We Tweeted this earlier today, but we thought we’d share it on here too. This was after the show last night in Ohio. Enjoy.

And while you’re here. What’s your favorite Hymn? Go.

Rihanna Takes the Lead As a Contender in 18 Award Categories

LAS VEGAS, April 13, 2011 /NEWS.GNOM.ES/ — Billboard released the finalists for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards today at a press conference in Las Vegas.  The winners will be announced at the Billboard Music Awards show airing live on ABC on Sunday, May 22nd at 5:00 PM Pacific.  The awards show will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in partnership with Chevrolet, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).  This is the first year that ABC will broadcast the event.

Rihanna takes the lead as a finalist in 18 award categories including Top Artist, Top Female Artist, Top 100 Artist, Top R&B Artist, Top Dance/Electronic Artist, Top Radio Songs Artist, Top Digital Songs Artist, Top Digital Media Artist, Top Social Artist and Top Streaming Artist. Her collaboration with Eminem places “Love the Way You Lie” as a contender in six song categories.  Eminem is a finalist in 16 award categories including Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Digital Songs Artist, Top Social Artist, Top Streaming Artist Top Digital Media Artist and Top Rap Artist.

Lady Gaga follows with 12 categories including three albums all competing for the award of Top Dance/Electronic Album:  ”The Fame,” “The Fame Monster” and “The Remix.”  ”The Fame” is also a finalist for Top Pop Album.

Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber are fan favorites, each earning 11 categories and competing for Top New Artist and Top Male Artist.  Other Top New Artist contenders are Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj and Taio Cruz, whose song “Dynamite” is up for five awards including Top Hot 100 Song, Top Digital Song, Top Radio Song, Top Streaming Song (Audio) and Top Pop Song.

The Billboard Music Awards take a holistic look at artist performance based on key fan interactions with music—finalists and winners are determined by chart performance and social and streaming activity as chronicled in Billboard magazine and on Billboard.com during the eligibility period of February 28, 2010 through March 1, 2011.  The forty-six award categories are based on measures provided by our data partners including sales data shared by Nielsen SoundScan, radio airplay monitored by Nielsen BDS, streaming data measured by Tubemogul and Nielsen BDS, social media consumption gauged by Next Big Sound and tour grosses tracked by Billboard Boxscore.

Today, Billboard launches a microsite for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards atwww.Billboard.com/BBMA.  Music fans can also follow news about the show and related events on Twitter at www.twitter.com/billboarddotcom or Facebook atwww.facebook.com/billboard.  To request media credentials please fill out the form available at www.Billboard.com/BBMA and email tobillboard@brandlinkcommunications.com.  To download images and video from today’s press conference visit www.abcmedianet.com.

The 2011 Billboard Music Awards is co-executed produced by Richard Beckman, CEO of Prometheus Global Media, which owns Billboard, and Don Mischer of Don Mischer Productions.

The finalists for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards are:

ARTIST AWARDS:

Top Artist:Justin BieberEminemLady GagaRihannaTaylor Swift

Top New Artist:Justin BieberTaio CruzKe$haBruno MarsNicki Minaj

Top Male Artist:Justin BieberDrakeEminemBruno MarsUsher

Top Female Artist:Ke$haLady GagaKaty PerryRihannaTaylor Swift

Top Duo/Group:The Black Eyed PeasBon JoviLady AntebellumLinkin ParkU2

Top Billboard 200 Artist:Justin BieberSusan BoyleEminemLady AntebellumTaylor Swift

