AMAs nominee roundup
The AMAs released nominee lists for 2026 with Artist of the Year contenders including Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars, BTS, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift. (x.com) The official post has tens of thousands of interactions as voting opened at ama.votenow.tv and fans amplify their picks. (x.com)
The American Music Awards opened 2026 voting on Tuesday with a 10-name Artist of the Year field and a May 25 live show in Las Vegas. (theamas.com) The Artist of the Year nominees are Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars, BTS, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift leads the full nominations list with eight total nods. (theamas.com) Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter, and sombr follow with seven nominations each, and Lady Gaga and Alex Warren have six each. Album of the Year nominees include Lady Gaga’s *Mayhem*, Sabrina Carpenter’s *Man’s Best Friend*, Morgan Wallen’s *I’m The Problem*, and Taylor Swift’s *The Life of a Showgirl*. (theamas.com) The AMAs are decided by fan voting, not by an academy or a critics panel. The show says winners are determined entirely by fans, with voting now open at VoteAMAs.com and through the @AMAs Instagram profile. (theamas.com) That voting structure helps explain why the Artist of the Year lineup mixes global pop stars, country hitmakers, rap headliners, and K-pop acts. The 2026 categories also stretch across pop, country, hip-hop, rhythm and blues, Latin, rock, dance, K-pop, Afrobeats, and Americana and folk. (theamas.com) This year’s ceremony is scheduled for Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Queen Latifah will host the 52nd American Music Awards, which will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+. (theamas.com) The show is also arriving after a stronger television run in 2025. The AMAs said last year’s broadcast reached more than 10 million unique viewers across its CBS and Paramount+ premiere and later encores on MTV, CMT, and BET. (theamas.com) Voting instructions are split between two routes: fans can cast ballots on the AMAs voting site or use category-specific hashtags on designated Instagram “VOTE HERE” posts. The AMAs says the tabulation and verification process is handled by an independent third-party company. (theamas.com) The nominations are out, the fan campaigns are already moving, and the next milestone is fixed: votes now, then winners on May 25. (theamas.com)
