American Music Awards
The upcoming 2025 American Music Awards show is partnering with Easy Day Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to assisting veterans in their transition back to civilian life, the foundation and Dick Clark Productions announced Monday morning (May 5).
According to the announcement, viewers will see “several special in-show moments that celebrate veterans while raising funds for a variety of national and local organizations” during the telecast of the AMAs on May 26. The fan-voted awards show, for which Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s nominations, airs on CBS and streams on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT; Jennifer Lopez is hosting.
Easy Day’s collaboration with the American Music Awards is a well-timed effort, as May 26 is Memorial Day and May is Military Appreciation Month. There will be two performances to help honor those who’ve served, plus a presentation of a special award “honoring a marquee talent who uses their platform to make meaningful contributions to the Veteran community,” the team reveals. Stories from active-duty service members and veterans are expected to be heard during the event, which will have seating in the audience reserved for veterans to attend this year’s awards show.
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“PMC and Dick Clark Productions are deeply honored to spotlight our nation’s heroes through this meaningful partnership with Easy Day Foundation and the most preeminent organizations supporting our nation’s heroes,” says Gerry Byrne, vice chairman of Penske Media Corporation and a Marine Corps Vietnam combat veteran. “The transition from service to civilian life isn’t easy and these special moments during the AMAs shine a much-needed light on the real challenges Veterans face and the critical support systems required to help them navigate life after service.”
Money raised from in-show fundraising moments will benefit a number of veteran service organizations: Bob Woodruff Foundation, Boot Campaign, Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Fisher House, the Folded Flag Foundation, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Team Rubicon and UNLV’s Military and Veteran Services Center. Additionally, a portion of ticket sales is being allocated to the Easy Day Foundation and its partners.
The Easy Day Foundation, co-founded by Frank Fertitta IV and Landon Gyulay and based in Las Vegas — the city where the AMAs take place this year — assists veterans with critical needs, such as mental health care, job training and placement, and family support services in their return to civilian life.
“Our goal at this year’s American Music Awards is to not only honor the memory of our fallen heroes but to spotlight the ongoing needs of millions of veterans as they reintegrate into civilian life,” Fertitta says. “We’re proud to be part of an iconic award show like the American Music Awards that has the power to raise awareness, inspire compassion and drive real change.”
Gyulay adds, “Partnering with the AMAs gives us a powerful platform to elevate the stories of our veterans and amplify the mission of Easy Day. These brave men and women have given their all for our freedom and our AMAs partnership allows us to turn national attention into national action on their behalf.”
The American Music Awards engages music fans to vote in its awards categories. Nominees (see the full list here) are based on key fan interactions — as reflected on the Billboard charts — including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay and tour grosses. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and Luminate, and cover the data tracking eligibility period of March 22, 2024 through March 20, 2025. Fan voting for the 2025 AMAs is now open via VoteAMAs.com and the @AMAs Instagram profile.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s American Music Awards nominations with a total of 10, including artist of the year, album of the year (GNX) and song of the year (“Not Like Us”). Impressively, he has three of the five nominees for favorite hip-hop song: “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin, “Not Like Us,” and “Luther” with SZA).
Lamar, who already has three AMA wins to his name, could tie Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston for the most awards in a single year should he win in all eight categories.
Post Malone is runner-up with eight nominations, including artist of the year, album of the year (F-1 Trillion) and song of the year for “I Had Some Help,” his smash collab with Morgan Wallen. Posty, who has previously taken home awards in the rap/hip-hop and pop/rock categories, could take home an award in a third distinct genre. He has three nominations in country categories. He also has two nominations for collaboration of the year: “I Had Some Help” and “Fortnight” with Taylor Swift.
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Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey are next in line with seven nods. Six artists tied with six nominations each: Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, SZA and Swift. Swift, the top winner in AMAs history with 40 wins, could extend her lead should she win in any of her six categories.
Women artists did well in the nominations: Seven of the nominees for album of the year are women, as are six of the nominees for artist of the year.
Roan is the only artist to be nominated in all three of this year’s new categories: album of the year, song of the year, and social song of the year.
Of the 49 artists to receive two or more nominations, just three were groups or duos, a sign of how dominant solo personalities are in this era. Fuerza Regida was the top group or duo, with three nominations, followed by Linkin Park and Twenty One Pilots with two each.
