Kanye West to Close 2015 Billboard Music Awards

Rapper joins Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Nick Jonas, Van Halen and others on stage

Kanye West
CBS

The 2015 Billboard Music Awards performer lineup just got a bit “Stronger”: Kanye West is set to close this year’s BBMAs — his first ever performance on the awards, Billboard and Dick Clark Productions said on Tuesday.

West has won five BBMA trophies over his career, racking up nearly 70 songs on the Billboard Hot 100: “Gold Digger” and “Stronger” reached No. 1. West has sold more than 32 million albums and over 85 million digital tracks worldwide.

The rapper will join previously announced performers Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Hozier, Nick Jonas, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Van Halen, along with special duet performances by “Empire” recording artists Jussie Smollett and Bryshere “Yazz” Gray with Estelle.

Other performers include Fall Out Boy featuring Wiz Khalifa, Little Big Town and Faith Hill, Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea, and Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend.

The “2015 Billboard Music Awards” will be hosted by Ludacris and Chrissy Teigen and broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 17, on ABC from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.

Billboard Music Awards finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital songs sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social interactions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify and other popular online destinations for music, per Billboard. These measurements are tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound.

The awards are based on the reporting period of March 10, 2014 through March 8, 2015.

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