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American Music Awards facts for kids

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American Music Awards
AMAs 2019.png
Logo as of 2019
Country United States
First awarded February 19, 1974; 50 years ago (1974-02-19)
Television coverage
Network ABC (1974–2022)
CBS (2024)

The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. From 1973 to 2005, both the winners and the nominations were selected by the members of the music industry, based on commercial performance, such as sales and airplay. Since 2006, winners have been determined by a poll of the public and fans, who can vote through the AMAs website. The event originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, after the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired. CBS will air the 2024 edition.

Most recent American Music Award winners
← 2021 November 20, 2022 2024 →
  Taylor Swift at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (3).png Dove Cameron 2019 by Glenn Francis.jpg
Award Artist of the Year New Artist of the Year
Winner Taylor Swift Dove Cameron
  Glasto2023 (419 of 468) (53009098414) (cropped).jpg

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Taylor Swift at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (3).png
Award Collaboration of the Year Favorite Music Video
Winner Elton John

Dua Lipa
Cold Heart (Pnau remix)

Taylor Swift

All Too Well: The Short Film


Previous Artist of the Year

BTS

Artist of the Year

Taylor Swift

Conception

The AMAs was created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammy Awards after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS (which has broadcast all Grammy Award shows since then) picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC. In 2014, American network Telemundo acquired the rights to produce a Spanish-language version of the American Music Awards and launched the Latin American Music Awards in 2015.

From 1973 to 2005, both the winners and the nominations were selected by members of the music industry, based on commercial performance, such as sales and airplay. Since 2006, winners have been determined by a poll of the public and fans, who can vote through the AMAs website, while nominations have remained based on sales, airplay, now including activity on social networks, and video viewing. Before 2010, had nominations based only on sales and airplay and nominated every work, even if old. The Grammys have nominations based on vote of the Academy and only nominate a work from their eligibility period that changes often.

The award statuette is manufactured by New York firm Society Awards.

Hosts and History

The first hosts for the first telecast of the AMAs were Helen Reddy, Roger Miller, and Smokey Robinson. Helen Reddy not only hosted the show but also became the first artist to win an AMA for Favorite Pop/Rock Female artist. For the first decade or so, the AMAs had multiple hosts, each representing a genre of music. For instance, Glen Campbell would host the country portion (Campbell, in fact, has co-hosted the AMAs more times than any other host or co-host), while other artists would co-host to represent their genre. In recent years, however, there has been one single host.

In 1991, Keenen Ivory Wayans became the first Hollywood actor to host the AMAs.

From its inception in 1973 through 2002, the AMAs were held in mid- to late-January, but were moved to November (usually the Sunday before Thanksgiving) beginning in 2003 so it would prevent the ceremony to further compete with other major awards shows (such as the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards) and allows for ABC to have a well-rated awards show during November sweeps.

For the 2008 awards, Jimmy Kimmel hosted for the fourth consecutive year. From 2009–2012, there was no host. Instead, the AMAs followed the Grammys' lead in having various celebrities give introductions. However, rapper Pitbull hosted the 2013 ceremony and 2014 ceremony. Jennifer Lopez hosted the 2015 show. Gigi Hadid and Jay Pharoah hosted the 2016 show. Tracee Ellis Ross hosted the show in 2017 and 2018. Ciara hosted the 2019 show.

Between 2012 and 2014, the American Music Awards used the lock screen wallpaper of Samsung Galaxy smartphones rather than envelopes to reveal winners, as part of a sponsorship by Samsung Electronics. A magnetic screen cover on each phone kept the wallpaper image with the winner's name secret until opened.

In August 2018, Dick Clark Productions announced a two-year sponsorship and content partnership with YouTube Music. However, this partnership seemed to have lasted only for the 2018 ceremony, as there was no mention of the YouTube Music partnership in the 2019 show.

