New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Chart-topping artists
Kane Brown and Ella Mai, American
Music Award winning artist
Normani and award winning singer/songwriter
Bebe Rexha will announce the "2018 American
Music Awards" nominations LIVE from YouTube Space LA on Wednesday,
September 12, 2018. The event will stream live on the official American
Music Awards YouTube channel (YouTube.com/TheAMAs) at 9:00 a.m. PT, and will include a panel discussion regarding the nominations with Billboard correspondent, Chelsea Briggs, and the presenting talent. The "2018 American
Music Awards," the world's largest fan-voted awards show where music enthusiasts watch their favorite artists and pop culture icons come together to honor idols, newcomers and record-breakers in the contemporary music scene, will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.
Breakthrough star
Kane Brown shows no sign of slowing down. Since the release of his self-titled album in December 2016, he has earned gigantic hits, Platinum and Multi-Platinum RIAA certifications, more than one-billion career audio and video streams, award wins, and sold-out concerts. As Brown prepares for the launch of his follow-up album on Nov. 9, fans and critics are focused on his unique musical party. He's been singled out by the New York Times as "one of Nashville's most promising young stars and also one of its most flexible" and by Billboard, which asserted the North Georgia native, "distinguished himself with an unorthodox path and unvarnished lyrics" also adding that Brown's irresistible state-of-the-art sound has the power to "ultimately bring folks together." After topping the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with his Platinum-certified Kane Brown, he did it again in 2017 thanks to the
Deluxe Edition reissue of the album, which also sent the set into Top 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200. That same week (October 28, 2017), the 24-year-old singer/songwriter made history by becoming the first artist to top all five of Billboard's main country charts with his No. 1 Top Country Album; a No. 1 debut on Country
Digital Song Sales with the Double-Platinum "Heaven," and No. 1s on Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs, and Country Streaming Songs with the Triple-Platinum "
What Ifs" featuring
Lauren Alaina. In addition to making Billboard history, the outstanding accomplishment also garnered a Guinness World Record. And the records and accolades keep adding up,
Kane Brown holds 2018's longest reign on Billboard's Top Country Albums Chart with 10 weeks at No. 1. Brown's multi-week No. 1 song "
Heaven" became one of only two singles in the past decade to remain Top 5 for 14 weeks or more on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart. Additionally, his Triple-Platinum No. 1 hit "
What Ifs" recently became the third most-streamed country song of all time. Brown's highly-anticipated follow-up album on RCA Nashville/Zone 4 is produced by multiple-award winner Dann Huff. The new recording features several tracks co-written by Brown including his current single, "Lose It," which was singled out by the New York Times as "urgent and saucy…broad-spectrum ecstasy" and continues to gain momentum as a Top 20-and-climbing hit on Billboard and Mediabase country airplay charts and Nielson's Country Core On-demand Audio and Video Streaming charts.
10 Summers and Interscope Records artist, Ella Mai, is searing her way up the charts, breaking long held records with her RIAA Certified Double-Platinum single, "Boo'd Up." The 23-year-old became the first woman since Beyoncé in 2012 to hit No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Adult R&B Songs and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts. With three EP's under her belt, and her new single "Trip" climbing the charts,
Ella Mai is now prepping her full length debut album to be released this October. The breakout star will be joining the esteemed
Bruno Mars on his 24K Magic World Tour beginning in October, after recently wrapping her sold out headlining tour.
Best-known as one of the four members in the multi-platinum group Fifth Harmony,
Normani explores a new musical direction on "
Love Lies" with Khalid. Since its release, the "slow-burning R&B ballad" (The FADER) has been streamed over 500 million times while the song's official video has over 70 million views on YouTube.
With over 375 million streams on Spotify alone, the song broke the Top 5 on the streaming platform's US (#2) and Global (#3) Viral Charts.
Featured as Zane Lowe's World Record, "
Love Lies" also went #2 on iTunes' R&B/Soul Top Songs chart and #9 on the Top Songs chart across all genres. "
Love Lies" is currently #2 on Billboard's Pop Songs airplay chart and #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Born in Atlanta,
Normani grew up in New Orleans before moving to
Houston at 9 years old with her family after Hurricane Katrina. Always excited about music,
Normani began dancing at the age of 3 and grew up idolizing entertainers like
Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, and Beyonce. Inspired by her love for pop and R&B, "
Love Lies" offers a closer look to Normani's personal style as an artist and demonstrates her "smooth vocals" (Billboard) and "velvety range" (Vulture).
Outside of the recording studio,
Normani is the Global Ambassador to the American Cancer Society and works with A Place Called Home, lending her name and time to various events. She is also a Diversity Ambassador for The CyberSmile Foundation, a multi-award winning anti cyberbullying non-profit organization.
Singer/songwriter
Bebe Rexha has accumulated more than 12 million overall single sales, 6 billion total global streams and a radio audience of more than 10 billion. Her highly anticipated debut album, "Expectations," was released June 22nd on Warner Bros. Records and features her newest chart climbing single, "I'm a Mess," as well as Bebe's lead single, the global #1 record breaking smash "
Meant To Be" with Florida Georgia Line. Bebe, whom Billboard calls "one of the most daring artists of 2017," burst onto the scene in 2013 when she penned the song "Monster," which became a worldwide hit for
Eminem and Rihanna, and went RIAA 6x platinum stateside. Since then, Bebe co-wrote and carried the instantly recognizable hook for the 3x platinum "Hey Mama," by
David Guetta,
Nicki Minaj and Afrojack, which was nominated for a Billboard
Music Award for Top Dance/Electronic Song. She also hit #1 both on the Billboard Pop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts with her platinum-selling smash single, "
Me, Myself & I" with G-Eazy. Her single, "
I Got You" has more than 244 million views, "No Broken Hearts," featuring Nicki Minaj, has more than 241 million views; and she is featured on
Martin Garrix's single, "In The Name of Love," which has amassed more than 332 million views. Bebe released her second EP, "All Your Fault: Part 1," and the follow-up, "All Your Fault: Part 2," last year to rave reviews.
American
Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected on Billboard.com, including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen
Music and Next Big Sound, and reflect the time period of
September 15, 2017 through August 9, 2018.
Last year, ABC's broadcast of the "2017 American
Music Awards" ranked as the dominant No. 1 entertainment program in
Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.
Despite the substantial competition, the "2017 American
Music Awards" drew ABC's biggest entertainment audience in the three hour time period since February 2017 and highest young adult number since May 2017 - since "The Oscars" on 2/26/17 and "The Billboard
Music Awards" on 5/21/17, respectively.
Additionally, the Tracee Ellis Ross-hosted AMAs grew by double digits year to year in
Total Viewers and Teens 12-17, while holding even with Adults 18-49. YouTube
Music is the presenting sponsor of the "2018 American
Music Awards."
The "2018 American
Music Awards" is produced by dick clark productions. Barry Adelman, Mark Bracco and Tracee Ellis Ross are Executive Producers. Larry Klein is Producer. For the latest American
Music Awards news, exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the AMAs on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs.
www.facebook.com/AMAs
twitter.com/AMAs
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Tickets are now on sale at www.axs.com.
