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Let’s hope everyone can keep it civil for a night.
The nominees for the 40th American Music Awards were announced today, and the list looks more or less how you might expect it to. With four nods a piece, reigning hip-hop queens Nicki Minaj and Rihanna lead the list, and even go head to head in the “Favorite Female Artist — Pop/Rock” category. Other big nominees include Drake, One Direction, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, and Usher, who each snagged three chances to take home those coveted pyramid-shaped trophies.
In addition to your usual Top 40 hang-abouts, there’ll be some new faces at the Nov. 14 ceremony: EDM artists. In response to the the genre’s growing popularity, the AMAs have added a new category honoring your favorite EDM artist of the year (winners are determined by online voting, which begins Tuesday). The category’s inaugural nominees include David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and good ol’ Skrillex; Taylor Swift, of course, was not eligible this year, as her dubstep masterpiece just missed the deadline.
Take a look at the full list below and let us know how you think the AMAs are looking this year:
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Justin Bieber
Drake
Maroon 5
Katy Perry
Rihanna
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
J. Cole
fun.
Gotye
Carly Rae Jepsen
One Direction
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Justin Bieber
Flo Rida
Pitbull
Usher
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Kelly Clarkson
Nicki Minaj
Katy Perry
Rihanna
FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
fun.
Maroon 5
One Direction
The Wanted
FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
Justin Bieber, “Believe”
Maroon 5, “Overexposed”
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”
One Direction, “Up All Night”
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
FAVORITE BAND, DUO or GROUP – COUNTRY
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
FAVORITE ALBUM – COUNTRY
Luke Bryan, “Tailgates & Tanlines”
Lionel Richie, “Tuskegee”
Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”
FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Drake
Nicki Minaj
Tyga
FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
J. Cole, “Cole World: The Sideline Story”
Drake, “Take Care”
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige
Rihanna
FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown, “Fortune”
Rihanna, “Talk That Talk”
Usher, “Looking 4 Myself”
FAVORITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK
The Black Keys
Gotye
Linkin Park
FAVORITE ARTIST – ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Adele
Kelly Clarkson
Train
FAVORITE ARTIST – LATIN
Don Omar
Pitbull
Shakira
FAVORITE ARTIST – CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Jeremy Camp
Newsboys
tobyMac
FAVORITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
David Guetta
Calvin Harris
Skrillex
Read more:
Stevie Nicks on Nicki Minaj’s ‘Idol’ behavior: I’d have ‘strangled her to death’
Brian Wilson on being ‘fired’ from the Beach Boys: ‘I was completely blindsided’
Justin Bieber covers Phish on ‘Believe’ tour