Two of the five nominees for favorite country album are by Black artists, a sign of increased diversity in that genre. Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going are both vying for the prize. The artists are also nominated for favorite female country artist and favorite male country artist, respectively.
Ariana Grande is nominated for both artist of the year and favorite soundtrack, for her work alongside Cynthia Erivo on the Wicked soundtrack.
The 51st AMAs, with host Jennifer Lopez, is set to air live from Las Vegas on Monday, May 26. The show will air live coast-to-coast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS, and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. This marks Lopez’s second time hosting the ceremony, a role she first took on in 2015. Lopez, who has performed on 10 previous AMA telecasts, will also perform on this one.
This will be the first regular American Music Awards broadcast in two and a half years, since the show in November 2022 that was hosted by comedian Wayne Brady. This will also be the first regular AMAs broadcast on CBS. The AMAs aired on ABC from 1974 to 2022.
This show will be the first in two other ways. It’s the first AMAs show to be broadcast in Las Vegas. All the others were held in the Los Angeles area. And it’s the first show since it moved to Memorial Day. The show aired in January or February each year from 1974 through 2003, and then in October or November each year from 2003 to 2022. The plan is for the show to air each Memorial Day, paying tribute to U.S. troops and veterans in addition to honoring the year’s hottest music stars.
Three of the 10 artists nominated for artist of the year are first-time AMAs nominees: Roan, Carpenter and Zach Bryan. (Bryan is a first-time nominee because the show was on hiatus in the period in which he broke through.)
Several of the artists who already hold the lead for most wins in their categories could extend their leads this year. Swift is already out front in three categories in which she is nominated again this year – artist of the year (seven wins), favorite female pop artist (seven wins), favorite pop album (five wins).
Other artists who could extend their leads in their categories are Eminem for favorite male hip-hop artist (three wins), Bad Bunny for favorite Latin album (three wins), Linkin Park for favorite rock artist (six wins), and Marshmello for favorite dance/electronic artist (four wins).
Shakira, who won five times in the gender-neutral Latin artist category, is nominated for favorite female artist, where she is competing with two-time category champ Becky G.
Nominees are based on key fan interactions – as reflected on the Billboard charts – including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay and tour grosses. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and Luminate, and cover the data tracking eligibility period of March 22, 2024 through March 20, 2025.
Legendary producer Dick Clark created the show, which is known as the world’s largest fan-voted award show. The 2025 American Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions and will broadcast globally across linear and digital platforms.
Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.
American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special, which aired on CBS in October 2024- was one of the most-watched entertainment specials of the year. As the most-streamed AMAs in the show’s history, the special surpassed 13M in reach and averaged over 6.1M viewers, an increase of +53% from the last show in 2022 on ABC.
Fan voting is now open via VoteAMAs.com and the @AMAs Instagram profile in all awards categories. Voting closes Thursday, May 15, at 11:59 p.m. PT, with the exception of collaboration of the year and social song of the year, which will remain open through the first 30 minutes of the AMAs broadcast (on the VoteAMAs.com site only; Instagram voting in all categories ends May 15).
Here’s a complete list of 2025 American Music Awards nominees. They are listed in alphabetical order by first name.
Artist of the Year
Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Chappell Roan
Kendrick Lamar
Morgan Wallen
Post Malone
Sabrina Carpenter
SZA
Taylor Swift
Zach Bryan
New Artist of the Year
Benson Boone
Chappell Roan
Gracie Abrams
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims
Tommy Richman
Album of the Year (new category)
Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter
Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft
Chappell Roan, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Charli xcx, Brat
Gracie Abrams, The Secret of Us
Future & Metro Boomin, We Don’t Trust You
Kendrick Lamar, GNX
Post Malone, F-1 Trillion
Sabrina Carpenter, Short n’ Sweet
Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department
Song of the Year (new category)
Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things”
Billie Eilish, “Birds of a Feather”
Chappell Roan, “Good Luck, Babe!”
Hozier, “Too Sweet”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile”
Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso”
Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Teddy Swims, “Lose Control”
Collaboration of the Year
Kendrick Lamar & SZA, “Luther”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile”
Marshmello & Kane Brown, “Miles on It”
Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, “Fortnight”
Social Song of the Year (new category)
Chappell Roan, “HOT TO GO!”
