Apple announces its 2020 Apple Music Awards, check out which artist was streamed the most

2020 might have put a temporary halt on live concerts but one thing that hasn’t suffered from the global pandemic is music streaming. And with hundreds of millions of iPhone users, Apple Music is the preferred way to listen to music for a ton of people.

To celebrate the artists that make it all possible, Apple started giving out music awards. The first ones were last year and now, Apple has announced the second batch of winners. And no, you didn’t miss the ceremony, there wasn’t even a virtual event. A press release on Apple’s newsroom is all the effort Apple took to announce its Music Awards winners. And here they are

Apple Music Awards winners

Artist of the Year: Lil Baby

Hip-hop star Lil Baby is Apple’s pick for artist of the year. The rapper’s “My Turn” album got billions of streams on Apple Music. Lil Baby’s single, “The Bigger Picture” was the artist’s take on the Black Lives Matter protests also became extremely popular.

Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Megan Thee Stallion

Another rapper with recognition from Apple. Megan Thee Stallion’s got over 300 million streams on Apple Music this year from just two songs, her collaborations with popular singers Cardi B and Beyoncé. Needless to say, the artist’s other songs were also quite popular, otherwise, she wouldn’t have received this award.

Songwriter of the Year: Taylor Swift

A familiar name in the music industry, Taylor Swift adds another award to her already extensive arsenal. This time, Taylor is rewarded for the songwriter skills that she masterfully presented in her latest album “folklore”. The album broke the record for most listened pop album on release day.

Top Song of the Year: “The Box” by Roddy Ricch

For this award, Apple didn’t need to go through much consideration. It has all the data, after all. Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” was streamed more than 460 million times on the platform and grabbed the top spot this year.

Top Album of the Year: “Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial” by Roddy Ricch

Unsurprisingly, the album with the top song of the year became Apple Music’s Top Album of the Year. “Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial” racked up more than 1.5 billion streams, a truly staggering number. In response to receiving two awards from Apple this year,Roddy Ricch said:
“My first phone was the iPhone. It’s crazy making music could get me to the point where a platform like Apple could honor me or put me on a pedestal. I just appreciate Apple Music to the farthest extent. Winning this award motivates me to work even harder. This is confirmation that I am on the right track and doing what I gotta do to be the greatest in my own right.”

The Apple Music Award itself

If you thought the creators are only getting a virtual pat on the back from Apple, you’re mistaken. Apple has actual award trophies to go along with each category. Pictured below, the awards are made from a machined and anodized aluminum body that features a custom Apple chip wafer sandwiched between polished glass.


Wafers are how chips are manufactured, each wafer contains hundreds of chips that are then cut and assembled into processors that power our devices. This is the reason Apple chose a wafer for its award since streaming music would have been impossible without these chips.

Although Apple didn’t specifically say so, we’re assuming the winners mentioned above will receive a copy of the award.

Apple might not have a long history in terms of music awards, but considering its winners are mostly based on Apple Music user preferences, the artists are actually getting recognition from millions of fans rather than one corporation. Now that’s worth celebrating!