Top Hot 100 Artist:Ke$haBruno MarsKaty PerryRihannaUsher

Top Digital Songs Artist:EminemKe$haBruno MarsKaty PerryRihanna

Top Radio Songs Artist:DrakeBruno MarsKaty PerryRihannaUsher

Top Touring Artist:Bon JoviMichael BubleLady GagaU2

Roger Waters

Top Social Artist:AkonJustin BieberEminemLady GagaRihanna

Top Streaming Artist:Justin BieberEminemLady GagaRihannaShakira

Top Digital Media Artist:AkonJustin BieberEminemLady GagaRihanna

Top Pop Artist:Justin BieberThe Black Eyed PeasKe$haLady GagaKaty Perry

Top R&B Artist:Alicia KeysMonicaRihannaTrey SongzUsher

Top Rap Artist:DrakeEminemLil WayneLudacrisNicki Minaj

Top Country Artist:Jason AldeanKenny ChesneyLady AntebellumTaylor SwiftZac Brown Band

Top Rock Artist:Kings of LeonLinkin ParkMumford & SonsMuseTrain

Top Alternative Artist:The Black KeysKings of LeonLinkin ParkMumford & SonsMuse

Top Latin Artist:Enrique IglesiasPitbullPrince RoyceShakiraWisin & Yandel

Top Dance Artist:The Black Eyed PeasDavid GuettaLady GagaLaRouxRihanna

Top Christian Artist:Casting CrownsMercyMeSkillettobyMacChris Tomlin

ALBUMS AWARDS

Top Billboard 200 Album:Justin Bieber — “My World 2.0″Susan Boyle — “The Gift”Eminem — “Recovery”Lady Antebellum — “Need You Now”Taylor Swift — “Speak Now”

Top Pop Album:Justin Bieber — “My World 2.0″Black Eyed Peas — “The E.N.D.”Ke$ha — “Animal”Lady Gaga — “The Fame”Katy Perry — “Teenage Dream”

Top R&B Album:Monica — “Still Standing”Rihanna — “Loud”Sade — “Stronger Than Love”Trey Songz — “Passion, Pain & Pleasure”Usher — “Raymond v. Raymond”

Top Rap Album:Drake — “Thank Me Later”Eminem — “Recovery”Nicki Minaj — “Pink Friday”Lil Wayne — “I Am Not A Human Being”Kanye West — “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”

Top Country Album:Jason Aldean — “My Kinda Party”Lady Antebellum — “Need You Now”Sugarland — “The Incredible Machine”Taylor Swift — “Speak Now”Zac Brown Band — “The Foundation”

Top Rock Album:The Black Keys — “Brothers”Jack Johnson — “To The Sea”Kid Rock — “Born Free”Linkin Park — “A Thousand Suns”Mumford & Sons — “Sigh No More”

Top Alternative Album:The Black Keys — “Brothers”Jack Johnson — “To The Sea”Kings of Leon — “Come Around Midnight”Linkin Park — “A Thousand Suns”Mumford & Sons — “Sigh No More”

Top Latin Album:Marc Anthony — “Iconos”Camila — “Dejarte De Amar”Enrique Iglesias — “Euphoria”Prince Royce — “Prince Royce”Shakira — “Sale El Sol”

Top Dance/Electronic Album:Daft Punk — “Tron Legacy (Soundtrack)”Lady Gaga — “The Fame”Lady Gaga — “The Fame Monster”Lady Gaga — “The Remix”Owl City — “Ocean Eyes”

Top Christian Album:MercyMe — “The Generous Mr. Lovewell”Skillet — “Awake”tobyMac — “Tonight”Chris Tomlin — “And If Our God is For Us”Various Artists — “WOW Hits 2011″

SONG AWARDS

Top Hot 100 Song:Taio Cruz — “Dynamite”Eminem Feat. Rihanna — “Love The Way You Lie”Bruno Mars — “Just The Way You Are”Katy Perry Feat. Snoop Dogg — “California Gurls”Usher Feat. will.i.am — “OMG”

Top Digital Song:B.o.B Feat. Hayley Williams — “Airplanes”Taio Cruz — “Dynamite”Eminem Feat. Rihanna — “Love The Way You Lie”Bruno Mars — “Just The Way You Are”Katy Perry Feat. Snoop Dogg — “California Gurls”

