The nominees for this year’s American Music Awards (AMAs) slated for 20 November at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, US, have been announced, with the introduction of a new category strictly for Afrobeats artists.
The category, dubbed the “Favorite Afrobeats Artists”—which is in recognition of the genre’s groundbreaking impact in the US and around the globe—has Nigerian musicians including Burna Boy, Tems, Wizkid, Fireboy DML, and CKay as the first set of nominees for this year’s presentation ceremony.
Tems leads the African contingent into the awards, buoyed by her contribution to Wizkid’s global hit ‘Essence’ and Future’s hit single “Wait For U.” She also received nominations in three other categories, including Collaboration of the Year, Favorite Hip Hop Song, and Favorite R&B Song. She is followed by Wizkid, who secured nominations in two categories, the other being Favourite R&B Song.
The introduction of the Afrobeats category comes after the Recording Academy announced they had plans to create an Afrobeats category for the Grammys. On Saturday, September 24, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. confirmed this at the Global Citizens Festival in Ghana. He stated that they began the process by meeting with key players and creatives in the Afrobeats genre, such as artists, producers, songwriters, and executives.
The AMAs are one of the world’s largest fan-voted award shows, recognizing outstanding achievements by the world’s most popular artists. The nominations for the 2022 Academy Awards were announced on Thursday (Oct. 13). Bad Bunny has the most nominations, with eight, followed by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, who each have six. Adele, Harry Styles, and The Weeknd follow, each with five nominations. The polls are now open.
The 50th annual American Music Awards will be held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, November 20, 2022. It will air live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
