AMAs Afrobeats nominees
The AMAs announced Best Afrobeats Artist nominees on April 14—Burna Boy, MOLIY, Rema, Tyla, and Wizkid—names that appeared in the voting announcement thread. (x.com)
The American Music Awards opened voting on April 14 and put five artists in the 2026 Best Afrobeats Artist race: Burna Boy, MOLIY, Rema, Tyla, and Wizkid. (theamas.com) The nominees appeared on the American Music Awards’ 2026 nominees page and in the show’s voting rollout on social media Tuesday. The ceremony is set for May 25, 2026, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (theamas.com 1) (theamas.com 2) The American Music Awards says the show has 50 categories this year and describes itself as fan-voted. Its voting page says fans can cast votes through Instagram promoted hashtags tied to each nominee. (theamas.com 1) (theamas.com 2) Best Afrobeats Artist sits inside a genre field the awards have expanded in recent years as African pop has become a larger part of the global music business. The 2026 categories announcement said the slate was built to reflect “the evolving music landscape.” (theamas.com) The five-name lineup mixes established arena acts with newer crossover names. Burna Boy, Rema, Tyla, and Wizkid have all been visible in recent United States and global charts, while MOLIY’s inclusion puts a newer Ghanaian name into one of the show’s international-facing fields. (theamas.com) (billboard.com) The broader 2026 nominations were led by Taylor Swift with eight nods, followed by Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter, and sombr with seven each, which places the Afrobeats field inside a larger ballot dominated by pop and country stars. (usatoday.com) (billboard.com) The show returns on Memorial Day after the American Music Awards used the same holiday slot in 2025. Last year’s nominations post from the show called it “the world’s largest fan-voted award show,” language the brand is still using around the 2026 cycle. (theamas.com 1) (theamas.com 2) For now, the Best Afrobeats Artist field is set, and the next milestone is the May 25 telecast, when one of the five nominees will take the category on a stage built for a mass United States television audience. (theamas.com)