Top Radio Song:Taio Cruz — “Dynamite”Eminem Feat. Rihanna — “Love The Way You Lie”Bruno Mars — “Just The Way You Are”Usher Featuring Pitbull — “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love”Usher Feat. will.i.am — “OMG”

Top Streaming Song (Audio):Taio Cruz — “Dynamite”Eminem Feat. Rihanna — “Love The Way You Lie”Lady Antebellum — “Need You Now”Bruno Mars — “Just The Way You Are”Nelly — “Just A Dream”

Top Streaming Song (Video):Justin Bieber Feat. Ludacris — “Baby”Eminem — “Not Afraid”Eminem Feat. Rihanna — “Love The Way You Lie”Lady Gaga — “Bad Romance”Shakira Feat. Freshleyground — “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)”

Top Pop Song:Taio Cruz — “Dynamite”Bruno Mars — “Just The Way You Are”Katy Perry Feat. Snoop Dogg — “California Gurls”Katy Perry — “Firework”Katy Perry — “Teenage Dream”

Top R&B Song:Alicia Keys — “Unthinkable (I’m Ready)”Rihanna Featuring Drake — “What’s My Name”Trey Songz Feat. Nicki Minaj — “Bottoms Up”Usher Feat. will.i.am — “OMG”Usher — “There Goes My Baby”

Top Rap Song:B.o.B Feat. Hayley Williams — “Airplanes”B.o.B Feat. Bruno Mars — “Nothin’ On You”Eminem Feat. Rihanna — “Love The Way You Lie”Far*East Movement Feat. Dev & The Cataracs — “Like A G6″Nelly — “Just A Dream”

Top Country Song:The Band Perry — “If I Die Young”Lady Antebellum — “Need You Now”Miranda Lambert — “The House That Built Me”Sugarland — “Stuck Like Glue”Taylor Swift — “Mine”

Top Rock Song:The Dirty Heads Featuring Rome — “Lay Me Down”Florence + The Machine — “Dog Days Are Over”Mumford & Sons — “Little Lion Man”Neon Trees — “Animal”Train — “Hey, Soul Sister”

Top Alternative Song:Florence + The Machine — “Dog Days Are Over”Linkin Park — “Waiting On The End”Mumford & Sons — “The Cave”Mumford & Sons — “Little Lion Man”Neon Trees — “Animal”

Top Latin Song:Enrique Iglesias Featuring Juan Luis Guerra “Cuando Me Enamoro”Pitbull — “Bon Bon”Shakira — “Gypsy”Shakira Feat. El Cata — “Loca”Shakira Feat. Freshleyground — “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)”

Top Dance Song:Lady Gaga — “Bad Romance”Lady Gaga Feat. Beyonce — “Telephone”La Roux — “Bulletproof”Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina — “Stereo Love”Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup — “We Speak No Americano”

Top Christian Song:Kris Allen — “Live Like We’re Dying”MercyMe — “All Of Creation”Sanctus Real — “Lead Me”tobyMac — “Get Back Up”Chris Tomlin — “Our God”

Additionally, Billboard editors identified three bands from six regions of the U.S. based on a variety of factors, including Heat Score, a formula that measures online fan engagement and drives Billboard’s Uncharted chart of emerging artists.  Through a contest called “Cruze-ing To Vegas” sponsored by Chevrolet, consumers cast over 217,000 votes, narrowing the competition down to one band from each region. These final six group favorites will each receive the keys to a Chevrolet Cruze for a road trip that will take them from their home base to Las Vegas.

A camera crew will follow each of the bands and will document their journey as they play gigs along the way, rock out to the Cruze’s standard XM radio, and engage with fans online and in person. The six bands will communicate with their fans while on the road through blogging, tweeting and by creating and sharing playlists, building a viral audience and improving their social Heat Score, one of the many goals as they set their sights on Las Vegas. All six of the bands will arrive at Fremont Street in Las Vegas on May 18th to compete in the ultimate battle of the bands. The winning band will then be honored as the “Dreamseeker Artist of the Year” at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards.

