Awards

Reneé Rapp lit up the 2025 American Music Awards on Monday night (May 26) with the live debut of her brand new single, “Leave Me Alone.”

Introduced by pal Jake Shane, the Mean Girls star kicked off the performance in front of a crowded, makeshift bathroom mirror with three of her dancers before kicking down the set to reveal the stage at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

“Got my hair tied up, phone on don’t disturb/ Leave me alone, babe, I wanna have fun/ I wear my jeans so low, show my my little back dimple/ Leave me alone, babe, I wanna have fun/ Even line my lips just to match my nipples/ Leave me alone, babe, I wanna have fun,” Rapp swaggered on an edited version of the track’s opening verse.

Later, she climbed the steps of the set to join her backing band — all of whom wore white T-shirts emblazoned with the bold statement “I WOULD DIE FOR RENEÉ RAPP” in all caps.

“Leave Me Alone” serves as the lead single for Rapp’s upcoming sophomore studio set, Bite Me, which is slated for release on Aug. 1 viva Interscope Records. (The song’s lyrics also happen to cheekily reference the wait between 2023’s Snow Angel and the star’s forthcoming follow-up, with her rapping, “Manager called me, said, ‘Where’s that single?’/ Leave me alone, babe, I wanna have fun/ ‘Oh you’re breaking up, babe, I don’t got no signal!’”)

Ahead of the album’s summertime release, Rapp will join the likes of Mariah Carey, Lola Young, KSI, Busted vs. McFly, Zara Larsson, Dasha, Jessie J and fellow AMAs performer Benson Boone on the lineup of Capital’s Summertime Ball with Barclaycard 2025 at London’s Wembley Stadium on June 15.

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.

After a banner breakthrough 12 months, Gracie Abrams has won new artist of the year at the 2025 American Music Awards — and she’s giving the glory right back to the people who got her there in the first place.

After Nikki Glaser read off the “That’s So True” singer as this year’s winner at the ceremony in Las Vegas (May 26), it was revealed that Abrams could not attend in person due to her ongoing global tour. The musician did, however, share a pre-taped thank-you message, which she started by saying that she was “so sad not to be in the same room as all of you tonight” before shouting out her fellow nominees — Benson Boone, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims and Tommy Richman — “whose music and whose careers I admire so much.”

“The reason this means so much to me tonight is that I know this is a fan-voted award,” Abrams continued, looking casual as she addressed the camera in a blue sweatshirt. “This belongs to the community of people I’ve been lucky enough to learn from over the past few years of putting music out.”

“This belongs to you,” the Los Angeles native added. “Thank you so much for caring about the music.”

Abrams’ win comes nearly a year after she dropped her breakout album, The Secret of Us, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The Grammy nominee has since graduated from playing theater-sized venues to arenas, the likes of which she’s been performing in all over Europe, Asia and Australia this spring on her The Secret of Us Tour.

Her AMAs acceptance speech is far from the first time Abrams has made her fanbase the focal point of her successes. She’s long been cultivating a community with her listeners — dating back to when she simply posted snippets of her songs on Instagram before she ever even released anything — and in her April Billboard cover story, Abrams said that despite her career explosion this past year, everything “feels as connected as it did six years ago” when it comes to her relationship with her fans.

“I think the best use of me as a human being on this planet, at least right now, is trying to use my writing or storytelling to make as many people as possible feel connected to themselves and to this community,” she added at the time. “That is what I think I’m here for right now.”

Hosted this year by Jennifer Lopez, the AMAs are airing live on CBS as well as streaming on Paramount+. The night will also see stars taking home awards such as artist of the year, album of the year, song of the year and more, with Kendrick Lamar leading with 10 nominations.

Watch her speech below:

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.

Days after receiving stitches for a nose injury during rehearsals, Jennifer Lopez opened the 2025 American Music Awards “dancing [her] heart out” to a medley of hits — 23 to be exact — as part of an energetic six-minute blitz to kick off the show on Monday night (May 26).

J. Lo hit the stage in Las Vegas in a sparkling leotard that looked like a combination of her 2019 It’s My Party Tour wardrobe mixed with a couture spacesuit. Lopez, alongside her sharp dance team, ripped through routines surrounding an array of anthems that dominated streaming service playlists and radio stations throughout the last year.

She strutted across the Fontainebleau Las Vegas stage filled with laser beams and pyrotechnics to her own hit “Dance Again” as well as plenty of Kendrick Lamar bangers such as GNX‘s “Squabble Up” and “TV Off” along with his lethal “Not Like Us” Drake diss.

The 55-year-old kept the party going with choreography to Doechii’s “Denial Is a River,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile,” Tinashe’s “Nasty Girl,” Charli xcx’s “Guess,” Tyler, the Creator’s “Sticky,” Bruno Mars and ROSÉ‘s “APT.,” Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Bad Bunny’s “NuevaYol,” Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” and more.

In the midst of her performance to “Lose Control,” Jenny From the Block got the Sin City crowd riled up when she briefly made out with some of her backup dancers.

J. Lo showed off her stamina, going directly from performing to hosting for the night. She’s no stranger to the AMAs stage, previously hosting the award show in 2015.

“I had to kick things off by turning it up to the biggest songs of the year and dancing my heart out for all of you, but tonight, the spotlight belongs to you, because this is the world’s largest fan-voted award show where you decide the winners,” she said after her medley.

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.