Olivia Rodrigo, BTS, Silk Sonic win Billboard Music Awards

Olivia Rodrigo, left, and Silk Sonic members Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak.

Olivia Rodrigo won the most Billboard awards Sunday with seven, including new artist, female artist, Hot 100 artist, streaming songs artist, radio songs artist, Billboard Global 200 artist and Billboard 200 album.

The Billboard awards was icing on the cake for the Filipino American songwriter/singer. Since she released her first single, drivers license, Rodrigo continues her winning streak that began   with the MTV Music Awards, Peoples Choice and continued with major wins in the prestigious Grammy's. 

The K-pop boy band BTS won awards for Group, Sales Song Artist and Song Sales.

BTS won Top Group Billboard award for the third straight year.

The R&B duo Silk Sonic of Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak took home awards for Top Song (Leave the Door Open) and Top R&B Tour.

Unlike other award shows the Billboard awards are based on hard data. Nominees and winners are determined by Billboard chart rankings and winners are selected based on several criteria, including their album and digital song sales, airplay and streaming success and touring.

Olivia Rodrigo, BTS, Bruno Mars, Anderson Paak win at MTV Awards

Olivia Rodrigo accepts one of three Video Music Award.

After her blockbuster debut as a pop singer, it was no surprise that Olivia Rodrigo was named the VIdeo Music Award's Best New Artist of the Year.

The VMA Awards returned Sunday at the  with live performances in front of an audience at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NYC.

The Filipino American artist also won Best Song for her breakout hit "Drivers' License." She also won in the category of Push Performance of the Year.

"I want to thank all of you guys the fans. This is so incredible," she said as she accepted her Moon Person trophy. "This has been the most magical year of my life and it is all because of you guys so thank you so much. Thank you to the VMAs and everyone who helped me make Sour," Rodrigo''s first album.

"I want to dedicate this award to all the girls who write songs on their bedroom floor... speaking your mind and sharing your work is one of the most beautiful things in the world," she added.

Rodrigo, star of Disney's "High School Musical: The Musical: the Series," was also nominated for Artist of the Year and her second hit "Good 4 U" was nominated for Best Pop. 

Other Asian or AAPI artists who won a VMA Award include:

BTS, the Korean boy group, which won two awards for Best K-pop for their single "Butter"  and the award as the Best Group. Because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, the group could not attend in person but were able to thank their fans with a video.

"Thanks for this award," the group said. "Sorry we couldn't be there, but hopefully next time we will," 

"We've been so blessed and grateful for all of the love we received this year. Shoutout to ARMY! You're the best people in the world. We'll keep bringing great music for all of you guys. Love you all!"

Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak won Best R&B song for their collaboration as Silk Sonic for "Leave the Door Open."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more commentary and observations, follow me on Twitter @dioknoed. 

Asian American singers represent: Olivia Rodrigo, Bruno Mars, Anderson Paak, Saweetie, H.E.R. topping the charts

Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars teamed up to form Silk Sonic.

After holding the Billboard's No. 1 spot for eight weeks in the beginning of 2021, Olivia Rodrigo's super-hit "Driver's License" slipped from the top in the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.

Teenager Rodrigo, who burst onto the pop music scene like gangbusters in January of this year, gave up the top spot to fellow Filipino American artist Bruno Mars who teamed up with Korean American Anderson Paak to perform "Leave the Door Open," which rose from No. 3 to No 1. for the week ending April 12.

The Asian American duo known as Silk Sonic first performed their collaboration during the Grammy Awards show earlier this year. It was the eighth time a Mars hit was atop the Billboard Hot 100 and Paak's first time ruling the top spot.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. 

This week, the Asian Americans' hits remained hot despite dropping a bit while  remaining in the Top Ten after theTop 100 rankings for the past week were released today (April 20).

"Driver's License" holds steady at No. 9, while Rodrigo proves she may be a musical force for years to come. Her follow-up single "Deja Vu" debuted at No. 8 on the chart for the week of April 17 but dropped to No. 15 for the past week.

"Ahhhh dl and deja vu on there!!!! screaming and crying!!!! thank u so much!!!!!!" she tweeted in excitement.

With "Drivers License" and "Deja Vu" being the 18-year old's first two singles promoted to radio, streaming services and other platforms, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series breakout star is the first artist to send her first two proper singles straight onto the Hot 100 in the top 10, according to Billboard, the music industry's trade publication.

Songwriter and singer Olivia Rodrigo has two songs on the Billboard charts.

This week, both of her self-written songs also double up on the top 10 of the Billboard Global 200 chart, with "Deja Vu" and "Drivers License" respectively sitting at No. 8 and No. 9.

Meanwhile, Filipino American rapper Saweetie's single "Best Friend" featuring Doja Cat, which has been holding steady in the Top 100 for 14 weeks, came in at No. 17, down from last week's No. 14.

R&B artist H.E.R. aka Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, a Filipino American from the San Francisco Bay Area, has her song "Damage" coming in at No. 68, after 18 weeks on the Billboard's Hot 100.

Also, next Sunday, H.E.R. will perform, "Fight For You," which she wrote with Tiara Thomas for the movie Judas and the Black Messiah, because the song has been nominated in the Best Song category at the 93rd Academy Awards.