Ke$ha, Far East Movement, OneRepublic and Ne-Yo are the latest additions to the extensive list of music artists announced to be performing at "The 2011 Billboard Music Awards," hosted by Ken Jeong, which airs live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on SUNDAY, MAY 22 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. They join previously announced artists Black Eyed Peas, Cee Lo Green, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Keith Urban, Pitbull, Lady Antebellum and Taio Cruz.
Global superstar Ke$ha has dominated the musical charts since her debut in 2009. She is nominated for six Billboard Awards for Top Pop Album, Top New Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Pop Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist and Top Digital Songs Artist. Declared Billboard's Hot 100 Artist of 2010, and with her song "TiK ToK" being the most played song of 2010 as well as the biggest-selling digital track in the world, Ke$ha's world domination continues in 2011. Her current smash single "Blow" is her 6th consecutive Top 10 hit. 2010 was an incredible year for Ke$ha: In addition to her aforementioned accolades, her smash debut single "TiK ToK" was also named Billboard's No. 1 Hot 100 Song for 2010. She has had three No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart ("TiK ToK," "Your Love Is My Drug" and "We R Who We R"). Her debut album, "Animal," has already been certified platinum and sold over 2 million units worldwide. She has sold 18 million combined tracks and ringtones in the U.S alone and 23 million worldwide to date. "TiK ToK" has sold over 8.5 million combined units alone. Ke$ha recently announced that she is getting even $leazier and, by popular demand, will add a summer leg to her "Get $leazy" worldwide tour. After selling out the first leg of this tour in minutes, Ke$ha hits the road again with the new dates, kicking off in Harrington, DE on July 26th and wrapping on September 20th in Phoenix, AZ. Ke$ha, who is touring in support of her recent release of her remix album, "I Am The Dance Commander" + "I Command You to Dance" (RCA Records / Kemosabe Entertainment), as well as "Cannibal," the companion to her platinum selling "Animal," will be stopping in more than 30 North American cities for leg 2 of the "Get $leazy" tour.
Far East Movement found mainstream success after building a following in the Downtown Los Angeles club scene. They triumphed when their song, "Girls on the Dance Floor," co-written by Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Bruno Mars, topped radio charts across the country. The success led to a record deal with CherryTree/Interscope Records and release of their debut album,"Free Wired," in October 2010. The album's lead single, "Like A G6," exploded on radio and sales charts, reaching triple platinum-plus status and the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, making them the first Asian-American group with a No. 1 song in the country. "Rocketeer," the second single featuring Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, became another platinum selling Top 10 Billboard charting that connected with new fans of all ages. They are nominated for the Billboard Award for Top Rap Song.
OneRepublic formed in 2002 and achieved massive success on MySpace. Their first single, "Apologize," was No. 1 for eight consecutive weeks on the Billboard Pop 100 chart and reached the Top 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2008 their second single hit the Top 12 on the Hot 100 chart and reached No. 9 on the Pop 100 chart. Once they completed their second album, it peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2009 OneRepublic was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Ne-Yo has had five Top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 list and three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200. In 2007 he was nominated for two Grammy Awards. In 2008 he was nominated for three Grammy's and won Best Contemporary R&B Album. In 2009 he was nominated for six Grammys and won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. Besides being an accomplished performer, Ne-Yo has also assisted other musicians in achieving success as a songwriter. He wrote "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on top for nine weeks. In addition he also wrote Rihanna's Top 10 singles "Unfaithful" and "Russian Roulette," her No. 1 hit "Take a Bow," and Beyoncé Knowles' Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, "Irreplaceable."
Tickets prices begin at $57.75 for Upper Level, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are now on sale and available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith's Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album, single and digital sales, airplay, touring, streaming and social interactions on MySpace, Facebook and many of the other most popular online destinations for music. The awards will be based on the reporting period of February 28, 2010 through March 1, 2011.
"The 2011 Billboard Music Awards" is a production co-executive produced by Richard D. Beckman, CEO Prometheus Global Media and Don Mischer Productions. Louis J. Horvitz is directing. David Wild and Jennifer Mischer are the writers.
The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HD format, with 5.1 channel surround sound. This program carries a TV-14 D, L parental guideline.
Visit www.Billboard.com/BBMA.com for a complete list of finalists and to apply for media credentials. Music fans can also follow news about the show or related events on Twitter at www.twitter.com/billboarddotcom or Facebook at www.facebook.com/billboard.
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