The nominees for the 2018 American Music Awards have been announced, with the nominees for Artist of the Year being: Drake, Imagine Dragons, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.
Cardi B and Drake are tied for most nominations with eight apiece.
The 2018 American Music Awards will be broadcast live on ABC, Tuesday, Oct. 9, Live at 8:00 p.m. EDT.
THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS® ANNOUNCES 2018 NOMINEES
Cardi B and Drake Tie for Most-Nominated Artist, Each With Eight Potential Wins
Camila Cabello Could Win Her First AMA as a Solo Artist
2018 Artist of the Year Nominees Include Drake,
Imagine Dragons, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift
The “2018 American Music Awards” Return to ABC,
Tuesday, Oct. 9, Live at 8:00 p.m. EDT
As the kick-off to this year’s highly anticipated “2018 American Music Awards,” chart-topping artists Kane Brown and Ella Mai, singer and American Music Award winner Normani and award-winning singer/songwriter Bebe Rexha today announced the nominations LIVE from YouTube Space LA. The event was livestreamed on the official American Music Awards YouTube channel (YouTube.com/TheAMAs) and included a panel discussion about the nominations with the presenting talent and Billboard correspondent Chelsea Briggs. Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross, the “2018 American Music Awards” will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 8:00 p.m. EDT, on ABC.
Cardi B and Drake lead this year’s nominees, with eight possible wins for each. Ed Sheeran and Post Malone each earned six nominations. Camila Cabello, nominated five times this year, could win her first AMA as a solo artist.
The Artist of the Year nominees are Drake, Imagine Dragons, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.
The American Music Awards, the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, is where music enthusiasts watch their favorite artists and pop-culture icons come together to honor idols, newcomers and record-breakers in the contemporary music scene. From Pop and Rock to Country, Hip-Hop and beyond, this year’s show will celebrate some of the best moments in music with appearances by today’s brightest stars and live performances from the biggest names in the industry.
American Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected on Billboard.com, including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound, and reflect the time period of Sept. 15, 2017, through Aug. 9, 2018. The American Music Awards winners are voted entirely by fans.
Voting opened today in all categories except New Artist of the Year presented by Capital One Savor Card, Favorite Social Artist and Collaboration of the Year, which will all open on Monday, Sept. 24.
For New Artist of the Year presented by Capital One Savor Card, Favorite Social Artist and Collaboration of the Year, fans can vote for each award 100 times per day, per voting platform in one or both of the ways below. Fans can vote for all other awards once per day, per voting platform.
• Via web at VoteAMAs.com
• Posting a tweet on Twitter that includes the nominee’s name or Twitter handle, the category name and #AMAs within the tweet
2018 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS TOP NOMINATED ARTISTS CHART FACTS:
• Camila Cabello
o Five-time American Music Award nominee Camila Cabello had quite the amazing year. Not only did her debut solo album “Camila” bow at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, but it entered atop the chart the very same week that its massive lead single, “Havana,” featuring Young Thug, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Amazingly, it marked the first time a soloist topped both lists at the same with their first No. 1s on both charts since 2003. Cabello followed up “Havana” with a second hit from the album, “Never Be the Same,” which hit the top 10 in May. Both tracks also reached No. 1 on the Pop Songs airplay chart.
• Cardi B
o First-time American Music Award nominee Cardi B made quite the impression in the past year. In October 2017, her smash solo single “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making Cardi the first female rapper to top the list without the assistance of any other credited acts since 1998. Furthermore, when Cardi hit No. 1 for a second time in 2018 with “I Like It,” alongside Bad Bunny and J Balvin, she made history as the first female rapper with two Hot 100 No. 1s. Cardi’s debut studio album, “Invasion of Privacy,” also set records when it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart earlier in 2018. It earned the biggest on-demand audio streaming week ever for a debut studio album in the U.S. and the largest ever for an album by a woman, according to Nielsen Music.
• Drake
o Five-time American Music Award winner Drake comes into the “2018 AMAs” with eight nominations, including Artist of the Year. He notched his eighth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 albums chart with “Scorpion,” and set the all-time record for the largest on-demand audio streaming week ever for an album in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. The same week Scorpion stung at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Drake set a new record for the most concurrently charting songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, with seven. He beat the record previously held by The Beatles, set in 1964 when the Fab Four had five songs in the top 10 at the same time.
• Khalid
o Breakout R&B star Khalid comes into the “2018 American Music Awards” with four nominations. He first started to make waves in mid-2016 courtesy of his single “Location,” which turned into a viral smash, ultimately reaching No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart. His debut album, “American Teen,” has spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on the R&B Albums chart and has yet to leave the top five of the list after more than 75 weeks on the tally. The set launched another hit in “Young Dumb & Broke,” which racked up a whopping 11 weeks atop the Hot R&B Songs chart. Khalid continued to keep busy in 2018, debuting eight songs on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, including the top 10 hit “Love Lies” with Khalid.
• Post Malone
o A six-time nominee at the “2018 AMAs,” Post Malone has been untouchable in the last year, charting more than a dozen top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including his first two No. 1s: “Rockstar,” featuring 21 Savage, and “Psycho,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. His second album, “beerbongs & bentleys,” gave the artist his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, where it ruled for three weeks. Post Malone also made news in 2018 on the charts with his debut album, “Stoney,” broke a longevity record set by Michael Jackson. In August, “Stoney” spent its 77th week in the top 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, beating the record for the most weeks in the top 10 for an album that was previously held by Jackson’s “Thriller,” with 76 weeks in 1983 and 1984.
