The American Music Awards are back this year, slated for October 6. If you didn’t know, the AMAs have moved networks (from ABC to CBS) and skipped 2023 after the Billboard Music Awards — also produced by Dick Clark Productions — were scheduled in the AMAs’ usual November slot. The award is back at a great time for music, with huge releases from artists like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande rocking the charts. But who can we expect to be nominated?
Swift is AMA royalty, and that will likely continue this year. Her album “The Tortured Poets Department” has been a huge success, spending months atop the Billboard 200 and notching the hit single “Fortnight.” While some people might be experiencing Swift fatigue, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of love for the star. It’s likely that Swift will be present in categories like Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop Album and Collaboration of the Year.
Another pop star sure to be present is Grande, with her hit album “Eternal Sunshine.” The album notched the Hot 100 number-ones “Yes, And?” and “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” the latter of which is a contender for categories like Best Music Video and Favorite Pop Song. Grande is likely there for Artist of the Year and Favorite Pop Album too, like Swift.
Eilish is also one of the biggest stars of the year with her own hit album “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” She will likely get the same nominations as Swift and Grande, but her cross-genre appeal might make her eligible for Favorite Rock Artist, Song, and Album, having won the first of those in the past since they include alternative musicians there too.
In the country categories, a few names can be expected. Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” is one of the year’s most successful albums, so you can expect the star to get nominations across the board in that genre. But there’s also Morgan Wallen, who’s arguably the biggest country star alive right now. While Wallen might not have a new album eligible, his hit singles might be, including his recent number-one “I Had Some Help” alongside Post Malone.
There’s also Zach Bryan. His self-titled Grammy-winning album came out in late August of last year, so perhaps it is eligible. But Bryan is set to release a new album, “The Great American Bar Scene,” on July 4, so that could be his nomination. Other country stars in the hunt to get some nominations might include Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, and Shaboozey.
R&B should also have some strong candidates. You can expect SZA to be the biggest contender of them all, especially as she’s still reveling in the success of her late 2022 album “SOS.” Plus, her stand-alone single “Saturn” has been one of the biggest hits of the year and thus might also be in contention in one or two categories.
Another big star in the genre is The Weeknd, who continues to rule the charts despite not having a new album out. His cuts from his series “The Idol” — “Popular” and “One of the Girls” — are among the year’s top hits too. Bryson Tiller had crossover success with his single “Whatever She Wants,” and so did Grammy-winner Muni Long, whose “Made for Me” went crazy viral on TikTok earlier this year. Other newer artists like Tyla, Tommy Richman, and 4Batz might also be in contention.
Last but not least, the hip-hop contenders. Kendrick Lamar might be a name to watch in those categories thanks to his massive hits “Not Like Us” and “Like That.” The latter of those songs is a collab with Metro Boomin and Future, both of whom are likely to scoop up a couple of nominations as well. Their feud enemy, Drake, might also be nominated due to how well his diss tracks have also performed, albeit not as well as those other three artists’.
Besides those men, you might expect Doja Cat to be in contention off the success of her late 2023 release “Scarlet,” featuring the hits “Agora Hills” and “Paint the Town Red.” It has also been a great year for Megan Thee Stallion, with her big number-one hit “Hiss” and her GloRilla-assisted “Wanna Be,” plus her recently released third studio album “Megan.” And speaking of GloRilla, she might also be in the hunt, especially with another big hit this year with “Yeah Glo!” Last but not least, Nicki Minaj rocked the charts with her album “Pink Friday 2.”
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