ABC, AMAs, American Music Awards, Dan + Shay, Dick Clark Productions, Justin Bieber, Los Angeles, music, Taraji P. Henson, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, TV
November 22, 2020
The following is a press release from Dick Clark Productions and ABC:
Dan+Shay, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd all topped the winners circle at the “2020 American Music Awards” (AMA) with three wins a piece, bringing Swift’s record for most career AMA wins to a whopping 32. The hottest night in music included thrilling exclusive world premiere performances as well as an energizing fun-filled opening number by AMA host Taraji P. Henson. The first-time AMA host dazzled fans with a beat-pumping dance routine, unexpected surprises, including a visit from America’s favorite TV music mogul Cookie Lyon (Henson’s character on “Empire”), and glamour and sophistication with nine wardrobe changes.
Show performance highlights included:
- One of the most memorable moments of the night was Justin Bieber’s powerful opening performance of his songs “Lonely,” with Benny Blanco on piano, and “Holy,” brought to fans by T-Mobile.
- Shawn Mendes and Bieber’s world premiere performance of their newly released single “Monster” set the stage for the collaborations to come throughout the night.
- Katy Perry was joined by Darius Rucker for an intimate and heartfelt special collaboration of “Only Love.”
- The Weeknd lit up Downtown Los Angeles with an electrifying performance of “In Your Eyes,” featuring saxophone legend Kenny G, and “Save Your Tears,” accompanied by a vibrant fireworks display.
- Billie Ellish gave a spectacular world premiere performance of her new song, “Therefore I Am,” with an appearance from her brother and producer, Finneas, who accompanied her on the guitar.
- Rapper Nelly energized fans with a performance of his hits from his debut album, “Country Grammar,” celebrating 20 years since its release. Surprises included legendary comedian Cedric The Entertainer, with an intro parroting his skit on Nelly’s first album, and St. Lunatic City Spud, who joined Nelly for “Ride Wit Me.”
- Jennifer Lopez and Maluma, steamed up the stage with a sultry rendition of “Pa’ Ti” and “Lonely.” The duo rehearsed 50 hours in less than two weeks to deliver the jaw dropping, world premiere performance to the stage.
- Megan Thee Stallion brought hot girl energy to the stage with the world premiere performance of her body confidence anthem “BODY.” Earlier in AMAs weekend, Megan The Stallion connected with a lucky group of her fans for a virtual hangout via Messenger Rooms.
- Hip-Hop/R&B legends, Bell Biv DeVoe did not disappoint with their high energy performance of their hits, “Do Me (Remix),” and “Poison,” ending their heart thumping dance induced performance with a sign of unity by raising their fists.
- Lewis Capaldi gave a soulful, moving performance of his smash hit “Before You Go” that was satisfyingly haunting.
- Dua Lipa, remote from the Royal Albert Hall in London, delivered an elevated performance of “Levitating,” brought to viewers by Xfinity.
- Machine Gun Kelly, with a special appearance by drummer Travis Barker, gave electrifying guitar-laden performances of his hits, “my ex’s best friend” and “Bloody Valentine.”
- Dan + Shay had everyone singing along at home with their fan-favorite, chart-topper “I Should Probably Go To Bed.”
- 24KGoldn + Iann Dior took to the stage for a spirited performance of their chart-topping hit “Mood,” against a lively backdrop of kaleidoscopic visuals.
- Shawn Mendes stunned fans with an evocative performance of “Wonder” delivered with soul-stirring power.
- Lil Baby commanded the stage with a striking performance of “Emotionally Scarred,” with a message expressing the importance of mental health.
- Bebe Rexha and Doja Cat gave an upbeat performance of their catchy collaboration “Baby, I’m Jealous,” while donning outfits reminiscent of their music video.
- BTS closed out the night, remote from Seoul, South Korea, with a vibrant nearly six-minute performance of their newly released song ”Life Goes On” and fan favorite hit “Dynamite.”
Winner Highlights of the “2020 American Music Awards:”
- Taylor Swift led the pack winning the most coveted honor of the night, Artist of the Year, as well as honors for Favorite Music Video for her pop hit “Cardigan” and Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist. In her remote acceptance speech from the studio, Swift revealed she is now re-recording her previous albums.
