AMAs

Adeptly hosted by Wayne Brady, the 2022 American Music Awards saw Taylor Swift win all six of her categories, extending her record as the most-awarded artist in the history of the AMAs (what else do you expect from an artist who is too damn popular for Ticketmaster to handle?). Swift now has 40 AMA wins in the show’s 50-year history, putting her ahead of three late icons: Michael Jackson (26 wins), Whitney Houston (22) and Kenny Rogers (19).

Despite the celebratory tone of the evening, the Sunday night (Nov. 20) broadcast from Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater came less than 24 hours after a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., leaving five dead and at least 25 injured. Host Brady, performer/new artist of the year winner Dove Cameron and presenter (not to mention Hot 100 topper) Kim Petras all spoke about the attack on the LGBTQ community, touching on the senseless tragedy and resilience of the queer community. This meant that while musical performances (and awards, naturally) occupied the bulk of the evening, many of the more impactful moments came from artists candidly addressing the tragedy.

Of course, there was still joy to be found, whether through the energetic chemistry of surprise guest Cardi B joining Glo Rilla or Taylor Swift Stanning for her fans during three AMAs acceptance speeches. Plus, the long-running friendship between Smokey Robinson and AMA Icon Award honoree Lionel Richie provided a few laughs, even culminating in an all-star sing-along to an ‘80s smash hit with both Richie and Robinson on stage.

Check out the best moments from the 2022 AMAs below.

Taylor Swift won a night-topping six awards at the 2022 American Music Awards, which brings her career total to an even 40. This extends her already considerable lead as the most-awarded artist in the show’s 50-year history. Swift is followed on the AMA leaderboard by three superstar artists who have died: Michael Jackson (26 wins), Whitney Houston (22) and Kenny Rogers (19).
The 2022 AMAs, hosted by Wayne Brady, were held at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday (Nov. 20).

Swift extended her leads as the artist with the most wins for artist of the year (seven), and favorite pop/rock female artist (also seven).

In addition, Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) won favorite pop album. It’s her record-extending fifth win in the category. And “All Too Well” won favorite music video. It’s Swift’s third win in the category, which is also a record. She also won in two country categories.

Beyoncé, who was not present at the show, won three awards, making her the night’s runner-up for most wins. She won favorite soul/R&B female artist for the seventh time, which puts her in a tie with Rihanna for the most wins in the history of the category.

Two-time winners were Bad Bunny, BTS, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles and Morgan Wallen. These artists, likewise, did not appear on the show.

BTS won favorite pop duo or group for the fourth time, which makes them the most awarded group in the category, which has been presented every year since the show began. BTS were previously tied with Daryl Hall & John Oates, Aerosmith, Black Eyed Peas and One Direction with three wins each. BTS also won in the new favorite K-pop artist category.

Styles won favorite male pop artist for the first time. One Direction were three-time winners for favorite pop/rock group. The genial Brit is the third artist to win in both categories. Justin Timberlake has won the male pop award twice and the pop group award once with *NSYNC. Phil Collins has won the male pop award once and the pop group award once with Genesis.

Marshmello won favorite dance/electronic artist for the fourth time, extending his record as the most awarded artist in the category.

Nicki Minaj won favorite female hip-hop artist. It’s her fifth win a rap/hip hop artist category – which is more than any other artist. (The name of the category and whether it was gendered or not has changed over the years). Eminem is in second place, with four wins.

Dove Cameron, who was surprisingly passed over for a Grammy nomination for best new artist last week, won the AMA award for new artist of the year. She’s the first AMA new artist of the year winner who wasn’t even nominated for the Grammy for best new artist since 5 Seconds of Summer eight years ago. (That’s discounting three solo stars who emerged from successful groups – Zayn, Niall Horan and Camila Cabello, because they wouldn’t have been eligible for a Grammy nod.)

Dan + Shay took favorite country duo or group for the fourth year in a row. That’s the longest consecutive win streak in that category since Lady A won four straight from 2010-13. But it’s far from the record. Alabama won 14 years in a row from 1983 to 1996.

Elvis beat Encanto for favorite soundtrack, which likely reflects the fact that Elvis was more current at the time of voting. But a track from Encanto, Sebastián Yatra’s “Dos Orguiitas,” won favorite Latin song. Yatra performed the Oscar-nominated song on the Academy Awards in March.

Coldplay won favorite touring artist. It’s the band’s second win in that category, which was introduced in 2016. No other act has won more than once. The category was on hiatus the last two years when touring was hindered by the pandemic.

Elton John & Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart – PNAU Remix” won collaboration of the year. Elton was nominated for favorite pop/rock male artist at the very first AMAs on Feb. 19, 1974. He lost to Jim Croce, whose tragic death in a plane crash the previous September triggered a huge sales boom.

Smokey Robinson, who co-hosted that first AMAs show with the late Roger Miller and Helen Reddy, presented the Icon Award to Lionel Richie.

The 2022 American Music Awards took over the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Sunday night (Nov. 20), where some of the year’s biggest stars took the stage to deliver fan-favorite hits and brand-new tracks.

From P!nk, Carrie Underwood and Anitta to Imagine Dragons, JID, Stevie Wonder, Dove Cameron and Yola, this year’s AMAs had something for every type of music fan, plus a number of buzzworthy surprise appearances and onstage collaborations.

Additionally, this year’s show unveiled a new award, song of soul, which spotlights an emerging, mission-driven artist who has inspired change and aims for social justice through their music. The first recipient is Yola’s “Break the Bough.” Yola performed the song at the ceremony, marking her first AMAs performance. Bebe Rexha was also among the stars to step on the AMAs stage for the first time this year, delivering her Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit with David Guetta “I’m Good (Blue).”

