Apple announced the winners of the second annual Apple Music Awards, recognising the best and boldest musicians of 2020 and their enormous impact on global culture.
The awards honour achievements in music across five distinct categories, and winners are chosen through a process that reflects both Apple Music’s editorial perspective and what customers around the world are loving most.
The winners for global Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Breakthrough Artist of the Year were hand-selected by Apple Music’s global editorial team and taste makers.
And the awards for Top Song of the Year and Top Album of the Year are based on streaming data that is reflective of what Apple Music subscribers have been listening to this year.
“The Apple Music Awards is our opportunity to recognize and honour the incredible artists who we feel have deeply impacted and inspired the world and our customers, and helped us feel connected through music this year,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats.
“We have an exciting week of music planned in December and are very much looking forward to celebrating together with these artists and their fans.”
Artist of the year went to Lil Baby fully arrived as one of hip-hop’s biggest names, with billions of global streams and multiple tracks from “My Turn” topping the Apple Music charts.
With his deeply moving and timely release, “The Bigger Picture,” he cemented his place as the indisputable, authentic voice of youth culture.
With two no. 1 singles and a highly anticipated debut album, Megan Thee Stallion breakthrough artist of the year.
Commenting on her win, Megan said: “I am so excited to be the Breakthrough Artist of the Year. This is a really big accomplishment for me.
“ Apple Music has been rocking with me for so long, even before making me an Up Next artist, and I am just very appreciative and very grateful. I will forever love ya’ll as much as ya’ll love me.”
Taylor Swift, who won songwriter of the year, said: “Winning Songwriter of the Year in any capacity in any year would be so exciting, but I think it’s really special this particular year because songwriting was the one thing that kept me connected to my fans.
“It means a lot to me because the way that fans respond to the songs I write, and the emotional exchange, is what has really kept me going this year.
“So I really want to say thank you to the fans for that, and to everyone at Apple Music, thank you for everything that you do.”