In March 2023, it was announced that the Billboard Music Awards, which are also produced by DCP via co-owned Billboard, had been moved from May to November scheduling that was typically occupied by the American Music Awards, leading to speculation that the AMAs would be discontinued in order to focus on the Billboard Music Awards, or at the very least cancelled for 2023 so it could move to May in its place. It was reported that the broadcast rights for both events (which had been held by NBC and ABC respectively) would also be shopped, ultimately the Billboard Music Awards moved to an online only event in November 2023.

In March 2024, it was announced CBS had picked up the rights to air the American Music Awards for an undisclosed amount of time.

Ceremonies

Year Order Date of ceremony Host(s) Venue Network
1974 1 February 19, 1974 Roger Miller, Helen Reddy, Smokey Robinson Earl Carroll Theatre ABC
1975 2 February 18, 1975 Roy Clark, Helen Reddy, Sly Stone Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
1976 3 January 31, 1976 Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, Olivia Newton-John
1977 4 January 31, 1977 Glen Campbell, Helen Reddy, Lou Rawls
1978 5 January 16, 1978 Glen Campbell, Natalie Cole, David Soul
1979 6 January 12, 1979 Glen Campbell, Helen Reddy, Donna Summer
1980 7 January 18, 1980 Elton John, Toni Tennille, Natalie Cole ABC Studios
1981 8 January 30, 1981 Mac Davis, Crystal Gayle, Teddy Pendergrass
1982 9 January 25, 1982 Glen Campbell, Sheena Easton, Donna Summer Shrine Auditorium
1983 10 January 17, 1983 Mac Davis, Aretha Franklin, Melissa Manchester
1984 11 January 16, 1984 Lionel Richie
1985 12 January 28, 1985
1986 13 January 27, 1986 Diana Ross
1987 14 January 26, 1987
1988 15 January 25, 1988 Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Mick Fleetwood, Robin Gibb and Whitney Houston
1989 16 January 30, 1989 Anita Baker, Debbie Gibson, Kenny Rogers and Rod Stewart
1990 17 January 22, 1990 Alice Cooper, Anita Baker, Gloria Estefan, Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd
1991 18 January 28, 1991 Keenen Ivory Wayans
1992 19 January 27, 1992 MC Hammer, Reba McEntire
1993 20 January 25, 1993 Bobby Brown, Gloria Estefan and Wynonna Judd
1994 21 February 7, 1994 Meat Loaf, Reba McEntire and Will Smith
1995 22 January 30, 1995 Queen Latifah, Tom Jones, Lorrie Morgan
1996 23 January 29, 1996 Sinbad
1997 24 January 27, 1997
1998 25 January 26, 1998 Drew Carey
1999 26 January 11, 1999 Brandy & Melissa Joan Hart
2000 27 January 17, 2000 Norm Macdonald
2001 28 January 8, 2001 Britney Spears and LL Cool J
2002 29 January 9, 2002 Jenny McCarthy and Sean Combs
2003 (Jan) 30 January 13, 2003 Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne
2003 (Nov) 31 November 16, 2003 Jimmy Kimmel
2004 32 November 14, 2004
2005 33 November 22, 2005 Cedric the Entertainer
2006 34 November 21, 2006 Jimmy Kimmel
2007 35 November 18, 2007 Peacock Theater
2008 36 November 23, 2008
2009 37 November 22, 2009 No host
2010 38 November 21, 2010
2011 39 November 20, 2011
2012 40 November 18, 2012
2013 41 November 24, 2013 Pitbull
2014 42 November 23, 2014
2015 43 November 22, 2015 Jennifer Lopez
2016 44 November 20, 2016 Gigi Hadid and Jay Pharoah
2017 45 November 19, 2017 Tracee Ellis Ross
2018 46 October 9, 2018
2019 47 November 24, 2019 Ciara
2020 48 November 22, 2020 Taraji P. Henson
2021 49 November 21, 2021 Cardi B
2022 50 November 20, 2022 Wayne Brady
2024 51 October 6, 2024 TBA CBS