Djo, “End of Beginning”
Doechii, “Anxiety”
Lola Young, “Messy”
Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Tommy Richman, “Million Dollar Baby”
Favorite Touring Artist
Billie Eilish
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Taylor Swift
Zach Bryan
Favorite Music Video
Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things”
KAROL G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”
Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Favorite Male Pop Artist
Benson Boone
Bruno Mars
Hozier
Teddy Swims
The Weeknd
Favorite Female Pop Artist
Billie Eilish
Chappell Roan
Lady Gaga
Sabrina Carpenter
Taylor Swift
Favorite Pop Album
Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft
Chappell Roan, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Charli xcx, Brat
Sabrina Carpenter, Short n’ Sweet
Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department
Favorite Pop Song
Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things”
Billie Eilish, “Birds of a Feather”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso”
Teddy Swims, “Lose Control”
Favorite Male Country Artist
Jelly Roll
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Post Malone
Shaboozey
Favorite Female Country Artist
Beyoncé
Ella Langley
Kacey Musgraves
Lainey Wilson
Megan Moroney
Favorite Country Duo or Group
Dan + Shay
Old Dominion
Parmalee
The Red Clay Strays
Zac Brown Band
Favorite Country Album
Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter
Jelly Roll, Beautifully Broken
Megan Moroney, Am I Okay?
Post Malone, F-1 Trillion
Shaboozey, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going
Favorite Country Song
Jelly Roll, “I Am Not Okay”
Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph, “High Road”
Luke Combs, “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma”
Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help”
Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist
Drake
Eminem
Future
Kendrick Lamar
Tyler, The Creator
Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist
Doechii
GloRilla
Latto
Megan Thee Stallion
Sexyy Red
Favorite Hip-Hop Album
Eminem, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)
Future & Metro Boomin, We Don’t Trust You
Gunna, one of wun
Kendrick Lamar, GNX
Tyler, The Creator, Chromakopia
Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar, “Like That”
GloRilla, “TGIF”
GloRilla & Sexyy Red, “Whatchu Kno About Me”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Kendrick Lamar & SZA, “Luther”
Favorite Male R&B Artist
Bryson Tiller
Chris Brown
PARTYNEXTDOOR
The Weeknd
Usher
Favorite Female R&B Artist
Kehlani
Muni Long
Summer Walker
SZA
Tyla
Favorite R&B Album
Bryson Tiller, Bryson Tiller
PARTYNEXTDOOR, PARTYNEXTDOOR 4 (P4)
PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U
SZA, SOS Deluxe: LANA
The Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow
Favorite R&B Song
Chris Brown, “Residuals”
Muni Long, “Made for Me”
SZA, “Saturn”
The Weeknd & Playboi Carti, “Timeless”
Tommy Richman, “Million Dollar Baby”
Favorite Male Latin Artist
Bad Bunny
Feid
Peso Pluma
Rauw Alejandro
Tito Double P
Favorite Female Latin Artist
Becky G
KAROL G
Natti Natasha
Shakira
Young Miko
Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Calibre 50
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Firme
Grupo Frontera
Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda
Favorite Latin Album
Bad Bunny, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
Fuerza Regida, Dolido Pero No Arrepentido
Peso Pluma, ÉXODO
Rauw Alejandro, Cosa Nuestra
Tito Double P, INCÓMODO
Favorite Latin Song
Bad Bunny, “DtMF”
FloyyMenor X Cris Mj, “Gata Only”
KAROL G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
Oscar Maydon & Fuerza Regida, “Tu Boda”
Shakira, “Soltera”
Favorite Rock Artist
Hozier
Linkin Park
Pearl Jam
Twenty One Pilots
Zach Bryan
Favorite Rock Album
Hozier, Unreal Unearth: Unending
Koe Wetzel, 9 lives
The Marías, Submarine
Twenty One Pilots, Clancy
Zach Bryan, The Great American Bar Scene
Favorite Rock Song
Green Day, “Dilemma”
Hozier, “Too Sweet”
Linkin Park, “The Emptiness Machine”
Myles Smith, “Stargazing”
Zach Bryan, “Pink Skies”
Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Charli xcx
David Guetta
John Summit
Lady Gaga
Marshmello
Favorite Soundtrack
Arcane League of Legends: Season 2
Hazbin Hotel (Original Soundtrack)
Moana 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) • Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson and Cast
Twisters: The Album
Wicked: The Soundtrack • Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Cast
Favorite Afrobeats Artist
Asake
Rema
Tems
Tyla
Wizkid
Favorite K-Pop Artist
ATEEZ
Jimin
RM
ROSÉ
Stray Kids
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
The American Music Awards are fan-voted, and now that the 2025 nominations have been announced — with Kendrick Lamar leading the way thanks to a whopping 10 nods — here’s how to cast your ballot for your favorite stars. There are a few different ways to vote: First, you can cast your vote online at […]
Jennifer Lopez is set to return to the American Music Awards as both host and performer for this year’s show, which is set to air live from Las Vegas on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, on CBS, and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S. This marks Lopez’s second time hosting the ceremony, a role she first took on in 2015 when she opened the show with “Waiting for Tonight,” which led into a dancing medley of 14 of the year’s biggest hits.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jennifer Lopez back to host the American Music Awards,” Jay Penske, CEO, Dick Clark Productions, said in a statement. “Jennifer’s incredible talent and incomparable stage presence make her the ideal host of the show. We know she will bring her one-of-a-kind energy to the official kick off celebration of summer.”
