On Wednesday, September 12th, YouTube Music kicked off livestream nominations for this year’s highly anticipated 2018 American Music Awards at the YouTube Space in Los Angeles.
Chart-topping artists Kane Brown and Ella Mai, singer and American Music Award winner Normani, and award winning singer/songwriter Bebe Rexha announced the nominations LIVE from YouTube Space LA. The event was live streamed on the official American Music Awards YouTube channel and included a panel discussion about the nominations with Billboard correspondent Chelsea Briggs.
Briggs had some great questions for all of the artists, discussing everything from which nominees they thought should take home the trophies, to Normani’s first time meeting her idol, Beyoncé, who upon meeting, mentioned that she had heard of Normani and her bright future in the industry.
“It’s just amazing to get this support from women, and I’m glad to really feel that in such a male-dominated field. It means a lot,” Normani explained.
Shifting the discussion, Briggs also went on to ask Ella, and the rest of the panelists, about the level of competition at the American Music Awards and how it feels to be up against some of today’s biggest artists, including Rihanna and SZA, who Ella has been nominated among for “Favorite Female Artist – Soul/R&B.” Rihanna is the current record holder for most wins in the Favorite Female Artist – Soul/R&B category with 6 trophies.
While all of the panelists agreed there’s nothing wrong with a little competition, Ella ended the conversation with the sentiment that the AMAs are also about celebrating great artistry. “I think awards shows are more of a celebration, than a competition, so whoever wins deserves it.”
The American Music Awards, the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, is where music enthusiasts watch their favorite artists and pop culture icons come together to honor idols, newcomers and record-breakers in the contemporary music scene. This year’s show will celebrate some of the best moments in music with appearances by today’s brightest stars and live performances from the biggest names in the industry.
Voting opened on September 12th in all categories, except New Artist of the Year presented by Capital One Savor Card, Favorite Social Artist and Collaboration of the Year, which will all open on Monday, September 24. Fans can vote for each award 100 times per day, per voting platform either via the VoteAMAs website, or by posting a Tweet that includes the nominee’s name or Twitter handle, the category name and #AMAs.
Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross, the 2018 American Music Awards will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 9 at 8:00pm ET on ABC.