SPECTACULAR WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCES TAKE CENTER STAGE AT THE 2020 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

TARAJI P. HENSON THRILLS AND SURPRISES AS HOST OF MUSIC’S HOTTEST NIGHT

THE WEEKND, TAYLOR SWIFT, JUSTIN BIEBER, AND DAN + SHAY TAKE TOP HONORS WITH THREE AMA WINS

BAD BUNNY, BTS, DOJA CAT, AND NICKI MINAJ TAKE HOME TWO AMA’S EACH

 [EDITOR’S NOTE]: For media assets, click HERE For digital assets, click HERE

For EPK Footage click HERE

Los Angeles, CA (November 22, 2020) – Dan+Shay, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, all topped the winners circle at the “2020 American Music Awards” (AMA) with three wins a piece, bringing Taylor’s record for most career AMA wins to a whopping 32. The hottest night in music included thrilling exclusive world premiere performances as well as an energizing fun-filled opening number by AMA host, Taraji P. Henson. The first-time AMA host dazzled fans with a beat pumping dance routine, unexpected surprises – including a visit from America’s favorite TV music mogul – Cookie Lyon, and glamour and sophistication with nine wardrobe changes.

Show performance highlights included:

• One of the most memorable moments of the night was Justin Bieber’s powerful opening performance of his songs “Lonely,” with Benny Blanco on piano, and “Holy,” brought to fans by T-Mobile.
• Shawn Mendes and Bieber’s world premiere performance of their newly released single “Monster” set the stage for the collaborations to come throughout the night.
• Katy Perry was joined by Darius Rucker for an intimate and heartfelt special collaboration of “Only Love.”
• The Weeknd lit up Downtown Los Angeles with an electrifying performance of “In Your Eyes,” featuring saxophone legend Kenny G, and “Save Your Tears,” accompanied by a vibrant fireworks display.
• Billie Ellish gave a spectacular world premiere performance of her new song, “Therefore I Am,” with an appearance from her brother and producer, Finneas, who accompanied her on the guitar.
• Rapper Nelly energized fans with a performance of his hits from his debut album, “Country Grammar,” celebrating 20 years since its release. Surprises included legendary comedian Cedric The Entertainer – with an intro parroting his skit on Nelly’s first album – and St. Lunatic City Spud, who joined Nelly for “Ride Wit Me.”
• Jennifer Lopez and Maluma, steamed up the stage with a sultry rendition of “Pa’ Ti” and “Lonely.” The duo rehearsed 50 hours in less than two weeks to deliver the jaw dropping, world premiere performance to the stage.
• Megan Thee Stallion brought hot girl energy to the stage with the world premiere performance of her body confidence anthem “BODY.” Earlier in AMAs weekend, Megan The Stallion connected with a lucky group of her fans for a virtual hangout via Messenger Rooms.
• Hip-Hop/R&B legends, Bell Biv DeVoe did not disappoint with their high energy performance of their hits, “Do Me (Remix),” and “Poison,” ending their heart thumping dance induced performance with a sign of unity by raising their fists.
• Lewis Capaldi gave a soulful, moving performance of his smash hit “Before You Go” that was satisfyingly haunting.
• Dua Lipa, remote from the Royal Albert Hall in London, delivered an elevated performance of “Levitating,” brought to viewers by Xfinity.
• Machine Gun Kelly, with a special appearance by drummer Travis Barker, gave electrifying guitar laden performances of his hits, “my ex’s best friend” and “Bloody Valentine.”
• Dan + Shay had everyone singing along at home with their fan-favorite, chart-topper “I Should Probably Go To Bed.”
• 24KGoldn + Iann Dior took to the stage for a spirited performance of their chart-topping hit “Mood,” against a lively backdrop of kaleidoscopic visuals.
• Shawn Mendes stunned fans with an evocative performance of “Wonder” delivered with soul-stirring power.
• Lil Baby commanded the stage with a striking performance of “Emotionally Scarred,” with a message expressing the importance of mental health.
• Bebe Rexha and Doja Cat gave an upbeat performance of their catchy collaboration “Baby, I’m Jealous,” while donning outfits reminiscent of their music video.
• BTS closed out the night, remote from Seoul, South Korea, with a vibrant nearly six-minute performance of their newly released song ”Life Goes On” and fan favorite hit “Dynamite.”

Winner Highlights of the “2020 American Music Awards:”

• Taylor Swift led the pack winning the most coveted honor of the night, Artist of the Year, as well as honors for Favorite Music Video for her pop hit, “Cardigan” and Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist. In her remote acceptance speech from the  studio, Swift revealed she is now re-recording her previous albums.
• Justin Bieber earned three AMA wins for Favorite Male Pop/Rock Artist, Collaboration of the Year and Favorite Country Song, the latter two for his team up with Dan+Shay for their song “10,000 Hours.”
• The Weeknd took home three honors for Favorite Male Soul/R&B Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Song.
• BTS won two trophies for Favorite Social Artist and Favorite Pop Group.
• Nicki Minaj won two AMAs for Favorite Female Rap Artist and Favorite Latin Song for her hit collaboration, “Tusa,” with Colombian reggaeton artist KAROL G.
• Doja Cat walked away with two wins for Favorite New Artist and Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist.
• Winning in two of the four newly expanded Latin categories, reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny took AMAs for Favorite Male Latin Artist and Favorite Latin Album. 
• Becky G. gave an inspiring acceptance speech for her Favorite Female Latin Artist win, honoring Latin artists and others who inspired her to follow her dreams.

