Dick Clark’s populist response to the Grammy Awards, the American Music Awards, announced its 2012 nominations Tuesday morning (October 9). Nicki Minaj and Rihanna tied for the most nods with four apiece, including in the category for Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock, where they are both nominated against Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry. Rihanna also picked up a look for Artist of the Year alongside Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, and Drake.
New to the AMAs this year is the Electronic Dance Music category, a feature already implemented by the 2011 Grammys and the MTV Video Music Awards in September. The only three EDM artists your mother-in-law has heard of — David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and Skrillex — round out the category’s inaugural cast of nominees.
Who earns an AMA nomination is decided by a circle of music buyers who consider an artist’s sales, airplay, popularity on social networks, and video streams. As SPIN pointed out last year, that’s why the categories are called “Favorite” and not “Best,” and why someone like Frank Ocean won’t be recognized, but Adele gets tapped in the Adult Contemporary category even though she’s not released anything besides the “Skyfall” theme in over a year, and Pitbull is somehow deemed comparable to Usher in the race for Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock. Voting to decide who brings home an actual trophy opens to the public on Tuesday.
The 40th annual American Music Awards will broadcast live from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on November 18 at 8 p.m. EST. Christina Aguilera is so far the only artist confirmed to perform.
Artists of the Year
Justin Bieber
Drake
Maroon 5
Katy Perry
Rihanna
New Artist of the Year
J. Cole
fun.
Gotye
Carly Rae Jepsen
One Direction
Favorite Male Artist — Pop/Rock
Justin Bieber
Flo Rida
Pitbull
Usher
Favorite Female Artist — Pop/Rock
Kelly Clarkson
Nicki Minaj
Katy Perry
Rihanna
Favorite Band, Duo, or Group — Pop/Rock
fun.
Maroon 5
One Direction
The Wanted
Favorite Album — Pop/Rock
Justin Bieber, “Believe”
Maroon 5, “Overexposed”
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”
One Direction, “Up All Night”
Favorite Male Artist — Country
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Favorite Female Artist — Country
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Favorite Band, Duo, or Group — Country
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Favorite Album — Country
Luke Bryan, “Tailgates & Tanlines”
Lionel Richie, “Tuskegee”
Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”
Favorite Artist — Rap/Hip-Hop
Drake
Nicki Minaj
Tyga
Favorite Album — Rap/Hip-Hop
J. Cole, “Cole World: The Sideline Story”
Drake, “Take Care”
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”
Favorite Male Artist — Soul/R&B
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher
Favorite Female Artist — Soul/R&B
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige
Rihanna
Favorite Album — Soul/R&B
Chris Brown, “Fortune”
Rihanna, “Talk That Talk”
Usher, “Looking 4 Myself”
Favorite Artist — Alternative Rock
The Black Keys
Gotye
Linkin Park
Favorite Artist — Adult Contemporary
Adele
Kelly Clarkson
Train
Favorite Artist — Latin
Don Omar
Pitbull
Shakira
Favorite Artist — Contemporary Inspirational
Jeremy Camp
Newsboys
tobyMac
Favorite Artist — Electronic Dance Music (EDM)
David Guetta
Calvin Harris
Skrillex