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Lopez teased her return to hosting on last fall’s top-rated American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special on CBS, one of the most watched entertainment specials of the year. Lopez has performed on the AMAs more than 10 times.
Lopez has won three American Music Awards: favorite pop/rock female artist in 2003 and favorite Latin artist in both 2007 and 2011. In February 2001, Lopez famously became the only female artist to have the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 (J.Lo) and No. 1 film at the box office (The Wedding Planner) simultaneously.
This will be the first regular American Music Awards broadcast in 2 and a half years, since the show in November 2022 that was hosted by comedian Wayne Brady. This will also be the first regular AMAs broadcast on CBS. The AMAs aired on ABC from 1974 to 2022.
This is also the first show since it moved to Memorial Day. The plan is for the show to air each Memorial Day, paying tribute to U.S. troops and veterans in addition to honoring the year’s hottest music stars. The show aired in January or February each year from 1974 through 2003, and then in October or November each year from 2003 to 2022.
Legendary producer Dick Clark created the show, which is known as the world’s largest fan-voted award show.
The 2025 AMAs will broadcast globally across linear and digital platforms. More details will be announced soon.
Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
The 2025 American Music Awards (AMAs) is set to air live from Las Vegas on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. The special will air live coast-to-coast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
It will be the first yearly AMAs show since the one that aired on ABC on Nov. 20, 2022, with Wayne Brady hosting.
The 2025 AMAs will broadcast globally across linear and digital platforms and will honor the most popular songs and artists of the year while paying tribute to our country’s troops. CBS’ intention is for the AMAs to air on Memorial Day going forward.
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The AMAs franchise moved to CBS on Oct. 6, 2024, with a star-studded retrospective special, American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special. As the most-streamed AMAs in the show’s history, the special surpassed 13 million in reach and averaged over 6.1 million viewers, an increase of +53% from the last show in 2022 on ABC, the largest year-over-year growth of a music special or award show.
The anniversary show featured an all-star lineup that included Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Green Day, Brad Paisley, Chaka Khan, Sheila E., Gladys Knight, Kane Brown, Nelly, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, RAYE, Stray Kids, AJ McLean, Jimmy Kimmel, Kate Hudson, Lance Bass, Reba McEntire, Samuel L. Jackson, and Smokey Robinson.
The American Music Awards bills itself as the world’s largest fan-voted award show. Nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected on the Billboard charts – including streaming, album sales, song sales and radio airplay.
Legendary producer Dick Clark created the AMAs in 1973 as a fan-based alternative to the Grammys. The first two Grammy live telecasts in March 1971 and March 1972 aired on ABC. When the Grammys shifted to CBS for the March 1973 telecast, ABC looked for a show to fill that void and went with Clark’s fan-based show.
The show on Memorial Day will be the 51st yearly AMAs broadcast. (There were two shows in 2003 and none at all in 2023 or 2024.)
That first show in 1974 ran just 90 minutes. The show in the first five years had a tight focus on three broad genres – pop/rock, soul/R&B and country. It now recognizes far more genres, including hip-hop, Latin, inspirational, gospel, Afrobeats and K-pop.
Clark, a master showman, was a legend in both music and television. He received a trustees award from the Recording Academy in 1990 and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1992. He died in 2012 at age 82.
The 2025 American Music Awards will air concurrently on both coasts. The AMAs previously aired on the West Coast on tape delay. This welcome change was introduced on the anniversary show last October.
Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.