The six finalists for Dreamseeker Artist of the Year are:

From the Northwest, Hotels (Seattle, WA)From the West, AJ Rafael (Moreno Valley, CA)From the Southwest, Otenki (Houston, TX)From the Midwest,Lightning Love (Detroit, MI)From the Southeast, Side by Side (Charlotte, NC)From the Northeast, Gentlemen Hall (Boston, MA)

MERCYME EMBARKS ON SECOND LEG OF LOVEWELL LIVE THIS SPRING
Award-Winning Female Vocalist Natalie Grant and
GRAMMY ® Nominated Artist Brandon Heath
Share the Stage for Upcoming Tour

Nashville, TN…March 17, 2011… This spring multi-platinum selling band MercyMe will embark on the second leg of the Lovewell Livetour.  Accompanying them on the stage will be award-winning female vocalist Natalie Grant and GRAMMY® nominated artist Brandon Heath. The tour will launch on April 7 in Beaumont, TX and entertain audiences through the season.  For a full list of tour dates, please visit www.mercyme.org.

In the midst of Lovewell Live, on April 9th in Dallas, TX MercyMe will wrap up the 2011 Rock & Worship Roadshow with The Afters, Natalie Grant, Brandon Heath and special guest Jeff Johnson. Then the GRAMMY ® nominated band will plunge back into Lovewell Live and finish out the tour.

Lovewell Live is inspired by their latest album, The Generous Mr. Lovewell (INO Records), which revolves around a fictional character the band created who reminds people that they simply need to love others well.  It is from this idea that has generated a domino effect around America of people taking that extra step to lend a helping hand to their neighbor. The band has also been continuously living out the message throughout the year by serving at Rescue Missions, assisting with can food drives, assisting with disaster relief and more.

Featured on The Generous Mr. Lovewell is the No. 1 hit “All of Creation,” nominated for “Song of the Year” and “Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year” for the 42^nd Annual Dove Awards. They are also nominated for “Group of the Year” making this their 12^th Dove nomination. The record also includes their most recent chart-topper “Beautiful,” which dominated the Billboard Christian AC Monitored, Indicator and Inspo charts taking the No. 1 spot.

For more information on MercyMe and the Lovewell Live tour, please visit www.mercyme.org.

About MercyMe:
Since their debut in 2001, Grammy-nominated, American Music Award and multiple GMA Dove Award winners MercyMe have sold over 6 million units in CD and DVD sales, while being one of few Contemporary Christian music groups to have had all of their recordings certified Gold or Platinum, as well as garner 23 No.1 multi-format Christian radio singles, and four consecutive mainstream radio hits with “I Can Only Imagine,” (No. 4 AC/top 25 on Top 40/Hot AC), “Here With Me” (No. 4 AC),  “Homesick” (top 10 AC), and “So Long Self.” In 2009 BILLBOARD named MercyMe’s “Word Of God Speak” the #1 Song of The Decade and the group the #1 Christian Songs Artist of the Decade, with an additional #1 as the Christian AC Song Artist of The Decade as one of the industry’s most notable talents. MercyMe recently made history as “I Can Only Imagine” surpassed 1 million digital downloads, making it the first song in Christian music to go platinum in the digital domain. The multi-platinum selling band has sold out venues including Radio City Music Hall and has been seen on The Tonight Show,  CNN, Fox New Channel’s Fox & Friends, ABC News, CBS’ The Early Show, and on the pages of Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, USA Today, Billboard, and more. www.mercyme.org

About Natalie Grant:
A powerhouse vocalist, heart-gripping songwriter and charismatic performer, Natalie Grant has an unshakable determination to remind us of the simple significance of love, and the revolutionary power that it carries, as expressed on her latest project, Love Revolution.  Released in August 2010, Love Revolution gave Natalie the highest-selling debut of her career and continues to do well, with its latest single “Your Great Name” steadily climbing the radio charts.

