The second annual iHeartRadio Music Awards will return to NBC on Sunday, March 29. Nominees were revealed today (Feb. 4) for the show’s eleven categories.

Iggy Azalea and Sam Smith lead with five nominations each, while Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande were right behind with four apiece.

The 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards will be televised live on NBC from 8-11 p.m. ET/PT and broadcast simultaneously on iHeartMedia stations nationwide and across the iHeartRadio digital music platform.

Fan voting will determine Best Fan Army, Best Lyrics and the first-ever Renegade Award, sponsored by Jeep. Voting will run Monday, March 3 through Friday, March 20.

The inaugural 2014 iHeartRadio Music Awards telecast showcased the year’s most popular artists and songs determined by the iHeartRadio Chart and music fans nationwide who cast more than 65 million votes using hashtags on Facebook and Twitter.

Artist of the Year
Ariana Grande
Iggy Azalea
Luke Bryan
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift

Song of the Year
“All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor
“All of Me” – John Legend
“Happy” – Pharrell Williams
“Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift
“Stay With Me” – Sam Smith

Best Collaboration
“Bang Bang” – Jessie J + Ariana Grande + Nicki Minaj
“Dark Horse” – Katy Perry featuring Juicy J
“Fancy” – Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX
“Problem” – Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea
“Talk Dirty” – Jason Derulo featuring 2 Chainz

Best New Artist
Bastille
Cole Swindell
Iggy Azalea
Meghan Trainor
Sam Smith

Country Song of the Year
“Bartender” – Lady Antebellum
“Burnin’ It Down” – Jason Aldean
“Dirt” – Florida Georgia Line
“Give Me Back My Hometown” – Eric Church
“Play It Again” – Luke Bryan

Hip Hop/R&B Song of the Year
“Don’t Tell ‘Em” – Jeremih featuring YG
“Drunk in Love” – Beyoncé featuring Jay Z
“Flawless” – Beyoncé
“Loyal” – Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga
“New Flame” – Chris Brown featuring Usher and Rick Ross

Dance Song of the Year
“Animals” – Martin Garrix
“Blame” – Calvin Harris featuring John Newman
“La La La” – Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith
“Summer” – Calvin Harris
“Waves” – Mr. Probz

Alternative Rock Song of the Year
“Come With Me Now” – KONGOS
“Do I Wanna Know?” – Arctic Monkeys
“Fever” – The Black Keys
“Something From Nothing” – Foo Fighters
“Take Me to Church” – Hozier

Best Lyrics
“All of Me” – John Legend
“Blank Space” – Taylor Swift
“Counting Stars” – OneRepublic
“Habits (Stay High)” – Tove Lo
“Stay With Me” – Sam Smith
“Thinking Out Loud” – Ed Sheeran

Best Fan Army
5SOSFAM – 5 Seconds of Summer
Arianators – Ariana Grande
Bey Hive – Beyoncé
Team Breezy – Chris Brown
Sheerios – Ed Sheeran
Church Choir – Eric Church
Directioners – One Direction
Selenators – Selena Gomez
Mendes Army – Shawn Mendes
Swifties – Taylor Swift

Renegade
Brantley Gilbert
Charli XCX
Hozier
Iggy Azalea
Meghan Trainor

James Carothers artist visit

Independent artist James Carothers displays a whiskey-soaked brand of country music and craggy vocals hardened from years of struggle and barroom performances. His style of singing and songwriting is more akin to the likes of Jamey Johnson, Steve Earle, and country’s famed Outlaws than to the hip-hop and rock-flavored country music favored by today’s radio listeners. The native Southerner was raised in the Tennessee dirt of Selmer, and recently relocated to Nashville after several years of living with his family in Los Alamos, N.M.

During a recent visit to the MusicRow office, Carothers demonstrated his witty, devil-may-care banter alongside acoustic versions of tracks from his project Honky Tonk Land.

“New Country Singers” highlights the disarming honesty and sharp observations in his songwriting. A lighthearted shot at “modern” country music, the tune questions the authenticity of today’s popular drinking songs: “They don’t get caught cheatin’/And they don’t wreck their cars/So I’ve come to the conclusion/That they don’t drink as much as me.”

Carothers penned each of the eight tracks on Honky Tonk Land, with the exception of “Trouble in Paradise,” which was written by his father and fellow songwriter, Jim Carothers.

“I always wanted to have something to keep me interested in music,” he says of his foray into songwriting. “You can observe all the funny behaviors of people in a way that they don’t know you are writing about them.”

The acoustic performance proved Carothers is equally deft at sarcasm and sentimentality, with a rendition of “Where Did We Come From,” a nostalgic song with lyrics about trading farms for big box stores, and outsourcing production. The song’s theme of contemplating the price paid for so-called progress could easily translate to today’s country music, making it a fitting finale for Honky Tonk Land.

James Carothers artist visit

(L-R): Back row: BMI’s Jody Williams, Cornman Music’s Nate Lowery, producer Dan Huff, ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan, Valory Music Co.’s George Briner, Warner/Chappell’s Ben Vaughn, BMI’s Bradley Collins. Front row: ASCAP songwriter Brett James, BMI songwriter Brantley Gilbert, ASCAP songwriter Justin Weaver.

The Pour House in Nashville was an industry hotspot yesterday, as BMI and ASCAP co-hosted a celebration of the No. 1 song “Bottoms Up” by Brantley Gilbert. The song was written by BMI songwriter Gilbert, ASCAP songwriter Brett James and ASCAP songwriter Justin Weaver.

The song reached the top of the charts 11 months ago, but it was a challenge to arrange a time that worked for all parties involved. Gilbert does not live in Nashville and has been busy touring. But James was determined to have the success of this song celebrated. “This is Justin’s (Weaver) first No. 1 song, there was no way were weren’t going to have a party for him,” said James.

Weaver has been a songwriter for almost 13 years and took his time to thank everyone that supported him during the journey to his first chart topper. “It’s been a long road,” said Weaver. “But it’s always been about taking baby steps, pushing forward and always doing the right thing and I think we did.”

The song marks James’ 21st No. 1 song. It is Gilbert’s 5th as a songwriter and 3rd as an artist.

“When I was first starting out, I was anti-Nashville,” says Gilbert. “I didn’t want a booking agent, management or any of that. I just didn’t trust anyone. But I see now that this town is all about family and I thank you for allowing me to be a part of yours.”

Ron Cox of Avenue Bank was present to make a donation on behalf of the songwriters to the Kory Potts Scholarship Foundation, in memorandum of Brantley’s close friend who lost his battle with Leukemia and became the inspiration behind his current single, “One Hell of an Amen.”

Also recognized was producer Dann Huff who has now produced 41 No. 1 records.

Valory Music Group’s George Briner awarded Gilbert a plaque commemorating 1 million sales of the single, but explained that the plaque was made last year, and as of that night the sales have reached 2 million.

Additional guest presenters included representatives from the CMA, Cornman Music, and Warner/Chappell.