It’s that time of the year when Apple announces the winners of their own homemade awards, designed to recognize the best artists of 2021 and their influence on global culture. The Apple Music Awards evaluate the achievements in music across five distinct categories, including Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Top Song of the Year, and Top Album of the Year, with the winners being chosen through a process that considers both Apple Music’s editorial perspective and what people are actually listening to.
This year, the Apple Music Awards introduced a new category of awards for Regional Artist of the Year, recognizing artists from five countries and regions: Africa, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia. The Regional Artist of the Year awards recognize artists who made the greatest impact culturally and on the charts in their respective countries and regions.
And the winners are…
Global Artist of the Year: The Weeknd
Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year: Olivia Rodrigo
Songwriter of the Year: H.E.R.
Artist of the Year (Africa): Wizkid
Artist of the Year (France): Aya Nakamura
Artist of the Year (Germany): RIN
Artist of the Year (Japan): OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM
Artist of the Year (Russia): Scriptonite
The Apple Music Awards celebration kicks off Tuesday, December 7, 2021, with interviews, original content, and more all streaming worldwide on Apple Music and the Apple TV® app. So be sure to tune in for all the fun!