The American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special, which aired on Oct. 6 on CBS, achieved a major milestone, reaching over 12.9 million viewers.
The star-studded special, celebrating five decades of iconic performances and fan-favorite artists, ranked as CBS’s top entertainment program for the month of October, outperforming major sports events such as the MLB Playoffs and NASCAR.
Averaging 6 million viewers, the AMAs became the second most-watched entertainment program of the day, trailing only the NFL. Social engagement added another layer of success, with over 65 million views across social platforms, making it the most-streamed AMAs in the show’s history.
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It also saw a +54% year-over-year growth from the previous show in 2022, and marked the largest year-over-year growth for any music special or award show in 2024.
The broadcast was packed with performances from legendary names including Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Green Day, and Gladys Knight.
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The show opened with a clip package from the first show, including Stevie Wonder playing “Superstition” and Gladys Knight & the Pips performing “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Both songs were No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973 and remain top-tier classics. The show then cut to Knight performing the song live, with three female backup singers taking the place of Gladys’ beloved Pips.
Emerging talent also shared the stage, including Stray Kids and RAYE, adding a contemporary edge to a night that honored five decades of music.
One of the standout performances came from EGOT recipient Jennifer Hudson, who honored 22-time AMA winner Whitney Houston by recreating a medley Houston performed on the 1994 AMAs, a pairing of “I Loves You, Porgy” from Porgy & Bess and her own smash “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard.
With its fan-voted format, the AMAs have long been a reflection of popular tastes, and the 50th Anniversary Special made it clear why the awards have remained relevant for half a century.
The American Music Awards will return in 2025, live from Las Vegas over Memorial Day Weekend, with an ambitious tribute to America’s veterans and a celebration of the year’s most popular artists.
Music has gone through a lot of changes since the American Music Awards debuted on Feb. 19, 1974, as a fan-driven alternative to the Grammy Awards. American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special, a two-hour special that aired on Sunday, Oct. 6, captured many of those changes in smartly curated segments and fresh performances.
Fifty years is a long time, of course. Two of the three co-hosts of that first show (Roger Miller and Helen Reddy) are no longer with us, nor is the show’s creator, legendary TV producer Dick Clark. The show recently switched networks, from ABC to CBS, which aired this anniversary show and will air the next regular AMA broadcast in May.
The original plan was for the AMAs to debut on CBS with a regular best-of-the-past-year broadcast. Someone had the bright idea to first remind the audience of the AMAs’ considerable history before relaunching the show (which has been on hiatus since 2022.)
Motown legend Smokey Robinson, who was the third co-host of that first show, introduced a segment on this anniversary show. He was one of six former AMAs hosts or co-hosts to appear, along with Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Reba McEntire, Jimmy Kimmel and Cedric the Entertainer.
The AMAs has had a far longer life than most expected – and that includes Clark himself. In December 1973, Clark was working on the first AMAs. He knew a little publicity couldn’t hurt, so he found time for an interview with Billboard’s Bob Kirsch which ran on page one of the Dec. 15, 1973 issue under the headline “ABC-TV Slates Favorite Acts’ Awards Feb. 19.”
At the end of the piece, Clark attempted to take the long view of his fledgling show and said “If this is done properly, we may have a show that will last 20 years and will finally get the general public involved in popular music awards.”
Clark underestimated the longevity of his own creation. Next year’s AMAs will be the 51st.
American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special was produced by Dick Clark Productions. Michael Dempsey served as executive producer.
Here are eight moments from the AMAs special in which they most effectively told the big-picture story of the vast changes in popular music in the last 50 years.
American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special is produced by Dick Clark Productions. DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.
Gladys Knight Performs a Classic
Mariah Carey is many things – but casual isn’t one of them. So naturally, when she performed Sunday (Oct. 6) evening at the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special, she had to make an entrance. The middle portion of a giant hot pink ‘M’ on the AMAs stage opened up to reveal the diva herself, […]
On Sunday (Oct. 6) night, the American Music Awards celebrated a half century with the two-hour American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special on CBS. The evening featured various walks down memory lane as well as new performances from today’s biggest artists, each one representing a different musical genre. For the boy band tribute, Stray Kids […]
Brad Paisley, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Green Day, Jennifer Hudson, Kane Brown, Mariah Carey, RAYE and Stray Kids are set to perform on the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special. The two-hour broadcast airs Sunday, Oct. 6, concurrently on both coasts from 8-10 p.m. ET/5-7 p.m. PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
The special will also feature appearances by 17-time AMA winner Carrie Underwood and past AMA hosts and performers Gloria Estefan and Jennifer Lopez. Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted the AMAs five times between 2003 and 2008, will also make a special appearance. Additional performers and guest appearances will be announced.
