The 2020 American Music Awards and Everything You Need to Know
ABC Reading Time: 4 minutes
The American Music Awards will air this weekend to continue the 2020 awards season. Hosted this year by Taraji P. Henson, the awards ceremony will be broadcasted live in over 200 countries from the stage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The AMA’s are a great gauge of artist’s connection to their fans, as the winners are decided by votes from the public. A few new categories have been introduced for fans to decide on this year. Some new hip-hop and rap awards will be up for grabs and additional awards in the Latin music category. Here’s a quick breakdown of things you’ll want to know before the awards.
When are the 2020 AMA’s?
The three-hour awards show is set to air tonight (11/22) at 8 p.m. ET
How can I watch?
For U.S. viewers, you can tune in on ABC and online at abc.com, if you have a provider login.
AMA Nominees To Watch For?
First, the top nominees are The Weeknd and Roddy Ricch, leading the pack with 8 nominations each. One of those is for Artist of the Year, where they’ll be up against Justin Bieber, Post Malone, and Taylor Swift. For Taylor Swift who has 4 nominations tonight, there’s a good chance to push her record as the most awarded artist in AMA history even further. She holds the title with 29 wins already, besting Michael Jackson who has won 26. Megan Thee Stallion earned 5 nods, one of them being for New Artist of the Year. In that category, she’ll be looking to beat Lewis Capaldi, Doja Cat, DaBaby, Lil Baby, and Roddy Ricch.
American Music Award Performance Line Up
The show will feature a slew of performances we won’t want to miss. Katy Perry is set to give us a debut performance of “Only Love” from her latest release “Smile.” Jennifer Lopez and Maluma are giving us TWO debut performances of “Pa’ Ti” and “Lonely,” two songs they wrote for her upcoming movie “Marry Me” soundtrack. Justin Bieber will also be returning to the AMAs, his first appearance since 2016, and performing both “Holy” and “Lonely.” Artist of the Year nominee The Weeknd will be performing “Save Your Tears”, and teaming up with Kenny G for a sax-filled rendition of “In Your Eyes.” The list of performances also includes ones from Bad Bunny, Bebe Rexha with Doja Cat, Bell Biv DeVoe, BTS, Dan + Shay, Dua Lipa, Lewis Capaldi, Lil Baby, Lil Nas X, Machine Gun Kelly, Megan Thee Stallion, Nelly, and Shawn Mendes.
Check the full list of AMA nominees below.
Artist of the year
- Justin Bieber
- Post Malone
- Roddy Ricch
- Taylor Swift
- The Weeknd
New artist of the year
- Lewis Capaldi
- Doja Cat
- DaBaby
- Lil Baby
- Roddy Ricch
- Megan Thee Stallion
Collaboration of the year
- Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP”
- DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch, “Rockstar”
- Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours”
- Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, “Rain On Me”
- Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé, “Savage Remix”
Favorite social artist
- BTS
- Billie Eilish
- EXO
- Ariana Grande
- NCT 127
Favorite music video
- Doja Cat, “Say So”
- Future featuring Drake “Life Is Good”
- Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, “Rain On Me”
- Taylor Swift, “Cardigan”
- The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
Favorite male artist – Pop/rock
- Justin Bieber
- Post Malone
- The Weeknd
Favorite female artist – Pop/rock
- Dua Lipa
- Lady Gaga
- Taylor Swift
Favorite duo or group – Pop/rock
- BTS
- Jonas Brothers
- Maroon 5
Favorite album – Pop/rock
- Harry Styles, “Fine Line”
- Taylor Swift, “Folklore”
- The Weeknd, “After Hours”
Favorite song – Pop/rock
- Lewis Capaldi, “Someone You Loved”
- Dua Lipa, “Don’t Start Now”
- Post Malone, “Circles”
- Roddy Ricch, “The Box”
- The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
Favorite male artist – Country
- Kane Brown
- Luke Combs
- Morgan Wallen
Favorite female artist – Country
- Gabby Barrett
- Miranda Lambert
- Maren Morris
Favorite duo or group – Country
- Dan + Shay
- Florida Georgia Line
- Old Dominion
Favorite album – Country
- Luke Combs, “What You See Is What You Get”
- Blake Shelton, “Fully Loaded: God’s Country”
- Morgan Wallen, “If I Know Me”
Favorite song – Country
- Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours”
- Maren Morris, “The Bones”
- Blake Shelton featuring Gwen Stefani, “Nobody But You”
Favorite male artist – Rap/hip-hop
- DaBaby
- Juice WRLD
- Roddy Ricch
Favorite female artist – Rap/hip-hop
- Cardi B
- Nicki Minaj
- Megan Thee Stallion
Favorite album – Rap/hip-hop
- Lil Baby, “My Turn”
- Lil Uzi Vert, “Eternal Atake”
- Roddy Ricch, “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial”
Favorite song – Rap/hip-hop
- Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP”
- DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch, “Rockstar”
- Roddy Ricch, “The Box”
Favorite male artist – Soul/R&B
- Chris Brown
- John Legend
- The Weeknd
Favorite female artist – Soul/R&B
- Jhene Aiko
- Doja Cat
- Summer Walker
Favorite album – Soul/R&B
- Doja Cat, “Hot Pink”
- Summer Walker, “Over It”
- The Weeknd, “After Hours”
Favorite song – Soul/R&B
- Chris Brown featuring Drake, “No Guidance”
- Summer Walker, “Playing Games”
- The Weeknd, “Heartless”
Favorite male artist – Latin
- Bad Bunny
- J Balvin
- Ozuna
Favorite female artist – Latin
- Becky G
- Karol G
- Rosalía
Favorite album – Latin
- Anuel AA, ”Emmanuel”
- Bad Bunny, “Las Que No Iban a Salir”
- Bad Bunny, “YHLQMDLG”
Favorite song – Latin
- Bad Bunny, “Vete”
- Black Eyed Peas and J Balvin, “Ritmo (Bad Boys For Life)”
- Karol G Nicki Minaj, “Tusa”
Favorite artist – Alternative rock
- Billie Eilish
- Tame Impala
- Twenty One Pilots
Favorite artist – Adult contemporary
- Lewis Capaldi
- Jonas Brothers
- Maroon 5
Favorite artist – Contemporary inspirational
- Lauren Daigle
- For King & Country
- Kanye West
Favorite artist – Electronic dance music
- Kygo
- Lady Gaga
- Marshmello
Favorite soundtrack
- “Birds of Prey: The Album”
- “Frozen II”
- “Trolls: World Tour”
