INTERVIEW: Jason Derulo Reflects On Hosting 2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards

The countdown is on, because the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards are days away (March 5th)! The star-studded evening will celebrate the amazing music that was heard throughout the year across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, and will include live performances from Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, The Chainsmokers, Shawn Mendes, Thomas Rhett, Noah Cyrus ft. Labrinth, and Big Sean. 

The fan-fueled show will be televised live from the historic Forum in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 5th on TBS, TNT and truTV at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and simulcast on iHeartMedia stations nationwide, as well as on iHeartRadio, the all-in-one digital music and live streaming radio service.

[Buy Jason's new single "Swalla" featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign on iTunes]

This year's iHeartRadio Music Awards is hosted by Ryan Seacrest, but during an exclusive interview, we recently caught up with last year's host: Jason Derulo. Jason not only took on hosting duties, he also performed during the show. The singer/songwriter/dancer, who just released his latest single "Swalla" featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign, reflected on what it was like to be the host of the show, and what advice he would have give himself looking back on last year's awards. Check it out below.

The 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards are right around the corner, and last year, you were the host. What was that like to do, retrospectively?

"It was my first major hosting gig. I had a blast, I just went in there and kinda did my thing, and just was myself. I didn't put any pressure on myself. There were a lot of fans all over the place, who have had made me kinda comfortable and easy. iHeart is family, so it just kinda made sense."

If you could time travel and give yourself advice before you hit the stage and hosted, what would you say?

"I would say rethink the crowd surf. I'm 190 [lbs], I'm not really the crowd surfing size. I feel like there's a weight limit, and I think I passed that, because I felt like a little cave-in when I landed. But all in all, I was still safe. I was good, but a couple fingers might've been broke. It was a little scary when I did it, though."

The iHeartRadio Music Awards are fan-fueled, with quite a few categories that are voted on by the fans. What do you love the most about your fans?

"I love how loyal my fans are. I've been on the scene since 19 years old, and I've received so much support from the very, very beginning. It's just been this amazing journey, and now I really can't think about what my life would be like without my fans. If something is going wrong in my life, I could go to my social media and my fans can really brighten [my] day. That's just the positivity. The constant positivity. When you got negativity in your life, you know you can go to your fans, and trust them to lift you up for sure."

Do you have any favorite fan stories?

"Just recently, I was in the Philippines, and I did like this huge festival, and it was outside. It was a massive amount of people, and there was this gate that was about 90 feet tall. And after my performance, I was leaving the stage, and all of a sudden I see this girl climbing this 90 foot gate, and I was thinking nothing of it. I look over again, she was on the top of the gate, climbing to the other side, and she's making it. I'm like, 'You gotta let her come, don't stop her.' She made that much of an effort to climb that 90 foot gate. I don't think I could've done it. I'm afraid of heights."