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The AMAs revealed details about what the performers will be doing on the show:
10-time AMA winner Mariah Carey will perform a medley of hits off her multiplatinum 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi. The performance will kick off the album’s 20th anniversary celebration.
K-pop stars Stray Kids will deliver a special performance honoring the legacy of boy bands at the AMAs.
EGOT recipient Jennifer Hudson will honor 22-time AMA winner Whitney Houston, one of the top AMA winners of all time, with a performance tribute. Hudson also paid tribute to Houston on the Grammy telecast in 2012 by performing “I Will Always Love You” – just one day after Houston’s shocking death at age 48.
Two-time AMA winner Brad Paisley will honor the late Charley Pride, who won two awards on the first AMA show in February 1974 – favorite country male artist and favorite country album for A Sunshiny Day With Charley Pride. Paisley will also perform his new single.
Gladys Knight, a seven-time AMA winner who performed with the Pips on the first show in 1974, will return to the AMAs stage for an encore performance of the group’s landmark 1973 hit “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
Chaka Khan will celebrate 50 years of achievements by female artists on the AMAs with a performance of her 1978 hit “I’m Every Woman.”
Singer-songwriter RAYE will perform the 1966 James Brown classic “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” following a retrospective on the American Music Award of Merit, which has been presented to such legends as Brown, Bing Crosby, Billy Joel, Prince and Whitney Houston.
Three-time AMA winners Green Day will perform their recent hit, “Dilemma,” which is featured on their album Saviors, which in February debuted and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
Five-time AMA winner Kane Brown will celebrate the legacy of country music at the AMAs with a performance of classic and current hits.
CBS and Dick Clark Productions (DCP) announced on April 26 that the 2024 AMAs would run in the Oct. 6 timeslot. It was to have been the show’s debut on CBS after nearly 50 years on ABC. Instead, the AMAs franchise will debut on CBS with this anniversary special.
The regular, yearly AMAs show has been bumped to May 2025. It will be the first yearly AMAs show since the one that aired on Nov. 20, 2022, with Wayne Brady hosting.
American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special will feature new performances, artist interviews, special guests, and never-before-seen footage from DCP’s extensive archives. The program will feature themed highlights from AMAs’ show archives, each culminating with an original performance or artist interview. Segments will look back on the evolution of specific artists and genres at the AMAs, as well as award and performance milestones.
American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special is produced by Dick Clark Productions. Michael Dempsey is executive producer.
ABC aired a 20th anniversary AMAs special in 1993. Kenny Rogers hosted the two-hour program.
The American Music Awards is the world’s largest fan-voted awards show. Nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected on the Billboard charts – including streaming, album sales, song sales and radio airplay.
The AMAs were created by legendary producer Dick Clark in 1973 as a fan-based alternative to the Grammys.
In December 1973, Clark was working on the first AMAs, which would launch on Feb. 19, 1974. The veteran producer knew a little publicity couldn’t hurt, so he found time for an interview with Billboard’s Bob Kirsch that ran on page one of the Dec. 15, 1973, issue under the headline “ABC-TV Slates Favorite Acts’ Awards Feb. 19.”
At the end of the piece, Clark attempted to take the long view of his fledgling show and said “If this is done properly, we may have a show that will last 20 years and will finally get the general public involved in popular music awards.”
Clark underestimated the longevity of his own creation. Next year’s AMAs will be the 51st. (There were two shows in 2003 and none at all in 2023 or 2024.)
That first show in 1974 ran just 90 minutes. It has been allotted three hours for many years, though the length of the 2025 show has not been announced. The show in the first five years had a tight focus on three broad genres – pop/rock, soul/R&B and country. It now recognizes far more genres, including hip-hop, Latin, inspirational, gospel, Afrobeats and K-pop.
But, for the most part, the vision that Clark outlined to Kirsch in 1973 still guides the show.
“This is probably the first time a major effort has been made to sample the U.S. public music taste through popular vote. … To date, we have received extremely favorable response from those in the music industry we have talked to about the show. They seem delighted at the opportunity to be honored by the music-buying public.”
DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.