Olivia Rodrigo leads 2021 American Music Awards’ nominations

Nominations were announced on Thursday for the 2021 American Music Awards, with teenage pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo pitted for the top prize against fan favorites like Taylor Swift, BTS and Drake. The 18-year-old American singer-songwriter, who topped the charts with her debut single, ‘Drivers License,’ in 2021 has earned nominations in seven categories including artist of the year, best new artist, and favorite pop song. She won the  Best New Artist of the Year Award at the MTV Video Music Awards 2021 in September.

Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd trails with six nominations, while Doja Cat, reggaeton star Bad Bunny and first-time nominee R&B singer Giveon have received five nods each.

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American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish didn’t cut the nominations list despite releasing her second album in July. Kanye West, whose “Donda” album had the biggest first-week sales of 2021, has been nominated for favorite gospel artist.

Rodrigo, The Weeknd, K-Pop band BTS, rapper Drake and Ariana Grande will be up against Swift, who last year won the artist of the year title for a record sixth time.

The fan-voted award shows will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles in Los Angeles, United States on November 21 on ABC. Hulu will stream the event next day.

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The nominations are based on performances on the Billboard music charts, streaming and album sales, radio play and social media engagement.

First-time nominees, including rappers Saweetie, 24kGoldn and the late Pop Smoke, dominated the list. Silk Sonic, the new R&B duo formed in March by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, got three nods including favorite pop duo or group.

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In a first, fans can vote for all AMA categories on TikTok by searching for “AMAs” in-app.

BTS, whose single “Butter,” ruled the Billboard singles charts for 10 weeks this past summer, will compete in three categories – artist of the year, favorite pop group, and favorite pop song.