apple.com, as well as popular good speakers, clever TVs, and Android and Windows equipment. Apple Audio is ad-absolutely free and never ever shares purchaser data with 3rd events. Much more information is offered at apple.com/apple-new music.
About Apple
Apple revolutionized particular technologies with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Nowadays, Apple prospects the entire world in innovation with Apple iphone, iPad, Mac, Apple Look at, and Apple Tv set. Apple’s 5 program platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — supply seamless ordeals throughout all Apple gadgets and empower folks with breakthrough products and services like the App Retail outlet, Apple Music, Apple Fork out, and iCloud. Apple’s a lot more than 100,000 workers are committed to producing the ideal items on earth, and to leaving the world much better than we uncovered it.
Press Contacts
Brian Bumbery
Apple
(424) 326-4156
Apple Media Helpline
(408) 974-2042
