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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Purdue chapter.

Just this last Monday the iHeartRadio Music Awards aired for the 8th consecutive year and I am here to discuss the outcomes of these awards. So, buckle up and get ready to get controversial!

If you follow my writing, you may have come to the conclusion that I am a huge Taylor Swift fan. And with that assumption, I would say that you are correct, which is why I am elated that Taylor Swift won five awards last night. Swift walked away with trophies for “Song of the Year”, “Best Lyrics”, “Best Sample”, “Best Pop Album”, and “TikTok Bop of the Year”. While I feel that all of these awards were well deserved, some other award winners were controversial in my opinion. First up, and probably the thought on everyone’s mind, how did “Unholy” win “Best Collaboration”. Did we all forget how a few months ago we were all in awe of how disappointing this song was after the hype it got on TikTok??? The only ‘good’ part of the song was the chorus. So, tell me, how on earth did this collaboration beat out “You Right” by Doja Cat ft. The Weekend or “INDUSTRY BABY” by Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow which were songs people actually enjoyed? I’m just saying!

This year’s “Best New Pop Artist” had a good number of qualified candidates running. While Jax was a decent winner, due to her female empowering hit, I have yet to see any other music by this artist. I personally would have chosen Dove Cameron as the winner due to her rising success and variety of good music released this year.

For the “Social Star Award”, I feel it defeats the point if I have to google the winner since I have never heard of them! Upon googling, I did realize who JVKE is but still, for a SOCIAL STAR winner, you would think you would know who they are. Regarding social media, as mentioned earlier, Taylor Swift won “TikTok Bop of the Year” with her hit “Bejeweled”. I think this is a wonderful win due to the trend started by Mikael Arellano. This trend got so big that Taylor Swift has even been doing it on her tour.

Overall, there were a number of well-deserved wins but like almost all award shows, there were some winners who were less than stellar for the category. So, who do you think deserved to win an iHeartRadio Music Award?

Carissa Ray is the president of the Purdue Chapter of Her Campus. Last year she held the position of senior editor. She also writes articles for the chapter and typically writes entertainment pieces. She has been a member of the chapter since January of 2023! Carissa is currently a senior studying at Purdue University. She is majoring in Psychological Sciences with minors in Spanish and Forensic Sciences. Aside from Her Campus, Carissa is also on the board of the Purdue Chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, a leadership honors society. She was recently elected as the president for the 2024-25 academic year. She is also a mentor for the College of Health and Human Sciences. In the future, she hopes to become a Forensic Psychologist and potentially work for the FBI. When she is not busy with school, Carissa is a huge book nerd and loves to read anything with mystery, romance, or fantasy. She also loves dancing and is part of the Purdue Higher Ground Dance Company. She enjoys jazz, hip hop, and theater dance styles. Finally, if she has any extra time, she is a TV buff and enjoys binging TV shows like Modern Family, The Vampire Diaries, or Supernatural.