Nick Jonas will host this year’s Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs), airing May 23 at 5 p.m. PT.
“I’ve always been such a big fan of the show, both as a fan growing up watching it and then as a performer, presenter and nominee,” Jonas tells Variety. “The thing that I love most about the BBMAs is that it’s really artist centric, and it feels like a great celebration of the past year in music.”
Jonas, who recently hosted “Saturday Night Live” and announced this year’s Oscar nominees with wife Priyanka Chopra, says he is coming full circle in hosting the BBMAs.
“When they asked me to host this show, I was thrilled,” Jonas says. “I felt like it was it was sort of like completing my relationship with the show.”
Mentioning this year’s performers, including BTS, The Weeknd, Duran Duran, Pink and Twenty One Pilots, Jonas said he’s excited to see live music and be around people again.
“It’s going to be great to see The Weeknd back out on an award show stage,” Jonas says, perhaps subtly jabbing at this year’s Grammy Awards, which caught flak for snubbing the “Blinding Lights” singer, who was also reportedly set to perform at the ceremony. “I always love watching him do his thing and would love to collaborate with him someday.”
Jonas also says he’s looking forward to seeing Drake receive the artist of the decade award and, of course, K-Pop superstars BTS rock the stage.
“I love BTS,” Jonas says. “I saw them live here at the Rose Bowl a couple years back and was just blown away by their performance.”
Meanwhile, Jonas is gearing up for the newly announced “Remember This” tour with the Jonas Brothers. The tour will run from August through October 2021 and feature special guest Kelsea Ballerini.
“The three of us are buzzing about getting back in front of our fans,” Jonas says.
Going on the road means new music on the way from the Jo Bros, who put out their reunion album “Happiness Begins” in June 2019.
“We’ve been talking a lot about ideas for the tour, new music and when to roll that out,” Jonas says. “We had a lot of things already recorded and kind of ready to go that we had to put on the back burner while things were a bit nuts out there in the world. But we feel very inspired and excited to get back out there and do our thing.”
Jonas, who put out his fourth solo album “Spaceman” in March, is now recovering from an injury on the set of a new show.
“I feel very fortunate,” Jonas says. “It could have been a lot worse, and to come out of it with just a fractured rib and some of the bumps and bruises is all good. I’ve been recovering little by little, so I’m feeling good.”