There are plenty of music-focused award shows, but the American Music Awards is one of the big ones, as its legacy goes all the way back to its debut ceremony in 1974. Soon, we’ll meet again: The 2025 AMAs are set to be broadcast from Fontainebleau Las Vegas on May 26 (Memorial Day) at 8 p.m. ET.
That’s coming right up, and since the show always offers big moments and good times, it’s one to plan your schedule around. If you are and you want to know more about what to expect when the day comes, keep scrolling for our preview of this year’s AMAs.
Host
Jennifer Lopez hosted the show back in 2015, and a decade later, she’s doing it again. The process this time around hasn’t been literally painless: She suffered an injury during rehearsals, but nothing serious.
Jay Penske, CEO of Dick Clark Productions, previously said in a statement, “We are thrilled to welcome Jennifer Lopez back to host the American Music Awards. Jennifer’s incredible talent and incomparable stage presence make her the ideal host of the show. We know she will bring her one-of-a-kind energy to the official kick off celebration of summer.”
Nominees
Kendrick Lamar is this year’s most-nominated artist, as he has ten nods: Artist Of The Year, Album Of The Year (for GNX), Song Of The Year (“Not Like Us”), Collaboration Of The Year (“Luther” with SZA), Favorite Music Video (“Not Like Us”), Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist, Favorite Hip-Hop Album (GNX), and Favorite Hip-Hop Song (“Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin, “Not Like Us,” and “Luther” with SZA).
Post Malone is in second with eight nominations, and after him are Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Shaboozey with seven each. First-time nominees this year include Sabrina Carpenter, Zach Bryan, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, Benson Boone, Doechii, Gracie Abrams, Jelly Roll, Lola Young, The Marias, Rosé, Teddy Swims, Tommy Richman, and Tyla.
The full list of nominations can be found here.
Performers
The performance roster was announced a few days ago. Benson Boone is set to sing his recent single “Mystical Magical,” Blake Shelton will do a song from his recent album For Recreational Use Only, Gloria Estefan will deliver her first AMAs performance in over 3 decades, Gwen Stefani is performing a medley for the 20th anniversary of her album Love.Angel.Music.Baby, Reneé Rapp will make her live award show performance debut, and Lainey Wilson will give a performance before kicking off the US leg of her ongoing tour.
Additionally, JLo is also set to take the stage, and so is Janet Jackson, will will also be receiving just the third-ever Icon Award in AMAs history.
Presenters
Presenters for this year’s ceremony have yet to be announced.
Voting
If you haven’t voted already, it’s mostly too late. Voting for the majority of categories closed on May 15, but polls for Collaboration Of The Year and Social Song Of The Year will remain open through the first 30 minutes of the show. Voting is available online here.
Comeback
This is a huge year for the AMAs, as this will be the first ceremony since 2022. The show didn’t air in 2023 due to its contract with ABC expiring. There were no AMAs in 2024, either, so 2025 marks a return after skipping two years.
That’s not the only change: For the past couple decades, the AMAs have been a late-year event, usually airing in November, so May is a significant shift. Ultimately, there could be some rust to shake off with this year’s show, but the AMAs have a solid track record of delivering a top-notch show. Also, the rust appears to have already been shaken off during the AMAs anniversary special from this past September, so full steam ahead.