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Arcade Fire, Drake, Pharrell to perform at iHeartRadio Music Awards

Arcade Fire (including lead singer Win Butler, seen above at Coachella in 2014) has a new single with Mavis Staples.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell and Blake Shelton have been added to the bill at the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Clear Media and Entertainment announced the first slate of acts for the three-hour, fan-voted show early Monday.

Also slated to hit the stage? Ariana Grande, Pitbull, Shakira, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Luke Bryan, Ed Sheeran and Arcade Fire, which just closed out the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival over the weekend.

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Acknowledging the array of music-centric award shows that vie to be the viral, more fun alternative to the prestigious Grammys, Clear Channel’s telecast is promising a groundbreaking approach to the format.

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There will be a flurry of live performances from marquee acts, naturally, but the show said it will also boast “an intimate atmosphere.”

Performances won’t just be staged at the Shrine, but across the city in historic L.A. haunts like the Roxy and Hotel Café. Stars will also share their “L.A. story” with viewers, opening up about what brought them to the city and how it helped shape their careers.

Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Steven Tyler, Imagine Dragons, Chris Martin, Lorde and Demi Lovato are also among the top-tier talent the radio conglomerate recruited to make appearances during the telecast.

Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Imagine Dragons led the pack of nominations, which were announced late last month.

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The pop diva scored seven nods across five categories, including artist of the year, song of the year and best collaboration -- she competes against herself in the latter two with her Mikky Ekko-assisted ballad “Stay” going up against “The Monster,” her duet with Eminem.

Timberlake scored five nominations, including artist of the year, and like Rihanna, he is nominated twice in the collaboration category for two singles with Jay Z (comeback single “Suit & Tie” and Jay’s “Holy Grail”). And Imagine Dragons scored four, including new artist.

The iHeartRadio Music Awards are scheduled to air May 1 on NBC at 8 p.m Pacific time.

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