During the year, five music award shows trump the rest: the Grammys (the best), the Billboards (the second best), the CMAs (the best if you’re into that sort of thing), the ACMAs (the second best if you’re into that sort of thing) and the AMAs (the general crowd pleaser). So, get ready crowds who love to be pleased – your award show is right around the corner.
The 2015 American Music Awards, hosted by Jennifer Lopez, will be shown live Sunday, Nov. 22 on ABC. Dozens of A-list stars stuff the categories, which only begs the question – who will come out on top? Will Taylor Swift win everything again? Will One Direction be the not-so-dark horse that gallops in and steals her categories? Will Nicki Minaj get the satisfaction of slapping Drake’s face on her way to the winner’s podium? We’ll only know the true answers come AMA Sunday. For now, we can ponder and look into the flames burning on our fingertips and/or roses to predict the winners.
Artist of the Year
- Luke Bryan
- Ariana Grande
- Maroon 5
- Nicki Minaj
- Ed Sheeran
- Sam Smith
- *Taylor Swift*
- Meghan Trainor
- The Weeknd
- One Direction
This category is hard — very hard. Here’s the thing: Last year, 1D swept the categories and won everything the former fivesome was nominated for, including the coveted Artist of the Year. So, surely they’d be a shoo-in for another win, right? Yeah, probably not because of little miss Swift. She won Artist of the Year in 2009, 2011 and 2013, as well as the Dick Clark Award for Excellence last year (although I still have no clue what this award means). The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith are all great choices for the award too, but since it’s fan voted, they unfortunately don’t stand a chance without some sort of miracle.
New Artist of the Year
- Fetty Wap
- Sam Hunt
- Tove Lo
- WALK THE MOON
- *The Weeknd*
There’s no Swift or 1D in this category, so The Weeknd should have this win in the bag with the success he’s had this year. WALK THE MOON would be my second guess, but who knows – Fetty Wap may surprise us all.
Song of the Year
- Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth – “See You Again”
- Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars – “UpTown Funk!”
- Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud”
- *Taylor Swift – “Blank Space”*
- The Weeknd – “Can’t Feel My Face”
“Thinking Out Loud” and “Can’t Feel My Face” are the only songs in this category that haven’t surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube, so I’m going to eliminate those right away. “See You Again” was insanely popular when it first came out with the latest installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, but – oh, who am I kidding. “Blank Space” will win, even though she performed it last year. (Why is award eligibility so darn confusing?)
Collaboration of the Year
- Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth – “See You Again”
- Rihanna & Kanye West featuring Paul McCartney – “FourFiveSeconds”
- Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars – “UpTown Funk”
- *Skrillex & Diplo featuring Justin Bieber – “Where Are Ü Now”*
- Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar – “Bad Blood”
In a dramatic and spine-tingling turn of events, we’ve come to a category that I don’t think Swift will win. Yes, “Bad Blood” has a lot of views and famous people in it, but the collaboration on the song makes no sense. The addition of Lamar seems forced, and it’s extremely obvious that Swift only used him to make it seem like she’s “hip” and “hop.” If this were a perfect award show with perfect outcomes, “FourFiveSeconds” would win because, you know, one of The Beatles is on guitar. But alas, it is not a perfect award show, and Justin Bieber has more fans on social media than Sir McCartney does.
Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock
- Nick Jonas
- *Ed Sheeran*
- Sam Smith
This was a hard toss-up between Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith. (Sorry Nick, but you’re just pretty padding.) While both singer-songwriters are boasting ridiculously amazing albums, I have to pick Sheeran based on the success of the red head’s latest singles.
Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock
- Ariana Grande
- *Taylor Swift*
- Meghan Trainor
Once again, Swift is sure to win as DonutGate automatically disqualifies Ariana Grande from winning any awards labeled “American.”
Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock
- Maroon 5
- *One Direction*
- WALK THE MOON
Adam Levine totally had this one in the bag until he went Lex Luthor on us. (Jokes – #NoShaveNovember wouldn’t even help Adam beat the entity that is 1D).
Not in total disagreement with – or completely appalled by – my predictions? Then continue reading below.
Favorite Album – Pop/Rock
- Ed Sheeran – x
- Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour
- *Taylor Swift – 1989*
Favorite Male Artist – Country
- Jason Aldean
- Luke Bryan
- *Sam Hunt*
Favorite Female Artist – Country
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Miranda Lambert
- *Carrie Underwood*
Favorite Duo or Group – Country
- Zac Brown Band
- *Florida Georgia Line*
- Little Big Town
Favorite Album – Country
- Jason Aldean – Old Boots, New Dirt
- Florida Georgia Line – Anything Goes
- *Sam Hunt – Montevallo*
Favorite Artist – Rap/Hip-Hop
- *Drake*
- Fetty Wap
- Nicki Minaj
Favorite Album – Rap/Hip-Hop
- J. Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive
- *Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late*
- Nicki Minaj – The Pinkprint
Favorite Male Artist – Soul/R&B
- Chris Brown
- Trey Songz
- *The Weeknd*
Favorite Female Artist – Soul/R&B
- Beyoncé
- Mary J. Blige
- *Rihanna*
Favorite Album – Soul/R&B
- Chris Brown – X
- D’Angelo and the Vanguard – Black Messiah
- *The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness*
Favorite Artist – Alternative Rock
- Fall Out Boy
- Hozier
- *WALK THE MOON*
Favorite Artist – Adult Contemporary
- Ed Sheeran
- *Taylor Swift*
- Meghan Trainor
Favorite Artist – Latin
- *Enrique Iglesias*
- Ricky Martin
- Romeo Santos
Favorite Artist – Contemporary Inspirational
- *Casting Crowns*
- Hillsong United
- MercyMe
Favorite Artist – Electronic Dance Music (EDM)
- *Calvin Harris*
- David Guetta
- Zedd
Top Soundtrack
- Fifty Shades of Grey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Empire: Original Soundtrack from Season 1
- *Pitch Perfect 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack*
If I end up being wrong with these predictions, please don’t come at me with pitchforks. But if I end up being right, please come at me with compliments and cupcakes (chocolate on chocolate, please and thank you). So, how does my AMA forecast stack up to yours? Let me know via Twitter @courtnerz who you think will take home the night’s big honors. You can make a difference in a superstar’s life by voting for your favorites in each category here.
Photo credit: www.eonline.com