Big, bigger, Taylor Swift: At the 50th American Music Awards (AMAs) on Sunday night, the 32-year-old turned all six nominations into trophies, including in the top division for Artist of the Year. With that, Swift increased her own record from 34 to 40 awards – she is also the musician with the most AMA awards in the history of the awards ceremony, ahead of Michael Jackson with 26 awards.
Things didn’t fare quite so well for the night’s most-nominated favorite, Bad Bunny. The Latin star won in just two out of eight possible categories. Meanwhile, there was joy at Maneskin: The Italian ESC winners from 2021 were able to take home the trophy for the best rock song (“Beggin”) after they went away empty-handed last time. The three-hour ceremony was moderated by US entertainer Wayne Brady. In changing colorful suits and in front of a neon backdrop in the style of “Miami Vice”, the comedian led through the evening with all sorts of self-deprecating gags and singing interludes. He himself does not know exactly how he ended up on this stage. In any case, the central message is: Just be yourself. Brady earned a shameful laugh when he alluded to the last Oscars, where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in front of the cameras. “Nobody’s going to gossip here today,” Brady joked.
“I want to remind everyone how important the visibility of queer people is”
In places, however, the mood also became serious. This is how the moderator commemorated the victims of a bloody crime at a nightclub in Colorado Springs that is popular with gays, lesbians and the trans community. A gunman had killed five people and injured 25 others the day before. Some of the award winners also used their moment to express their condolences. Dove Cameron, who won Best Newcomer, dedicated her award to the LGBTQ community. “I want to remind everyone how important it is for queer people to be visible,” the 26-year-old said in her acceptance speech.
Chris Brown’s award for Best R&B Artist caused mixed reactions. Brown has a history of being known for violence against women. “Calm down,” singer Kelly Rowland responded to boos from the crowd as she accepted the award on his behalf. There was a standing ovation for singer Pink, who paid tribute to the “Grease” actress who passed away in August with Olivia Newton-John’s “Hopelessly Devoted to You”. Lionel Richie received the “Icon Award” this year – since the music award was launched in 1973, the 73-year-old has been the only artist to have appeared on the AMA stage in each of the five decades.
Alongside the Grammys, the American Music Awards are among the most important awards in the US music industry. They are awarded in categories such as pop, country, hip-hop, rock and R&B. The nominations are based on the musicians’ album sales figures, and fans can vote for the winners online.