- Justin Bieber earned three AMA wins for Favorite Male Pop/Rock Artist, Collaboration of the Year and Favorite Country Song, the latter two for his team up with Dan+Shay for their song “10,000 Hours.”
- The Weeknd took home three honors for Favorite Male Soul/R&B Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Song.
- BTS won two trophies for Favorite Social Artist and Favorite Pop Group.
- Nicki Minaj won two AMAs for Favorite Female Rap Artist and Favorite Latin Song for her hit collaboration, “Tusa,” with Colombian reggaeton artist KAROL G.
- Doja Cat walked away with two wins for Favorite New Artist and Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist.
- Winning in two of the four newly expanded Latin categories, reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny took AMAs for Favorite Male Latin Artist and Favorite Latin Album.
- Becky G. gave an inspiring acceptance speech for her Favorite Female Latin Artist win, honoring Latin artists and others who inspired her to follow her dreams.
Presenters throughout the evening included: Anthony Anderson, Cara Delevingne, Christian Serratos, Ciara, David Dobrik, Derek Hough, G-Eazy, Kristen Cavallari, Laverne Cox, Megan Fox, Paris Hilton, and Tayshia Adams.
Here are the nominees and winners of the 2020 American Music Awards:
*=winner
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 with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours”*
Lady Gaga & 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 & 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 with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours”*
Maren Morris, “The Bones”
Blake Shelton (duet with 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 X 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 & Cuntry
Kanye West
FAVORITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
Kygo
Lady Gaga*
Marshmello
FAVORITE SOUNDTRACK
“Birds of Prey: The Album”*
“Frozen II”*
“Trolls: World Tour”
2020 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARD WINNERS BY ARTIST
Justin Bieber – 3
Taylor Swift – 3
The Weeknd – 3
Dan + Shay – 3
Bad Bunny – 2
BTS – 2
Doja Cat – 2
Nicki Minaj – 2
Blake Shelton – 1
Becky G – 1
Birds of Prey: The Album – 1
Cardi B – 1
Dua Lipa – 1
Harry Styles – 1
Jonas Brothers – 1
Juice WRLD – 1
Kane Brown – 1
Karol G – 1
Lady Gaga – 1
Lauren Daigle – 1
Maren Morris – 1
Megan Thee Stallion – 1
Roddy Ricch – 1
Twenty One Pilots – 1
Broadcast live from The Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, the “2020 American Music Awards” is seen in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Nominees were based on key fan interactions – as reflected on the Billboard charts – including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, and social activity. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners MRC Data and Next Big Sound, and reflect the time period of Sept. 27, 2019, through Sept. 24, 2020. The AMA winners are voted entirely by fans.
The “2020 American Music Awards” is produced by Dick Clark Productions. Amy Thurlow, Barry Adelman, Mark Bracco, and Linda Gierahn are executive producers. Larry Klein is producer. For the latest AMA news, exclusive content and more, follow the AMAs on social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube), online at theamas.com and ABC.com, and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs. Fans can also join the conversation with #AMAsWithUs and check out exclusive content by following T-Mobile on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The “2020 American Music Awards” is sponsored by Cheetos, T-Mobile and Xfinity.
About ABC Entertainment
ABC Entertainment airs compelling programming across all day parts, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” the longest-running medical drama in prime-time television; riveting dramas “The Good Doctor,” “A Million Little Things” and “Station 19”; trailblazing comedy favorites “American Housewife,” “black-ish,” “The Conners,” “The Goldbergs” and “mixed-ish”; the popular “Summer Fun & Games” programming block, including “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Holey Moley,” “Match Game,” “Press Your Luck” and “To Tell the Truth”; star-making sensation “American Idol”; reality phenomenon “Shark Tank”; “The Bachelor” franchise; long-running hits “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”; “General Hospital,” which has aired for more than 55 years on the network; and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”; as well as two critically acclaimed, Emmy® Award-winning “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” specials. The network also boasts some of television’s most prestigious awards shows, including “The Oscars®,” “The CMA Awards” and the “American Music Awards.”
ABC programming can also be viewed on demand and on Hulu.
About Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” and the “Streamy Awards.” DCP also owns one of the world’s most extensive and unique entertainment archive libraries with more than 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances, and legendary programming. DCP is part of MRC Live & Alternative, a division of diversified global entertainment company MRC. For additional information, visit www.mrcentertainment.com.