The 49th Annual American Music Awards were held on November 21, 2021, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, recognizing the most popular artists, singles and albums of 2021.[1] Cardi B hosted the ceremony, following Queen Latifah (1995) as the only female rappers in history to do so.[2][3][4][5][6] Cardi B became the first artist to win Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Song three times. BTS, Doja Cat, and Megan Thee Stallion won three awards each.
| American Music Awards of 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Date | November 21, 2021 |
| Venue | Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles |
| Country | United States |
| Hosted by | Cardi B |
| Most awards |
|
| Most nominations | Olivia Rodrigo (7) |
| Website | theamas |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | ABC |
| Produced by | Jesse Collins Entertainment MRC Live & Alternative |
The ceremony was notable as the first produced under the banner of MRC Live & Alternative, which was formerly known as Dick Clark Productions after use of that name was phased out the month before.[7] However, this would turn out to be the only year produced under this banner, as the Dick Clark Productions name was restored in August 2022.
Performances
edit| Artist(s) | Song(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Silk Sonic | "Smokin Out the Window" | [8] |
| Coldplay BTS |
"My Universe" | [9] |
| Olivia Rodrigo | "Traitor" | [10] |
| Tyler, the Creator | "Massa" | [11] |
| Jason Aldean Carrie Underwood[a] |
"If I Didn't Love You" | [12] |
| Bad Bunny Tainy Julieta Venegas |
"Lo Siento BB:/" | [10][13] |
| Måneskin | "Beggin'" | [11] |
| Chlöe | "Have Mercy" | |
| Jennifer Lopez | "On My Way" | [14] |
| Mickey Guyton | "All American" | [11] |
| Givēon | "Heartbreak Anniversary" | |
| Kane Brown[b] | "One Mississippi" | [12] |
| New Edition New Kids on the Block |
Medley: "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" "Candy Girl" "Step by Step" "Mr. Telephone Man" "Is This the End"/"Please Don't Go Girl" "Can You Stand the Rain" "Hangin' Tough" "If It Isn't Love" |
[12] |
| Walker Hayes | "Fancy Like" | [11] |
| Zoe Wees | "Girls Like Us" | [11] |
| BTS[c] | "Butter" | [10] |
| Diplo | Musical Curator/DJ | [11] |
Notes
- ^[a] Pre-recorded from Nashville, Tennessee
- ^[b] Pre-recorded from Tennessee State University
- ^[c] Megan Thee Stallion was originally planning to perform with BTS on "Butter", but pulled out "due to an unexpected personal matter".[15][14]
Presenters
editPresenters were announced on November 19, 2021.[16]
- Cardi B – main show host
- Billy Porter – presented Latin Album
- Ansel Elgort & Rachel Zegler – presented Favorite Artist – Rock
- Cardi B introduced Coldplay & BTS
- Michelle Young – "coming up"
- JoJo Siwa – presented Pop Duo/Group
- Cardi B introduced Olivia Rodrigo
- Diplo – "coming up" (multiple segments)
- Brandy – presented Pop Album
- Cardi B introduced Tyler The Creator
- Cardi B introduced Bad Bunny, Tainy & Julieta Venegas
- Marsai Martin – presented Favorite Song – Hip-Hop
- Cardi B introduced Måneskin
- D-Nice – introduced performance by Chlöe
- JB Smoove – presented Favorite Song – Pop
- Cardi B introduced Jennifer Lopez
- Cardi B introduced Mickey Guyton
- Madelyn Cline – presented Favorite Trending Song
- Cardi B introduced Giveon
- Liza Koshy – presented Artist of the Year
- Anthony Ramos – presented Favorite Female Artist – Latin
- Cardi B introduced Walker Hayes
- Machine Gun Kelly – presented New Artist of the Year
- Winnie Harlow – introduced performance by Zoe Wees
- Cardi B introduced BTS
Winners and nominees
editThe nominations were announced on ABC's Good Morning America, Spotify's morning show "The Get Up", and also via the American Music Awards Twitter account on October 28, 2021. Olivia Rodrigo received the most nominations with seven, followed by the Weeknd with six, and Bad Bunny, Doja Cat and Giveon with five each.[17][18] BTS became the first Asian artist to receive Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. Three new categories were introduced in 2021: Favorite Trending Song, Favorite Latin Duo or Group, and Favorite Gospel Artist.[19]
Additionally, it was announced towards the end of October that though country singer Morgan Wallen had two nominations, due to his personal conduct in 2020 and 2021 which saw his music removed from further publicity and the suspension of his recording contract, he was not allowed to attend the ceremony or accept any awards won remotely. The show's production company plans to evaluate his future conduct in including him in future ceremonies.[19][20]
Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.[21][22]
References
edit- ^ Theater, Microsoft. "American Music Awards | Microsoft Theater". www.microsofttheater.com. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ "Cardi B to Host 2021 American Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (November 2, 2021). "Cardi B to Host the 2021 American Music Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Lisa Respers France. "American Music Awards 2021: See who got nominated". CNN. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ "American Music Awards 2021: See the Complete List of Nominations". E! Online. October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Green, Kai (November 2, 2021). "Okurr! Cardi B Is Hosting the 2021 American Music Awards—Find Out Who's Nominated and How to Watch". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 12, 2021). "Adam Stotsky Named President Of MRC Live & Alternative As Dick Clark Prods. Name Is Phased Out". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Silk Sonic [@silksonic] (November 18, 2021). "Get ready 🎤 We're opening the @amas 🙌🏾 SUNDAY at 8/7c on @ABCnetwork ! #SilkSonicAMAs @brunomars @andersonpaak https://t.co/ucio8c21J5" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Willman, Chris (November 17, 2021). "BTS and Coldplay Hit Up American Music Awards for First Live Performance of 'My Universe'". Variety. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ a b c Willman, Chris (November 8, 2021). "BTS and Megan Thee Stallion Will 'Butter' Up American Music Awards With Joint Performance". Variety. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Campione, Katie (November 16, 2021). "Diplo, Tyler the Creator and Mickey Guyton Set to Perform at 2021 American Music Awards". People. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c Allen, Matthew (November 11, 2021). "New Edition to perform with New Kids on the Block at American Music Awards". Yahoo! News. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ Calvario, Liz (November 15, 2021). "2021 American Music Awards Performers: Bad Bunny to Take Stage With Julieta Venegas and Tainy". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Iasimone, Ashley (November 20, 2021). "Megan Thee Stallion No Longer Performing With BTS at 2021 American Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ TINA SNOW [@theestallion] (November 20, 2021). "Hotties I was so excited to go to the @AMAs and perform with @BTS_official, but due to an unexpected personal matter, I can no longer attend 😭😭I'm so sad! I really can't wait to hit the stage with my guys and perform #BTS_Butter real soon!💜" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Grein, Paul (November 19, 2021). "Here Are All the Performers & Presenters for the 2021 American Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ Carras, Christi (October 28, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo and the Weeknd lead American Music Award nominees. See the full list". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (October 28, 2021). "American Music Awards: Olivia Rodrigo Tops 2021 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ a b "Nominations Announced for the 2021 American Music Awards". The AMAs.com. October 28, 2021. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Haring, Bruce (October 28, 2021). "Morgan Wallen Banned From 2021 American Music Awards, But Door Left Open For Future Shows". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ McClellan, Jennifer; Alexander, Bryan (November 21, 2021). "AMAs winners list: Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X take early prizes; see more nominations". USA Today. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Atkinson, Katie (November 21, 2021). "Here Are All the 2021 American Music Awards Winners: Updating Live". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2021.