As GMA Female Vocalist of the Year for four consecutive years (2006-2009) and the top-selling Adult Contemporary female solo artist in 2005, 2006 and 2008, Grant is among a select number of artists to have achieved a formidable foothold at mainstream media and radio. Her 2005 breakthrough album, Awaken, received RIAA Gold certification and its follow-up, Relentless, has experienced significant sales since its 2008 release. Despite these accomplishments, it is the message of the Gospel, and the revolutionary power of love it carries, that she waves as her banner and her hope.

Beyond her artistry, she declares this message as an outspoken advocate for victims of human trafficking. The Home Foundation, which Grant created in 2005, has raised over a quarter of a million dollars to fight the trafficking of women and children for the purpose of sexual exploitation. She works to balance these endeavors with her greatest calling—as a wife, and mother of three. www.nataliegrant.com

About Brandon Heath:
Christian music’s reigning, twice-honored Male Vocalist of the Year (2009 and 2010) Brandon Heath possesses a true songwriter’s gift of making the personal universal. In January, Heath debuted his third studio album, titled Leaving Eden, at No. 1 on Billboard and iTunes Christian sales charts. His soaring radio career includes four No.1 hits, “Your Love,” “I’m Not Who I Was,” “Wait and See” and 2009’s GMA Dove-winning Song of the Year, and RIAA Gold digital single, “Give Me Your Eyes.” Brandon first began writing at age 13 and credits his hometown’s legendary hotspot for songwriters, the Bluebird Café, as the place he first experienced music that moved him.

Since his 2006 debut, Heath has won an Emmy Award, been nominated for two GRAMMYs, an American Music Award, and holds multiple GMA Dove Awards. The Nashville native has been featured on the “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric,” and in the pages of the Wall Street Journal and the Sunday edition of The New York Times.

Off stage, Heath seeks opportunities to merge his public platform with his heart for community, regularly working with Young Life, Blood:Water Mission, Restore International and unofficially volunteering for many other human rights agencies on a global scale. Heath also created the annual “Love Your Neighbor” benefit with Dove-winning songwriter Jason Ingram, in partnership with Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, Tennessee, for a night of music to raise funds and gather volunteers for a focused need in the Nashville community. The event has raised financial support for flood and tornado victims, and an uninsured high school student’s eyesight-saving surgery.

This tour was unbelievable. Thanks to everyone who came out. We had an absolute blast. Thanks to Jars Of Clay, Lecrae, Thousand Foot Krutch, Matt Maher, The Afters & Anthem Lights. We were blessed to have you.

The Rock & Worship Roadshow 2011 presents “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” featuring MercyMe, Jars Of Clay, Matt Maher, Thousand Foot Krutch, The Afters & Lecrae. Spread the word.

We had a blast in Seattle. Absolutely one of the best days of touring this far. Thanks for letting us spend the day in your city.

Oh goodness Montana!  There’s were a lot of you here tonight!  We’re sorry that we had to turn away so many of you.  Those that made it in, we had a blast and hope you all enjoyed yourself.  We were standing side stage for most of the night and you guys blew us away.

Mike and I took a brief walk downtown earlier today and spent some time walking around.  You’ve got a pretty cool town here.  Thanks for being so hospitable.  We’ll see you again soon.

Texas, you blew us away three days in a row. We had an absolute blast singing with you guys. The place was packed out and you all sang beautifully. We’ll be back next year for sure.

Tonight we’re in Colorado Springs and expect a fantastic show.

Tonight was one of those shows that you walk away from loving your job.  The crowd in Corpus tonight was amazing.  You guys were so loud we wish the night didn’t have to end.  Thanks for coming out and spending your evening with is.  Texas we’re looking forward to an amazing weekend with you.  El Paso, you’re next.  We’ll see you tomorrow.