Presenters throughout the evening included: Anthony Anderson, Cara Delevingne, Christian Serratos, Ciara, David Dobrik, Derek Hough, G-Eazy, Kristen Cavallari, Laverne Cox, Megan Fox, Paris Hilton, and Tayshia Adams.

AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS 2020 WINNERS

Artist of the Year:
Taylor Swift

New Artist of the Year:
Doja Cat

Collaboration of the Year:
Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber “10,000 Hours”

Favorite Social Artist:
BTS

Favorite Music Video:
Taylor Swift “cardigan” 

Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock:
Justin Bieber 

Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock:
Taylor Swift 

Favorite Duo of Group – Pop/Rock:
BTS

Favorite Album – Pop/Rock:
Harry Styles “Fine Line”

Favorite Song – Pop/Rock:
Dua Lipa “Don’t Start Now”

Favorite Male Artist – Country:
Kane Brown

Favorite Female Artist – Country:
Maren Morris

Favorite Duo of Group – Country:
Dan + Shay

Favorite Album – Country:
Blake Shelton “Fully Loaded: God’s Country”

Favorite Song – Country:
Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber “10,000 Hours”

Favorite Male Artist – Rap/Hip Hop:
Juice WRLD

Favorite Female Artist – Rap/Hip Hop:
Nicki Minaj

Favorite Album – Rap/Hip Hop:
Roddy Ricch “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial”

Favorite Song – Rap/Hip Hop:
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion “WAP”

Favorite Male Artist – Soul/R&B:
The Weeknd

Favorite Female Artist – Soul/R&B:
Doja Cat

Favorite Album – Soul/R&B:
The Weeknd “After Hours”

Favorite Song – Soul/R&B:
The Weeknd “Heartless”

Favorite Male Artist – Latin:
Bad Bunny

Favorite Female Artist – Latin:
Becky G

Favorite Album – Latin:
Bad Bunny “YHLQMDLG”

Favorite Song – Latin:
KAROL G & Nicki Minaj “Tusa”

Favorite Artist – Alternative Rock:
Twenty One Pilots

Favorite Artist – Adult Contemporary:
Jonas Brothers

Favorite Artist – Contemporary Inspirational:
Lauren Daigle

Favorite Artist – Electronic Dance Music (EDM):
Lady Gaga

Favorite Soundtrack:
Birds of Prey: The Album

2020 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARD WINNERS BY ARTIST

Justin Bieber – 3

Taylor Swift – 3

The Weeknd – 3

Dan + Shay – 3

Bad Bunny – 2

BTS – 2

Doja Cat – 2

Nicki Minaj – 2

Blake Shelton – 1

Becky G – 1

Birds of Prey: The Album – 1

Cardi B – 1

Dua Lipa – 1

Harry Styles – 1

Jonas Brothers – 1

Juice WRLD – 1

Kane Brown – 1

Karol G – 1

Lady Gaga – 1

Lauren Daigle – 1

Maren Morris – 1

Megan Thee Stallion – 1

Roddy Ricch – 1

Twenty one pilots – 1

Broadcast live from The Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, the “2020 American Music Awards” is seen in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Nominees were based on key fan interactions – as reflected on the Billboard charts – including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, and social activity. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners MRC Data and Next Big Sound, and reflect the time period of Sept. 27, 2019, through Sept. 24, 2020. The AMA winners are voted entirely by fans.

The “2020 American Music Awards” is produced by dick clark productions. Amy Thurlow, Barry Adelman, Mark Bracco, and Linda Gierahn are executive producers. Larry Klein is producer. For the latest AMA news, exclusive content and more, follow the AMAs on social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube), online at 50e485d8c8.nxcli.net and ABC.com, and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs. Fans can also join the conversation with #AMAsWithUs and check out exclusive content by following T-Mobile on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

The “2020 American Music Awards” is sponsored by Cheetos, T-Mobile and Xfinity.

About ABC Entertainment
ABC Entertainment airs compelling programming across all day parts, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” the longest-running medical drama in prime-time television; riveting dramas “The Good Doctor,” “A Million Little Things” and “Station 19”; trailblazing comedy favorites “American Housewife,” “black-ish,” “The Conners,” “The Goldbergs” and “mixed-ish”; the popular “Summer Fun & Games” programming block, including “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Holey Moley,” “Match Game,” “Press Your Luck” and “To Tell the Truth”; star-making sensation “American Idol”; reality phenomenon “Shark Tank”; “The Bachelor” franchise; long-running hits “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”; “General Hospital,” which has aired for more than 55 years on the network; and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”; as well as two critically acclaimed, Emmy^® Award-winning “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” specials. The network also boasts some of television’s most prestigious awards shows, including “The Oscars^®,” “The CMA Awards” and the “American Music Awards.”

ABC programming can also be viewed on demand and on Hulu.

About dick clark productions
dick clark productions (dcp) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” and the “Streamy Awards.” dcp also owns one of the world’s most extensive and unique entertainment archive libraries with more than 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances, and legendary programming. dcp is part of MRC Live & Alternative, a division of diversified global entertainment company MRC. For additional information, visit www.mrcentertainment.com.

Press Contacts:

ABC Media Relations:
Nicole Gonzales
nicole.j.gonzales@abc.com

Tracey Raftery
Tracey.X.Raftery.-ND@disney.com

MRC (dick clark productions):
Casimir Spencer
cspencer@mrcentertainment.com

Gina Sorial
gsorial@mrcentertainment.com

Ligia Mallmann
lmallmann@mrcentertainment.com