American Music Awards announces nominations and bans a nominee

Los Angeles, California – The nominations for the American Music Awards (AMAs) have been announced, and one music artist stands out amongst the masses.

The Weeknd (l.), Lil Nas X (c.), and Olivia Rodrigo (r.) are all nominated for AMA awards this year, amongst many others.
The Weeknd (l.), Lil Nas X (c.), and Olivia Rodrigo (r.) are all nominated for AMA awards this year, amongst many others.  © Collage: IMAGO/ ZUMA Wire & NurPhoto

On Thursday, the AMAs unveiled the nominations for this year's award show, which will take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on November 21.

While the AMAs are fan-voted awards, nominations are chosen based on artists' performance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, rather than voted on by a committee or organization.

This year, fans across the globe will be able to vote for their favorite artists, songs, and music videos directly from TikTok.

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Topping the nominations was none other than Olivia Rodrigo, who landed seven, including one for Artist of the Year and New Artist of The Year.

Following Rodrigo is The Weekend with six nominations. The Call Out My Name singer will face off against the 18-year-old, as well as Ariana Grande, BTS, Drake, and Taylor Swift for Artist of the Year. The Weeknd was also nominated for Favorite Music Video and Favorite Pop Song.

Despite the backlash he's received over the last few months for being caught on camera using a racial slur, Morgan Wallen ended up with two nominations for both Favorite Country Album and Favorite Male Country Artist.

While Wallen is nominated, he won't be making an appearance at the awards show due to the fact the AMAs banned him from attending.

According to Variety, MRC Live & Alternative said that Wallen's nominations stemmed from his performance on the Billboard charts, adding that because "His conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity."

Other nominees include Doja Cat, Bad Bunny, Lil Nas X, Giveon, Glass Animals, Kacey Musgraves, Megan Thee Stallion, and The Kid LAROI.

Voting is currently open globally through TikTok by entering AMAs into the in-app search bar, and also through Billboard's website, and will run through November 16.

The AMAs will be broadcast live on Sunday, November 21 at 8 PM EST on ABC, and will be available to stream the next day via Hulu.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO/ ZUMA Wire & NurPhoto

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