• Bruno Mars
o Eight-time American Music Award winner Bruno Mars has been a hit-making machine since his debut full-length album Doo-Wops & Hooligans in 2010. The current four-time nominee’s latest release, “24K Magic,” continued his magic touch, as the album spent 40 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart and launched a quartet of hit singles. Among them were the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 smash “That’s What I Like,” the album’s title track, and his breakout collaboration with Cardi B, “Finesse.” The latter spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B Songs chart and has earned more than a half-billion on-demand streams in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music.
• Ed Sheeran
o American Music Award winner and current six-time nominee Ed Sheeran had a rather “Perfect” year. He kicked off 2018 with a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Perfect,” thanks to a little help from a remix of the track guest starring Beyoncé. “Perfect” proved to be so popular, it remained on the chart for over a full year. It was the second No. 1 on the Hot 100 for Sheeran, and both tunes came from his blockbuster album “÷ (Divide).” After 79 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, the former No. 1 album has yet to depart the weekly top 40 of the list. Sheeran has also been tireless on the road, with his ongoing ÷ World Tour. The trek is scheduled to end in March 2019 after playing more than 200 shows and visiting six continents.
• Taylor Swift
o Taylor Swift — a 19-time American Music Award winner and current four-time nominee — closed out 2017 in grand fashion with the arrival of her record-breaking album reputation. The set sold 1.22 million copies in its first week in the U.S., making Swift the only artist to achieve four million-selling weeks in Nielsen Music history. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking her fifth leader on the tally, and launched the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Look What You Made Me Do,” as well as the No. 1 Pop Songs single “Delicate.” Swift’s massive reputation stadium tour, in support of the album, broke Swift’s own record as the highest-grossing U.S. tour ever by a woman, according to Billboard Boxscore.
YouTube Music is the presenting sponsor of the “2018 American Music Awards.”
The “2018 American Music Awards” is produced by dick clark productions. Barry Adelman, Mark Bracco and Tracee Ellis Ross are executive producers. Larry Klein is producer.
Below, please find the full list of nominations for the “2018 American Music Awards”:
“2018 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS” NOMINEES
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Drake
Imagine Dragons
Post Malone
Ed Sheeran
Taylor Swift
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY CAPITAL ONE SAVOR CARD
Camila Cabello
Cardi B
Khalid
Dua Lipa
XXXTENTACION
COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug “Havana”
Post Malone ft. 21 Savage “Rockstar”
Bruno Mars & Cardi B “Finesse”
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line “Meant To Be”
Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey “The Middle”
TOUR OF THE YEAR
Beyoncé & JAY-Z
Bruno Mars
Ed Sheeran
Taylor Swift
U2
FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO
Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug “Havana”
Cardi B “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”
Drake “God’s Plan”
FAVORITE SOCIAL ARTIST
BTS
Cardi B
Ariana Grande
Demi Lovato
Shawn Mendes
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Drake
Post Malone
Ed Sheeran
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Camila Cabello
Cardi B
Taylor Swift
FAVORITE DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
Imagine Dragons
Maroon 5
Migos
FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
Drake “Scorpion”
Ed Sheeran “÷ (Divide)”
Taylor Swift “reputation”
FAVORITE SONG- POP/ROCK
Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug “Havana”
Drake “God’s Plan”
Ed Sheeran “Perfect”
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Kane Brown
Luke Bryan
Thomas Rhett
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Kelsea Ballerini
Maren Morris
Carrie Underwood
FAVORITE DUO or GROUP – COUNTRY
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
LANCO
FAVORITE ALBUM – COUNTRY
Kane Brown “Kane Brown”
Luke Combs “This One’s For You”
Thomas Rhett “Life Changes”
FAVORITE SONG – COUNTRY
Kane Brown “Heaven”
Dan + Shay “Tequila”
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line “Meant To Be”
FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Cardi B
Drake
Post Malone
FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
Drake “Scorpion”
Lil Uzi Vert “Luv Is Rage 2”
Post Malone “beerbongs & bentleys”
FAVORITE SONG – RAP/HIP-HOP
Cardi B “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”
Drake “God’s Plan”
Post Malone ft. 21 Savage “Rockstar”
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Khalid
Bruno Mars
The Weeknd
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Ella Mai
Rihanna
SZA
FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B
Khalid “American Teen”
SZA “CTRL”
XXXTENTACION “17”
FAVORITE SONG – SOUL/R&B
Khalid “Young Dumb & Broke”
Ella Mai “Boo’d Up”
Bruno Mars & Cardi B “Finesse”
FAVORITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK
Imagine Dragons
Panic! At The Disco
Portugal. The Man
FAVORITE ARTIST – ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Shawn Mendes
P!NK
Ed Sheeran
FAVORITE ARTIST – LATIN
J Balvin
Daddy Yankee
Ozuna
FAVORITE ARTIST – CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Lauren Daigle
MercyMe
Zach Williams
FAVORITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
The Chainsmokers
Marshmello
Zedd
FAVORITE SOUNDTRACK
“Black Panther: The Album, Music From And Inspired By”
“The Greatest Showman”
“The Fate of the Furious: The Album”