The ceremony also featured an emotional tribute to the late Olivia Newton-John, who died in August at age 73. After opening the show with her new single, P!nk took the stage to perform John’s 1978 Grease classic “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”

After Lionel Richie was honored with the Icon Award, Stevie Wonder and Charlie Puth teamed up to honor his career with a mash-up of his hits including “Three Times a Lady,” “Easy,” “All Night Long (All Night)” and more.

Read on below to see how we at Billboard ranked the 11 performances of the night, counting down to our favorite performance of the 2022 American Music Awards.

Just after Lionel Richie took home the Icon Award at the 2022 American Music Awards on Sunday (Nov. 20), Stevie Wonder and Charlie Puth took to the Microsoft Theater stage to pay a lengthy tribute to the superstar.

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Appearing on the stage at a set of dueling pianos, the pair engaged in what Puth referred to onstage as a “musical tennis match of Lionel Richie copyrights” — essentially, ping-ponging off each other, performing hits from Richie’s vast catalog.

Wonder started off by throwing it all the way back to Commodores with his rendition of “Three Times A Lady” — though even after some adorable crowd participation, he relented, saying, “It still don’t sound as good as Lionel.” Puth countered with a song in Richie’s “best key” of A-flat major (“I know that’s the most ‘me’ thing to say ever,” Puth quipped), which turned out to be “Easy” also by the Commodores.

The two went back and forth for a while, before eventually landing on one of the biggest hits from Richie’s pen, “We Are The World” with Michael Jackson. Much like that original celebrity-packed jam, the stage filled with stars, including Ari Lennox, Muni Long, Melissa Etheridge, Jimmie Allen, Yola, Smokey Robinson and more. As everyone belted the lyrics out, Richie couldn’t help but rush up onto the stage to perform with the group.

In a message to “young superstars” during his acceptance speech for the Icon Award, Richie said, “When you hear the word ‘hip,’ it means today. When you hear the word ‘inspiring,’ it means forever. If you get a chance to have that light on you, understand what God has in store.”

Lionel Richie received the Icon Award at the 2022 American Music Awards Sunday evening (Nov. 20), but he spent his time under the spotlight teaching the “young superstars” what it means to be in their position.

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Smokey Robinson presented the honor to “my brother, my friend,” joking about how often the two get confused for one another. “People have come to me many times and say, ‘Ooh, ooh, I love your music! I got everything you ever made. Would you sign this for me, Lionel?’” he recalled while being met with roaring applause. “So when they say that to me, I sign, ‘Much love, Lionel Richie.’ And he has done the same. People come to him and say, ‘Oh Smokey, I really love you!’ So he signs, ‘Much love, Smokey Robinson.’”

Richie’s 1983 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “All Night Long (All Night)” kicked off the tribute video, which featured Robinson, Ne-Yo, Katy Perry and Shania Twain showering him with praise and celebrating his legacy. “Clearly, a higher power chose Lionel Richie as a vessel,” Ne-Yo said in the clip, with his fellow American Idol judge chiming in by saying, “It’s almost like his hands are his magic wands and he’s like, ‘OK.’”

The 17-time AMA winner eventually appeared on the stage and thanked “Lionel” for presenting him with the Icon Award, while extending his gratitude to his children, the “mothers of my kids for keeping my kids together,” his manager Bruce Eskowitz and girlfriend Lisa Parigi “who is actually more of the adult in the room because she has to deal with me.” The 72-year-old superstar spent the remainder of his time on stage talking to the “young superstars.”

“God has given you a light. That light is special. That light is only given to a few. When you hear the word ‘hip,’ it means today. When you hear the word ‘inspiring,’ it means forever. If you get a chance to have that light on you, understand what God has in store,” Richie explained. “He’s not trying to tell you that your car looks great, your clothes look great. He’s trying to tell — He, She, Mother, God — is trying to tell you that you are chosen to inspire. Take this opportunity. That light is on you. Inspire. God bless you all. Thank you very much.”

Forget backup dancers and bombastic stage elements — Lil Baby appeared at the 2022 AMAs on Sunday (Nov. 20) and proved that his star power is all he needs to light up a stage and keep viewers engaged.

The rapper went the introspective route to spit not one but two tracks from his recently released album It’s Only Me: “In a Minute” and “California Breeze.” The performance kicked off with the former and saw Baby with sparse accompaniment on stage — just four musicians on drums, keys and guitar — plus introspective blue lights and smoke to evoke the moodier, stripped back vibe. When “Breeze” rolled in, the blue light was swapped for red light, and Baby lied on his back and reflected on all the hard work he still wants to put in: “Get my s–t together, feel like I done took two years off/ Bookin’ up my schedule, I ain’t rich enough to chill out.”

Both “In a Minute” and “California Breeze” hail from Baby’s 2022 album, It’s Only Me. Released in October, the LP spent four weeks on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart and peaked at No. 1. “In a Minute” was released as the first single from the project in April, at spent a total of 26 weeks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at No. 5; “California Breeze,” meanwhile, is in its fourth week on the chart and peaked at No. 2.

Lil Baby was nominated for one award at this year’s AMAs — the rapper earned a nod in the favorite male hip-hop artist category and was up against Drake, Future, Lil Durk and Kendrick Lamar. The award, which was not cast during the broadcast ceremony, was awarded to Lamar.