The NRJ Music Awards (NMA) are an annual French music awards ceremony organized by radio station NRJ in partnership with television network TF1. Created in 2000, the awards honor both francophone and international artists across 14 categories. The 27th edition took place on October 31, 2025, at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, hosted by Nikos Aliagas and broadcast live on TF1.
Ed Sheeran opened the 2025 ceremony with a performance of "Azizam," the lead single from his album Play. The song's title means "my darling" in Persian, and Sheeran collaborated with Swedish-Iranian producer Ilya Salmanzadeh on the track. Sheeran won two awards that night: International Male Artist of the Year and International Song of the Year. With 13 career NMA trophies, he is approaching the all-time record held by M. Pokora (16 trophies). The official music video for "Azizam" has accumulated over 45 million views on YouTube.
Past Winners by Category and Year
The NRJ Music Awards have been held annually since 2000 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Below is a reference table of winners from the last three editions (2023, 2024, and 2025). The 28th edition is scheduled for October 23, 2026, with nominations announced on September 14, 2026 and public voting opening the same day.
| Year | Francophone Female | Francophone Male | International Female | International Male | Francophone Song | International Song |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Helena | Pierre Garnier | Lady Gaga | Ed Sheeran | "Mauvais Garcon" (Helena) | "Azizam" (Ed Sheeran) |
| 2024 | Vitaa | Slimane | Taylor Swift | The Weeknd | "Ceux qu'on etait" (Pierre Garnier) | "Beautiful Things" (Benson Boone) |
| 2023 | Vitaa | Slimane | Dua Lipa | Ed Sheeran | "Secret" (Louane) | "Flowers" (Miley Cyrus) |
Additional Category Winners
| Year | Francophone Breakthrough | International Breakthrough | DJ of the Year | International Collaboration | Social Hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Marine (female), Julien Lieb (male) | Alex Warren | David Guetta | Rose and Bruno Mars ("APT.") | "Golden" (David Guetta remix) |
| 2024 | Pierre Garnier | Benson Boone | David Guetta | Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars ("Die with a Smile") | "Petit Genie" (Jungeli ft. Imen Es, Alonzo, Abou Debeing, Lossa) |
| 2023 | Nuit Incolore | Loreen | David Guetta | Rosalia and Rauw Alejandro ("Beso") | "Makeba" (Jain) |
David Guetta has won DJ of the Year for three consecutive editions (2023, 2024, 2025). Vitaa won Francophone Female Artist in both 2023 and 2024 before Helena took the category in 2025. Slimane won Francophone Male Artist in both 2023 and 2024. Ed Sheeran won International Male Artist in both 2023 and 2025.
The 2025 ceremony was dominated by former Star Academy contestants, who won six of 14 awards. Helena won two trophies: Francophone Female Artist of the Year and Francophone Song of the Year for "Mauvais Garcon." Pierre Garnier won Francophone Male Artist of the Year, his third career NMA. Marine won Francophone Female Breakthrough, and Julien Lieb won Francophone Male Breakthrough. Jungeli and Lenie won Francophone Collaboration for "A tes cotes."
On the international side, Lady Gaga won International Female Artist for the second time. Rose and Bruno Mars won International Collaboration for "APT." Alex Warren won International Breakthrough. Gims won Concert Tour of the Year and received an honorary award as the most-streamed artist of 2025. Vanessa Paradis received an honorary award for 40 years of career.
Pierre Garnier's "Ceux qu'on etait" won Francophone Song of the Year at the 2024 ceremony. The official music video has over 54 million views on YouTube. Garnier also won Francophone Breakthrough that night, marking the first two NMA trophies of his career. The 22-year-old Normand rose to fame as the winner of Star Academy season 11 in early 2024.
Rose and Bruno Mars won International Collaboration at the 2025 ceremony for "APT." The song's music video has over 2.4 billion views on YouTube, making it one of the most-watched music videos of all time. "APT." was released on October 17, 2024 as the lead single from Rose's debut solo album rosie.
How the NRJ Music Awards Work
The ceremony follows a hybrid voting model:
- Nomination: NRJ selects five nominees per category based on commercial performance, streaming data, radio airplay, and social media engagement. Categories are split between francophone and international artists.
- Voting: The public vote counts for 75 percent of the final result, while a jury established by NRJ and TF1 contributes 25 percent. Fans vote online through the NRJ website. The 2025 ceremony generated nearly eight million votes, a record number.
- Ceremony: The awards are held annually at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. The ceremony features live performances from both francophone and international artists. The 2025 edition included performances from Ed Sheeran, KATSEYE, Pierre Garnier, Marine, Vanessa Paradis, and Charlotte Cardin.
The name "NRJ" is a play on words between the French pronunciation of the letters and the French word "energie" (energy), standing for "Nouvelle Radio des Jeunes" (New Radio of the Young).
The ceremony was traditionally held in mid-January as the opening of MIDEM (the international music market) but moved to November in recent years. Nikos Aliagas has hosted every edition since 2009, except for 2022 when Camille Combal took over.
Real-World Example: The 27th NRJ Music Awards (2025)
The 2025 ceremony was dominated by former Star Academy contestants, who won six of 14 awards. Helena won two trophies: Francophone Female Artist of the Year and Francophone Song of the Year for "Mauvais Garcon." Pierre Garnier won Francophone Male Artist of the Year, his third career NMA. Marine won Francophone Female Breakthrough of the Year, and Julien Lieb won Francophone Male Breakthrough of the Year. Jungeli and Lenie won Francophone Collaboration of the Year for "A tes cotes."
On the international side, Ed Sheeran won two awards: International Male Artist of the Year and International Song of the Year for "Azizam." Lady Gaga won International Female Artist of the Year for the second time. Rose and Bruno Mars won International Collaboration of the Year for "APT." Alex Warren won International Breakthrough of the Year.
David Guetta won DJ of the Year, and the Social Hit award went to "Golden" (David Guetta remix) from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. Gims won Concert Tour of the Year and received an honorary award as the most-streamed artist of 2025. Vanessa Paradis received an honorary award for 40 years of career.
With 13 career NMA trophies, Ed Sheeran is approaching the all-time record held by M. Pokora (16 trophies).
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
The NRJ Music Awards are one of the few major ceremonies where public voting carries 75 percent of the decision. Independent artists with passionate fanbases can influence outcomes through organized voting campaigns. The 2025 ceremony showed how fan mobilization works: Star Academy alumni won six awards because their fanbases voted in record numbers.
The francophone categories specifically target French-language artists, creating opportunities for independent French, Belgian, and Swiss artists who might not compete in international categories. The Breakthrough categories (Revelation de l'annee) target emerging talent in both francophone and international fields.
If you are an independent francophone artist, focus on streaming numbers and social media engagement during the eligibility period. Build a fanbase that will vote during the ceremony. Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to track your performance on French platforms. Check the NRJ Music Awards website for eligibility windows and voting dates.
Related Resources
- Streaming Royalty Calculator - Track streaming performance that supports NMA nominations
- Target Streams Calculator - Set streaming goals for awards eligibility
- 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income - Build revenue alongside awards strategy
- When and How to Hire a Music Manager - A manager can coordinate awards campaigns
- MTV Video Music Awards - Compare with another major fan-voted ceremony
- MTV European Music Awards - Another fan-voted European ceremony
- Brit Awards - The UK equivalent fan and industry-voted ceremony
- Victoires de la Musique - France's industry-voted music awards, complementing the fan-voted NMAs
- Grammy Awards - The recording industry's highest peer-voted honor
