Rising rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will face off against the likes of Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake as the nominations for the 41st Annual American Music Awards were announced Thursday morning.
will.i.am and Kelly Clarkson unveiled the five key categories live Thursday on Good Morning America. Afterwards, they headed over to a press conference at B.B. King’s Blues Club in Times Square to reveal the rest of the nominees.
Leading the pack with six nominations is Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who garnered nods for Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for “Thrift Shop” among others.
Trailing just behind was Swift and Timberlake with five noms a piece. The country songbird earned a nomination for Favorite Female Artist and Favorite Album for Red while the former ‘N Syncer nabbed Favorite Male Artist Soul/R&B and Favorite Soul/R&B Album for The 20/20 Experience.
Robin Thicke continues his banner year, taking home three nods including Favorite Male Artist in the pop/rock category, where he’ll do battle with Timberlake and Bruno Mars, and Single of the Year for his mega-hit, “Blurred Lines,” featuring Pharrell and T.I.
Other notable nominees include rising country crooners Florida Georgia Line, who picked up three nominations, including New Artist of the Year, where they’ll compete with newcomers Ariana Grande and Imagine Dragons.
The Black Eyed Peas frontman, meanwhile, confirmed that Miley Cyrus will perform at this year’s ceremony, which will air live on ABC from Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 24, at 8 p.m.
Winners are selected by public vote conducted at amavote.com. Here’s a look at the categories:
Artist of the Year
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Bruno Mars
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Justin Timberlake
New Artist of the Year
Florida Georgia Line
Ariana Grande
Imagine Dragons
Mackemore & Ryan Lewis
Phillip Phillips
Single of the Year
“Cruise”, by Florida Georgia Line, featuring Nelly
“Thrift Shop,” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, featuring Wanz
“Blurred Lines,” by Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell and T.I.
Favorite Male Artist—Pop/Rock
Bruno Mars
Robin Thicke
Justin Timberlake
Favorite Female Artist—Pop/Rock
Pink
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Favorite Band, Duo or Group—Pop/Rock
Imagine Dragons
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
One Direction
Favorite Album—Pop/Rock
One Direction Take Me Home
Taylor Swift, Red
Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience
Favorite Male Artist—Country
Luke Bryan
Hunter Hayes
Blake Shelton
Favorite Female Artist—Country
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Favorite Band, Duo or Group—Country
The Band Perry
Florida Georgia Line
Lady Antebellum
Favorite Album—Country
Luke Bryan, Crash My Party
Florida Georgia Line, Here’s to the Good Times
Taylor Swift, Red
Favorite Artist—Rap/Hip-Hop
Jay Z
Lil Wayne
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Favorite Album—Rap/Hip-Hop
Jay Z, Magna Carta Holy Grail
Kendrick Lamar, Good Kid M.A.A.D. City
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Heist
Favorite Male Artist—Soul/R&B
Miguel
Robin Thicke
Justin Timberlake
Favorite Female Artist—Soul/R&B
Ciara
Alicia Keys
Rihanna
Favorite Album—Soul/R&B
Rihanna, Unapologetic
Robin Thicke, Blurred Lines
Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience
Favorite Artist—Alternative Rock
Imagine Dragons
The Lumineers
Mumford & Sons
Favorite Artist—Adult Contemporary
Maroon 5
Bruno Mars
Pink
Favorite Artist—Latin
Marc Anthony
Prince Royce
Romeo Santos
Favorite Artist—Contemporary Inspirational
TobyMac
Chris Tomlin
Matthew West
Favorite Artist—Electronic Dance Music
Avicii
Daft Punk
Calvin Harris
Zedd
Top Soundtrack
Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Film: The Great Gatsby
Les Misérables
Pitch Perfect
Source: eonline.com
