Post Malone tops AMA nominations with seven
NEW YORK » Post Malone is the top contender at the 2019 American Music Awards, where Taylor Swift has a chance to moonwalk past Michael Jackson’s record for most wins at the show.
Dick Clark Productions announced Thursday that Malone scored seven nominations, while newcomer Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande each earned six nominations. Swift, who has won 23 AMAs, is up for five awards and could surpass the King of Pop, who holds the record for the most wins with 24 trophies.
The fan-voted AMAs will air live Nov. 24 on ABC from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Swif t, Malone and Grande, along with Drake and Halsey, are nominated for the top prize: artist of the year.
Malone’s nominations include favorite male pop/ rock artist, favorite rap/ hip-hop artist, favorite rap/ hip-hop album for “Hollywood’s Bleeding” and favorite rap/ hip-hop song for “Wow.” His massive hit with Swae Lee, “Sunflower” from the Oscarwinning animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” is up for favorite pop/rock song and collaboration of the year.
Swift will compete for favorite female pop/rock artist, favorite adult contemporary artist, favorite pop/ rock album for “Lover” and favorite music video for her Equal Rights anthem, “You Need to Calm Down.”
Though Lizzo scored three nominations, her hit “Truth Hurts” — currently spending its seventh week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart — is absent. (The AMA nominees reflect the time period of Sept. 28, 2018, through Sept. 26, 2019.)
Lizzo’s nominations include favorite soul/R& B song for “Juice” and favorite female soul/R&B artist, pitting her against Beyoncé and Ella Mai.
Though she released her first album in 2013, Lizzo marked a major breakthrough this year with “Truth Hurts” and “Good As Hell,” and the success helped her pick up a new artist of the year nomination. She has some stiff competition though: Nominees include Eilish, arguably the year’s top new act; Lil Nas X, whose hit “Old Town Road” is the longestrunning No. 1 hit in the history of the Billboard charts; Luke Combs, who has dominated the country charts and launched multiple No. 1 hits; and Mai, who won a Grammy in her debut year and topped several R&B charts.