One for the books! The 2020 American Music Awards on Sunday, November 22, abided by health and safety regulations amid the coronavirus pandemic, but that didn’t stop the A-list performances and star-studded appearances.
Ladies ruled the big night. Taylor Swift won artist of the year, Doja Cat was awarded new artist of the year and Becky G went home with the award for favorite female Latin artist, a first-time category for the AMAs.
Leading in nominations was The Weeknd and Roddy Ricch, who both had eight nominations each. The “Starboy” artist walked away with three awards while the hip-hop star won one.
The performances were each unique and fun to watch. Katy Perry took the stage for the first time since giving birth to her daughter, Daisy Dove, to sing a gorgeous duet of “Only Love” with Darius Rucker. She dedicated the sweet performance to her father.
Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes opened the show with their new single “Monster.” The “Sorry” artist also performed two of his newer singles “Lonely” and “Holy” during the event. In addition, Jennifer Lopez dazzled in a sexy performance with Maluma, and Megan Thee Stallion took the stage for an unforgettable performance of “Body.”
One of the most standout moments came when Taylor made an uplifting announcement while accepting Artist of the Year. The “Lover” singer was absent from the show, despite winning the biggest accolade of the night, because she was “recording all of [her] old music in the studio where [she] originally recorded it.”
“It’s been amazing, and I can’t wait for you to hear it,” the “Cardigan” singer explained via video.
Taylor has been in an ongoing battle with music manager Scooter Braun because his company purchased her music catalog last year from her former label. Earlier this month, the “Blank Space” artist released a lengthy message revealing Scooter sold her work and “would never even quote [her] team a price.” She only caught wind of the sale when private equity company Shamrock Holdings sent a letter saying they had purchased her music, videos and album art.
“This was the second time my music had been sold without my knowledge,” the “Style” artist said at the time. “The letter told me that they wanted to reach out before the sale to let me know, but that Scooter Braun had required that they make no contact with me or my team, or the deal would be off.” Redoing her catalog of previous work is a way for her to regain ownership.
A lot happened during the 2020 AMAs, keep scrolling to see the must-see moments!