American Music Awards of 2021

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	BTS Doja Cat Megan Thee Stallion (3 each)
Most nominations	Olivia Rodrigo (7)
Website	theamas.com
Television/radio coverage
Network	ABC
Produced by	Jesse Collins Entertainment MRC Live & Alternative
← 2020 AMA 2022 →

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

American Music Awards of 2021 performers

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

Presenters 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
• Michelle Young – "coming up"
• JoJo Siwa – presented Pop Duo/Group
• Diplo – "coming up" (multiple segments)
• Brandy – presented Pop Album
• Marsai Martin – presented Favorite Song – Hip-Hop
• D-Nice – introduced performance by Chlöe
• JB Smoove – presented Favorite Song – Pop
• Madelyn Cline – presented Favorite Trending Song
• Liza Koshy – presented Artist of the Year
• Anthony Ramos – presented Favorite Female Artist – Latin
• Machine Gun Kelly – presented New Artist of the Year
• Winnie Harlow – introduced performance by Zoe Wees

Winners and nominees

The 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]

Artist of the Year	New Artist of the Year
BTS Ariana Grande Drake Olivia Rodrigo Taylor Swift The Weeknd	Olivia Rodrigo 24kGoldn Giveon Masked Wolf The Kid Laroi
Favorite Music Video	Collaboration of the Year
Lil Nas X – "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak) – "Leave The Door Open" Cardi B – "Up" Olivia Rodrigo – "Drivers License" The Weeknd – "Save Your Tears"	Doja Cat featuring SZA – "Kiss Me More" 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior – "Mood" Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez – "Dakiti" Chris Brown and Young Thug – "Go Crazy" Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon – "Peaches"
Favorite Male Artist – Pop	Favorite Female Artist – Pop
Ed Sheeran Drake Justin Bieber Lil Nas X The Weeknd	Taylor Swift Ariana Grande Doja Cat Dua Lipa Olivia Rodrigo
Favorite Male Artist – Hip-Hop	Favorite Female Artist – Hip-Hop
Drake Lil Baby Moneybagg Yo Polo G Pop Smoke	Megan Thee Stallion Cardi B Coi Leray Erica Banks Saweetie
Favorite Male Artist – Country	Favorite Female Artist – Country
Luke Bryan Chris Stapleton Jason Aldean Luke Combs Morgan Wallen	Carrie Underwood Gabby Barrett Kacey Musgraves Maren Morris Miranda Lambert
Favorite Male Artist – R&B	Favorite Female Artist – R&B
The Weeknd Chris Brown Giveon Tank Usher	Doja Cat H.E.R. Jazmine Sullivan Jhené Aiko SZA
Favorite Male Artist – Latin	Favorite Female Artist – Latin
Bad Bunny J Balvin Maluma Ozuna Rauw Alejandro	Becky G Kali Uchis Karol G Natti Natasha Rosalía
Favorite Artist – Rock	Favorite Artist – Electronic Dance Music
Machine Gun Kelly AJR All Time Low Foo Fighters Glass Animals	Marshmello David Guetta Illenium Regard Tiësto
Favorite Artist – Inspirational	Favorite Artist – Gospel
Carrie Underwood Cain Elevation Worship Lauren Daigle Zach Williams	Kanye West Kirk Franklin Koryn Hawthorne Maverick City Music Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Favorite Duo or Group – Pop	Favorite Duo or Group – Country
BTS AJR Glass Animals Maroon 5 Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak)	Dan + Shay Florida Georgia Line Lady A Old Dominion Zac Brown Band
Favorite Duo or Group – Latin	Favorite Trending Song
Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga Calibre 50 Eslabon Armado La Arrolladora Banda El Limón De Rene Camacho Los Dos Carnales	Megan Thee Stallion – "Body" Erica Banks – "Buss It" Måneskin – "Beggin'" Olivia Rodrigo – "Drivers License" Popp Hunna – "Adderall (Corvette Corvette)"
Favorite Song – Pop	Favorite Album – Pop
BTS – "Butter" Doja Cat featuring SZA – "Kiss Me More" Dua Lipa – "Levitating" Olivia Rodrigo – "Drivers License" The Weeknd and Ariana Grande – "Save Your Tears (Remix)"	Taylor Swift – Evermore Ariana Grande – Positions Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia Olivia Rodrigo – Sour The Kid Laroi – F*ck Love
Favorite Song – Hip-Hop	Favorite Album – Hip-Hop
Cardi B – "Up" Internet Money featuring Gunna, Don Toliver and Nav – "Lemonade" Lil Tjay featuring 6lack – "Calling My Phone" Polo G – "Rapstar" Pop Smoke – "What You Know Bout Love"	Megan Thee Stallion – Good News Drake – Certified Lover Boy Juice Wrld – Legends Never Die Pop Smoke – Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon Rod Wave – SoulFly
Favorite Song – Country	Favorite Album – Country
Gabby Barrett – "The Good Ones" Chris Stapleton – "Starting Over" Chris Young and Kane Brown – "Famous Friends" Luke Combs – "Forever After All" Walker Hayes – "Fancy Like"	Gabby Barrett – Goldmine Chris Stapleton – Starting Over Lee Brice – Hey World Luke Bryan – Born Here Live Here Die Here Morgan Wallen – Dangerous: The Double Album
Favorite Song – R&B	Favorite Album – R&B
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak) – "Leave the Door Open" Chris Brown and Young Thug – "Go Crazy" Giveon – "Heartbreak Anniversary" H.E.R. – "Damage" Jazmine Sullivan – "Pick Up Your Feelings"	Doja Cat – Planet Her Giveon – When It's All Said and Done... Take Time H.E.R. – Back of My Mind Jazmine Sullivan – Heaux Tales Queen Naija – Missunderstood
Favorite Song – Latin	Favorite Album – Latin
Kali Uchis – "Telepatía" Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez – "Dakiti" Bad Bunny x Rosalía – "La Noche de Anoche" Farruko – "Pepas" Maluma and The Weeknd – "Hawái (Remix)"	Bad Bunny – El Último Tour Del Mundo Kali Uchis – Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) Karol G – KG0516 Maluma – Papi Juancho Rauw Alejandro – Afrodisíaco

