BBMA
Morgan Wallen was the top winner at Sunday night’s (Nov. 19) 2023 Billboard Music Awards, taking home 11 trophies.
He also performed his fan-favorite song “’98 Braves,” from One Thing at a Time, and in a nod to the song, Wallen performed — and accepted his trophies — at Atlanta’s Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team. The performance and acceptance speech were filmed amid Wallen’s two-night run of sold-out shows at the venue on Nov. 10-11, as part of his current One Night at a Time world tour.
Just before Wallen offered his acceptance speech, the camera zoomed in on the 11 trophies he took home this year, including top male artist, top Hot 100 artist, top streaming songs artist, top country artist, top country male artist and top country tour.
Wallen’s One Thing at a Time project, which spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard 200 this year, won for top Billboard 200 album and top country album, while his song “Last Night,” which spent 16 nonconsecutive weeks atop the Hot 100, was named top Hot 100 song, top streaming song and top country song.
The evening was made extra special, as Wallen was introduced by ’98 Braves pitchers Tom Glavine and John Smoltz.
“We may have come close in ’98, but this guy really hit it out of the park tonight,” Smoltz said.
Wallen began his acceptance speech by referencing “’98 Braves,” written by Josh Miller, John Byron and Travis Wood.
“Like the song says, ‘You win some, you lose some,’” Wallen said, going on to reference this year’s CMA Awards, where he was nominated three honors and got shut out. “The last awards show I went to, we came home empty-handed. This one, I don’t have enough hands for them all. So either way, I promise I’m gonna stay the same, whether we come home with 10 or zero. I’m gonna give y’all my all, every single night and every time I go into the studio. … All these awards are really, it’s for my fans. So thank you guys so much.”
He continued: “You took a boy from east Tennessee, driving a two-door Toyota Tacoma, and turned me into one of Billboard‘s top artists. God bless y’all.”
Morgan Wallen at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The show will air on November 19, 2023 on BBMA.watch.
Christopher Polk
Morgan Wallen was the night’s biggest winner — taking home 11 awards — during Sunday’s (Nov. 19) 2023 Billboard Music Awards, and he was the final performer of the night as well. Instead of offering up one of his massive 2023 hits — such as “Last Night,” which dominated radio over the past year — […]
Morgan Wallen is the leading male finalist at the Billboard Music Awards, set for Sunday, Nov. 19, and he was just announced Monday (Nov. 13) as the latest performer on the 2023 awards show.
Wallen has 17 nods across 16 categories at the 2023 BBMAs, including top male artist, top Billboard 200 artist, and top Hot 100 artist. And he’ll use his performance on Sunday’s show not to highlight a radio single, but a fan-favorite track.
Knoxville, Tenn., native Wallen will take the stage during the awards to perform “98 Braves” and will perform at the Braves’ home field, Truist Park in Atlanta, while the country singer is in the middle of his sold-out U.S. tour.
“’98 Braves” peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year, the week Wallen’s One Thing at a Time album debuted. The country superstar’s latest album spent 16 nonconsecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200, while its single “Last Night” spent 16 nonconsecutive weeks atop the all-genre Hot 100.
“’98 Braves” applies the similar philosophies of chance in baseball to life in lyrics such as “You win some and lose some/ It ain’t always home runs, and that’s just the way life plays.” The song was written by John Byron, Josh Miller and Travis Wood.
Wallen’s other BBMA nods include “Last Night” for top Hot 100 song, top streaming song and top country song, while he earned a second nod in the top country song category with “You Proof.”
Previously announced 2023 BBMA performers include Bebe Rexha & David Guetta, Karol G, NewJeans and Peso Pluma.
Wallen has previously won BBMA honors, including top country artist and top country male artist in 2020, as well as top country album that same year, for his 30-song project Dangerous: The Double Album.
Taylor Swift is the top finalist at the 2023 BBMAs with nods in 20 categories. Wallen and SZA are tied with 17 entries each, followed by The Weeknd (16); Drake and Zach Bryan (14); Luke Combs (10); 21 Savage, Metro Boomin and Miley Cyrus (nine each); Beyoncé and Rema (seven each); Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma (six each); and Ariana Grande, Guetta, Eslabon Armado, Karol G, NewJeans and Selena Gomez (five each).
The 2023 Billboard Music Awards Presented by Marriott Bonvoy — which will be produced by dick clark productions — will have a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Spotify “Fans First,” which will bring fans up close and personal with their favorite artists. Performances and awards will roll out across the BBMAs and Billboard social channels, as well as via BBMAs.watch on Sunday, Nov. 19. Billboard Music Awards performers will be revealed daily on BBMAs social channels.
One special BBMAs performance and two exclusive acceptance speeches will be hosted at hotel brands within the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy will be providing a select group of fans access to attend five BBMAs performances via Marriott Bonvoy Moments. Other sponsors include Lexus, who will be surprising one lucky fan with VIP treatment with a private ride in a luxury Lexus vehicle to the one-of-a-kind performance.
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