December 4 saw the Apple Music Awards premiere with the live-streamed performance of Billie Eilish, at the Steve Jobs Theater, to celebrate the best and boldest musicians of 2019 and the enormous impact they have had on global culture this year. Besides Billie, the inaugural Apple Music Awards honored Lizzo, Lil Nas X and her brother/music partner FINNEAS.

The winners for Global Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Breakthrough Artist of the Year were hand-selected by Apple Music’s global editorial team of experts and tastemakers and given to artists who have true passion for their craft, who boldly defy conventions in the category and who embody a sense of humanity, where listeners are drawn as much to who they are as to their music.

As mentioned, Apple awarded Billie the Global Artist of the Year, and her debut full-length WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? was pronounced Apple Music Awards’ Album of the Year, as it was the most-streamed album on Apple music this year, along with receiving the award for Songwriter of the Year, which went to both her and her brother FINNEAS, who helped co-write and produce the album.

For Breakthrough Artist of the Year, the judges decided upon rap and soul songstress Lizzo, who also received a year’s best eight Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year for “Cuz I Love You.” In addition to Lizzo, to sympathize with the public, Apple’s Song of the Year award went to Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” which made history and turned the young rapper into an overnight superstar.