In 1984, Michael Jackson set the record for having the most American Music Award nominations with 11 nods. Well, in 2016 Drake crushed Jackson’s 32-year-old record with a high mark of 13 nods.
The “Hotline Bling” rapper leads the 2016 AMAs this year with nods in categories including Artist of the Year, Favorite Male Artist and Favorite Album. If he wins in any category, it will be Drake’s first AMA ever.
Rihanna was just behind Drake with seven nods, followed by Adele and Justin Bieber who both picked up five.
The competition for the coveted Artist of the Year award is steep this year, with nominees like Drake, Adele, Beyonce, Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Twenty One Pilots, Carrie Underwood and The Weeknd; it’s hard to pick a guaranteed winner.
The AMAs winners are based off of fan votes. From Monday, Nov. 14 to Thursday, Nov. 17, fans will be able to vote on who they believe Artist of the Year should be, and during this time, it will cut the number of nominees from 10 to five. The winner will be determined by the total of votes received throughout the entire voting period.
If Bieber wins Artist of the Year, he will tie with Taylor Swift for the most Artist of the Year wins, which is three. Also, with Bieber’s eight past wins and this year’s five nods, he just needs to win one to become one of the top 10 AMA winners of all time.
Like Artist of the Year, the category New Artist of the Year has some tough competition. The Chainsmokers will face off against DNCE, Alessia Cara, Shawn Mendes and Zayn Malik aka ZAYN.
AMAs nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected in “Billboard” Magazine and on Billboard.com, including album and digital sales, radio airplay, streaming, social activity and touring.
Winners are selected by the fans by voting at amavote.com or by posting a tweet that includes the nominee’s Twitter handle, the category name and #AMAs within the post(s). Voting started on Oct. 10 for all categories except New Artist of the Year Un-leashed by T-Mobile, which will open on Nov. 2. Fans are only allowed to vote once per day, per platform.
The AMAs will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Artist of the Year
- Adele
- Beyonce
- Justin Bieber
- Drake
- Selena Gomez
- Ariana Grande
- Rihanna
- Twenty One Pilots
- Carrie Underwood
- The Weeknd
New artist of the Year Un-leashed by T-Mobile
- Alessia Cara
- The Chainsmokers
- DNCE
- Shawn Mendes
- ZAYN
Collaboration of the Year
- The Chainsmokers featuring Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”
- Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla – “One Dance”
- Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla $ign – “Work From Home”
- Rihanna featuring Drake – “Work”
- Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend – “Like I’m Gonna Lose You”
Tour of the Year
- Beyonce
- Madonna
- Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Video of the Year
- Justin Bieber – “Sorry”
- Desiigner – “Panda”
- Rihanna featuring Drake – “Work”
Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock
- Justin Bieber
- Drake
- The Weeknd
Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock
- Adele
- Selena Gomez
- Rihanna
Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock
- The Chainsmokers
- DNCE
- Twenty One Pilots
Favorite Album – Pop/Rock
- Adele – “25”
- Justin Bieber – “Purpose”
- Drake – “Views”
Favorite Song – Pop/Rock
- Adele – “Hello”
- Justin Bieber – “Love Yourself”
- Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla – “One Dance”
Favorite Male Artist – Country
- Luke Bryan
- Thomas Rhett
- Blake Shelton
Favorite Female Artist – Country
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Cam
- Carrie Underwood
Favorite Duo or Group – Country
- Florida Georgia Line
- Old Dominion
- Zac Brown Band
Favorite Album – Country
- Luke Bryan – “Kill the Lights”
- Chris Stapleton – “Traveller”
- Carrie Underwood – “Storyteller”
Favorite Song – Country
- Florida Georgia Line – “H.O.L.Y.”
- Tim McGraw – “Humble And Kind”
- Thomas Rhett – “Die A Happy Man”
Favorite Artist – Rap
- Drake
- Fetty Wap
- Future
Favorite Album – Rap/Hip-Hop
- Drake – “Views”
- Drake & Future – “What A Time To Be Alive”
- Fetty Wap – “Fetty Wap”
Favorite Song – Rap/Hip-Hop
- Desiigner – “Panda”
- Drake – “Hotline Bling”
- Fetty Wap – “679”
Favorite Male Artist – Soul/R&B
- Chris Brown
- Bryson Tiller
- The Weeknd
Favorite Female Artist – Soul/R&B
- Beyonce
- Janet Jackson
- Rihanna
Favorite Album – Soul/R&B
- Beyonce – “Lemonade”
- Rihanna – “Anti”
- Bryson Tiller – “T R A P S O U L”
Favorite Song – Soul/R&B
- Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla – “One Dance”
- Rihanna featuring Drake – “Work”
- Bryson Tiller – “Don’t”
Favorite Artist – Alternative Rock
- Coldplay
- Twenty One Pilots
- X Ambassadors
Favorite Artist – Adult Contemporary
- Adele
- Rachel Platten
- Meghan Trainor
Favorite Artist – Latin
- J Balvin
- Enrique Iglesias
- Nicky Jam
Favorite Artist – Contemporary Inspirational
- Lauren Daigle
- Hillsong UNITED
- Chris Tomlin
Favorite Artist – Electronic Dance Music (EDM)
- The Chainsmokers
- Calvin Harris
- Major Lazer
Top Soundtrack
- “Purple Rain”
- “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
- “Suicide Squad: The Album”