Categories

Current award categories

  • Artist of the Year
  • New Artist of the Year
  • Collaboration of the Year
  • Favorite Music Video
  • Favorite Touring Artist
  • Favorite Pop Male Artist
  • Favorite Pop Female Artist
  • Favorite Pop Duo or Group
  • Favorite Pop Album
  • Favorite Pop Song
  • Favorite R&B Male Artist
  • Favorite R&B Female Artist
  • Favorite R&B Album
  • Favorite R&B Song
  • Favorite Country Male Artist
  • Favorite Country Female Artist
  • Favorite Country Duo or Group
  • Favorite Country Album
  • Favorite Country Song
  • Favorite Hip-Hop Artist
  • Favorite Hip-Hop Album
  • Favorite Hip-Hop Song
  • Favorite Latin Artist
  • Favorite Latin Duo or Group
  • Favorite Latin Album
  • Favorite Latin Song
  • Favorite Rock Artist
  • Favorite Rock Song
  • Favorite Rock Album
  • Favorite Inspirational Artist
  • Favorite Gospel Artist
  • Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
  • Favorite Afrobeats Artist
  • Favorite K-Pop Artist
  • Favorite Soundtrack

Discontinued awards

  • Single of the Year (2013–2015)
  • Fan's Choice Award (2003)
  • Favorite Social Artist (2018–2020)
  • Favorite Trending Song (2021)
  • Favorite Pop/Rock Video (1984–1988)
  • Favorite Pop/Rock Male Video Artist (1985–1987)
  • Favorite Pop/Rock Female Video Artist (1985–1987)
  • Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group Video Artist (1985–1987)
  • Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist (1989–Jan 2003)
  • Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group (1974–Nov 2003, 2005–2006, 2009)
  • Favorite Soul/R&B Video (1984–1988)
  • Favorite Soul/R&B Male Video Artist (1985–1987)
  • Favorite Soul/R&B Female Video Artist (1985–1987)
  • Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group Video Artist (1985–1987)
  • Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist (1989–Jan 2003)
  • Favorite Country Video (1984–1988)
  • Favorite Country Male Video Artist (1985–1987)
  • Favorite Country Female Video Artist (1985–1987)
  • Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group Video Artist (1985–1987)
  • Favorite Country New Artist (1989–Jan 2003)
  • Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Band/Duo/Group (2003–2008)
  • Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist (1990–1994)
  • Favorite Disco Male Artist (1979)
  • Favorite Disco Female Artist (1979)
  • Favorite Disco Band/Duo/Group (1979)
  • Favorite Disco Album (1979)
  • Favorite Disco Song (1979)
  • Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist (1989–1997)
  • Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album (1989–1992)
  • Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist (1990–1993)
  • Favorite Dance Artist (1990–1992)
  • Favorite Dance Song (1990–1992)
  • Favorite Dance New Artist (1990–1992)
  • Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist (1992–2020)
  • Favorite Adult Contemporary Album (1992–1994)
  • Favorite Adult Contemporary New Artist (1992–1994)

Most wins

The record for most American Music Awards won is held by Taylor Swift with 40 awards. The record for most American Music Awards won by a male artist belongs to Michael Jackson, who has collected 26 awards. The record for most American Music Awards won by a group belongs to Alabama, who have collected 18 awards.

Rank Artist Number of awards
1 Taylor Swift 40
2 Michael Jackson 26
3 Whitney Houston 22
4 Kenny Rogers 19
5 Alabama 18
Justin Bieber
6 Carrie Underwood 17
Garth Brooks
7 Reba McEntire 14
8 Rihanna 13
9 BTS 12
10 Beyoncé 11
Bruno Mars
Janet Jackson
Stevie Wonder

Most wins in a single ceremony

The record for the most American Music Awards won in a single year is held by Michael Jackson (in 1984) and Whitney Houston (in 1994), each with 8 awards to their credit (including the Award of Merit, with which both artists were honored in the respective years).

Most wins by category

The following list shows the artists with most wins in each category, adapted from the AMAs official website.

