Apple has announced the winners of the third annual Apple Music Awards, which recognize the best artists of 2021 and their influence on global culture. According to Apple News, the Apple Music Awards honor achievements in music across five distinct categories — Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Top Song of the Year, and Top Album of the Year. Winners are chosen through a process that reflects both Apple Music’s editorial perspective and what customers around the world are listening to the most.
The streaming service crowned H.E.R. as the Songwriter of the Year. “I am very honored and blessed to receive this recognition,” H.E.R. said in a statement, “as a young Black and Filipino artist, and a woman who is on the stage giving my all, there’s no doubt that representation is important.”
H.E.R. also made the announcement on her official Instagram page with the caption, “Songwriter of the year. Thank you @applemusic!!!”
The Apple News press release states, “The award-winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist H.E.R.’s work within the R&B genre grew even more expansive in 2021 with the release of her acclaimed 21-track album “Back of My Mind,” which captures the artist at her most brilliant, confident, and freewheeling. The chart-topping album was the third most-streamed R&B/Soul album on Apple Music in its first week of release by a female artist this year, with singles “Damage” and “Come Through” (featuring Chris Brown) both spending multiple weeks on the Daily Top 100 chart in over 30 countries. “
The Apple Music Awards, now in its third year, also introduced a new category of awards recognizing artists from five countries and regions — Africa, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia — who made the greatest impact culturally and on the charts in their respective countries and regions.