The 52nd American Music Awards nominations are finally out, and the competition is looking fierce this year. Taylor Swift tops the list with eight nominations, but several new artists are right behind her.
The nominations came out on April 14, 2026. The big show will happen on May 25, 2026 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Queen Latifah will host the event, which airs live on CBS and Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Fans can vote for their favorite artists now. Voting stays open until May 8, 2026 at VoteAMAs.com and on the @AMAs Instagram page. The winners will be chosen entirely by fan votes, just like every year.
Taylor Swift Eyes More Records at the 2026 American Music Awards
Taylor Swift already holds the record for most AMA wins ever with 40 trophies. Now she has a chance to add more to that number. Her album “The Life of a Showgirl” and song “The Fate of Ophelia” earned her nods in top categories.
Swift is up for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Music Video, Song of the Summer, Best Female Pop Artist, Best Pop Song, and Best Pop Album. If she wins all eight, she will tie Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston for the most AMA wins in a single year.
New Artists Make Strong Showing in AMA 2026 Nominations
Several first-time nominees are giving the big names a run for their money. Olivia Dean and SOMBR (real name Shane Michael Boose) each earned seven nominations. They will face each other in New Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Breakthrough Album of the Year.
Other first-time nominees include Alex Warren (six nods), KATSEYE (three nods), Leon Thomas (five nods), PinkPantheress, RAYE, Role Model, SIENNA SPIRO, and Tate McRae. This fresh group of artists shows how much new music has connected with listeners this past year.
Teyana Taylor also got her first AMA nomination for Best Female R&B Artist. She has already won a Golden Globe this year and received an Oscar nomination for her acting work.
Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, and Lady Gaga Follow Close Behind
Country star Morgan Wallen picked up seven nominations, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for “I’m The Problem.” Sabrina Carpenter also scored seven nods, with her song “Manchild” getting attention in multiple categories.
Lady Gaga earned six nominations for her work, including Tour of the Year for “The Mayhem Ball” and Best Pop Album for “Mayhem.” Alex Warren also landed six nominations, making him another strong newcomer to watch.
BTS, Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, and Kendrick Lamar all received nominations for Artist of the Year.
HUNTR/X Brings Movie Magic to AMA 2026 Nominees
The voices behind the Netflix movie “KPop Demon Hunters” also made the list. EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami — who perform as the pop group HUNTR/X in the film — earned three nominations. Their song “Golden” is up for Song of the Year, Best Vocal Performance, and Best Pop Song.
The trio already won a Grammy for “Golden” as Best Song Written for Visual Media. Now they have a chance to add AMA wins to their collection.
Complete List of American Music Awards 2026 Nominees by Category
Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars, BTS, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift
New Artist of the Year
Alex Warren, Ella Langley, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Olivia Dean, sombr
Album of the Year
Cardi B – “AM I THE DRAMA?”, Fuerza Regida – “111xpantia”, Justin Bieber – “SWAG”, Lady Gaga – “Mayhem”, Morgan Wallen – “I’m The Problem”, Olivia Dean – “The Art of Loving”, Playboi Carti – “MUSIC”, Sabrina Carpenter – “Man’s Best Friend”, Tate McRae – “So Close To What”, Taylor Swift – “The Life of a Showgirl”
Song of the Year
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”, Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”, HUNTR/X – “Golden”, Kehlani – “Folded”, Leon Thomas – “MUTT”, Morgan Wallen – “I’m The Problem”, Olivia Dean – “Man I Need”, Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”, sombr – “back to friends”, Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”
Best Female Pop Artist
Lady Gaga, Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, Taylor Swift
Best Male Pop Artist
Alex Warren, Benson Boone, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber
Best Female Country Artist
Ella Langley, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert
Best Male Country Artist
Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, Shaboozey
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist
Cardi B, Doechii, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, YKNIECE
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist
Don Toliver, Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, Tyler, The Creator, YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Best Female R&B Artist
Kehlani, Summer Walker, SZA, Teyana Taylor, Tyla
Best Male R&B Artist
Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Daniel Caesar, PARTYNEXTDOOR, The Weeknd
Best Female Latin Artist
Gloria Estefan, KAROL G, Natti Natasha, ROSALÍA, Shakira
Best Male Latin Artist
Bad Bunny, Junior H, Peso Pluma, Rauw Alejandro, Tito Double P
Tour of the Year
Beyoncé – “Cowboy Carter Tour”, Kendrick Lamar and SZA – “Grand National Tour”, Lady Gaga – “The Mayhem Ball”, Oasis – “Oasis Live ’25 Tour”, Shakira – “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour”
Best Pop Song
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”, HUNTR/X – “Golden”, Olivia Dean – “Man I Need”, Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”, Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”
Best Country Song
BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman – “All the Way”, Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”, Morgan Wallen – “Just in Case”, Russell Dickerson – “Happen to Me”, Shaboozey – “Good News”
Best Hip-Hop Song
Cardi B – “ErrTime”, Drake – “NOKIA”, Gunna and Burna Boy – “wgft”, Playboi Carti and The Weeknd – “Rather Lie”, YKNIECE, Quavo, Metro Boomin, and Breskii – “Take Me Thru Dere”
Best R&B Song
Bruno Mars – “I Just Might”, Chris Brown and Bryson Tiller – “It Depends”, Kehlani – “Folded”, Leon Thomas – “MUTT”, Mariah the Scientist – “BURNING BLUE”
Best Latin Song
Bad Bunny – “NUEVAYoL”, benny blanco, Selena Gomez, and The Marías – “Ojos Tristes”, Fuerza Regida – “Marlboro Rojo”, Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera – “ME JALO”, KAROL G – “LATINA FOREVA”
Best Rock/Alternative Artist
Deftones, Linkin Park, The Marías, Sleep Token, Twenty One Pilots
Best Soundtrack
F1 The Album, Hazbin Hotel: Season Two, KPop Demon Hunters, Wicked: For Good, Charli xcx – “Wuthering Heights”
Best Music Video
KATSEYE – “Gnarly”, ROSALÍA, Björk, and Yves Tumor – “Berghain”, Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”, Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”, Tyla – “CHANEL”
Collaboration of the Year
BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman – “All the Way”, David Guetta, Teddy Swims, and Tones And I – “Gone Gone Gone”, Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae – “What I Want”, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson – “Stateside”, Shaboozey and Jelly Roll – “Amen”
Song of the Summer
Alex Warren – “FEVER DREAM”, Bella Kay – “iloveitiloveitiloveit”, BTS – “SWIM”, Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”, Harry Styles – “American Girls”, Noah Kahan – “The Great Divide”, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson – “Stateside”, sombr – “Homewrecker”, Tame Impala and JENNIE – “Dracula”, Taylor Swift – “Elizabeth Taylor”
The American Music Awards 2026 ceremony takes place on May 25. Fans have until May 8 to cast their votes and help their favorite artists win.
For more entertainment news and updates on award shows like the American Music Awards 2026, keep visiting VvipTimes for the latest stories from the music world.