Special awards

Award of Merit

The American Music Award of Merit has been awarded to thirty two artists, the latest being Sting (2016).

International Artist Award of Excellence

The International Artist Award of Excellence is described as "an award which recognizes artists whose popularity and impact cross national boundaries and is only given when there is a deserving recipient who is worthy of recognition for their accomplishments" and has been awarded to seven artists:

Icon Award

The AMAs' producer Larry Klein stated: "The first-ever Icon Award was created to honor an artist whose body of work has made a profound influence over pop music on a global level."

Dick Clark Award for Excellence

At the 2014 award ceremony, the Dick Clark Award for Excellence was given for the first time. It was created to recognize "an artist who achieves a groundbreaking feat or creates a landmark work. It is to be bestowed upon someone whose spirit and excellence capture the visionary passion that Dick Clark himself incorporated into everything he did."

Award of Achievement

Lifetime Achievement Award

Artist of the Decade

In 2000, the year Brooks won the award, the AMAs held a poll to elect the Artist of the Decade for each previous decade of the Rock & Roll era. According to some sources, the result of this poll is not counted in the total of AMAs won by these artists. The results were Elvis Presley (1950s), The Beatles (1960s), Stevie Wonder (1970s), and Michael Jackson (1980s).

Artist of the Century

Michael Jackson won the Artist of the Century award in the 29th American Music Awards held on January 9, 2002.

Ratings

Year Day Date Household rating 18–49 rating Viewers
(in millions)
Ref.
Rating Share Rating Share
1974 Tuesday February 19 26.0 38
1975 February 18 21.3 32
1976 Saturday January 31 20.5 39
1977 Monday January 31 24.1 36
1978 January 16 25.9 38
1979 Friday January 12 22.8 35
1980 January 18 17.3 28
1981 January 30 14.4 32
1982 Monday January 25 21.5 32
1983 January 17 24.4 36
1984 January 16 27.4 41
1985 January 28 25.8 37
1986 January 27 20.4 30
1987 January 26 22.2 32
1988 January 25 18.1 35
1989 January 30 21.0 32 33.10
1990 January 22 20.0 30 32.40
1991 January 28 20.4 31 34.40
1992 January 27 18.3 28 29.90
1993 January 25 21.6 33
1994 February 7 16.0 24 24.50
1995 January 30 15.4 23 24.50
1996 January 29 13.8 21 21.60
1997 January 27 13.2 21 19.72
1998 January 26 12.1 19 8.1 20 18.36
1999 January 11 10.3 16 15.60
2000 January 17 10.4 16 7.2 17 16.68
2001 January 8 10.4 16 7.3 17 16.20
2002 Wednesday January 9 9.9 16 7.3 18 16.02
2003 Monday January 13 8.4 12 5.7 13 12.90
2003 Sunday November 16 8.1 12 5.5 13 12.77
2004 November 14 7.9 12 5.7 13 12.90
2005 Tuesday November 22 7.4 11 4.4 11 11.68
2006 November 21 7.0 11 4.7 13 10.85
2007 Sunday November 18 7.4 11 4.8 12 11.81
2008 November 23 7.3 11 5.1 12 12.20
2009 November 22 8.6 14 5.5 14 14.24
2010 November 21 6.7 11 4.3 10 11.72
2011 November 20 6.8 10 4.3 10 12.07
2012 November 18 5.5 8 3.4 8 9.52
2013 November 24 7.6 11 4.5 11 13.14
2014 November 23 6.6 11 3.8 10 11.61
2015 November 22 6.3 10 3.5 10 11.01
2016 November 20 4.7 8 2.4 7 8.18
2017 November 19 5.2 9 2.4 8 9.15
2018 Tuesday October 9 4.1 8 1.8 8 6.59
2019 Sunday November 24 3.9 8 1.7 7 6.68
2020 November 22 2.4 5 1.0 6 4.01
2021 November 21 1.0 7 4.01
2022 November 20 2.0 5 0.6 5 3.53

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Premios American Music para niños

  • Latin American Music Awards
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