References

1. Theater, Microsoft. "American Music Awards | Microsoft Theater". www.microsofttheater.com. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
2. "Cardi B to Host 2021 American Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
3. Lewis, Hilary (November 2, 2021). "Cardi B to Host the 2021 American Music Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
4. Lisa Respers France. "American Music Awards 2021: See who got nominated". CNN. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
5. "American Music Awards 2021: See the Complete List of Nominations". E! Online. October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
6. 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.
7. Andreeva, Nellie (September 12, 2021). "Adam Stotsky Named President Of MRC Live & Alternative As Dick Clark Prods. Name Is Phased Out". Deadline. from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
8. Silk Sonic [@silksonic] (November 18, 2021). "Get ready 🎤 We're opening the @amas 🙌🏾 SUNDAY at 8/7c on @ABCnetwork ! #SilkSonicAMAs @brunomars @andersonpaak t.co/ucio8c21J5" (Tweet). from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Twitter.
9. 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.
10. Willman, Chris (November 8, 2021). "BTS and Megan Thee Stallion Will 'Butter' Up American Music Awards With Joint Performance". Variety. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Iasimone, Ashley (November 20, 2021). "Megan Thee Stallion No Longer Performing With BTS at 2021 American Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
15. 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). from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Twitter.
16. Grein, Paul (November 19, 2021). "Here Are All the Performers & Presenters for the 2021 American Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
17. 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.
18. Lewis, Hilary (October 28, 2021). "American Music Awards: Olivia Rodrigo Tops 2021 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
19. "Nominations Announced for the 2021 American Music Awards". The AMAs.com. October 28, 2021. from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
20. Haring, Bruce (October 28, 2021). "Morgan Wallen Banned From 2021 American Music Awards, But Door Left Open For Future Shows". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
21. 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.
22. Atkinson, Katie (November 21, 2021). "Here Are All the 2021 American Music Awards Winners: Updating Live". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2021.