Season 40
The American Music Awards show is one of several annual major American music awards shows (among the others are the Billboard Music Awards, the Grammy Awards, and the Country Music Association Awards) which honours outstanding achievements in the record industry.
The awards were created in 1973 by Dick Clark as competition to the Grammys. They are broadcast annually in the USA on ABC.
The American Music Awards previously aired in South Africa on M-Net the day after the awards ceremony in the USA. As of 2011 they air live on Channel O, with a repeat that night on Vuzu.
The 40th Annual American Music Awards aired live on Channel O on Monday 19 November 2012, at 03h00. They repeated on Vuzu on Monday 19 November 2012, at 19h30. The live special was three hours long, with the repeat edited down to two hours.
2012 Awards
It's that time of year again - the time to celebrate music at it's finest. The 40th Annual American Music Awards aired live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Channel O, with a rebroadcast on Vuzu.
Produced by Larry Klein and executive producers Orly Adelson and Barry Adelman of dick clark productions, inc., the American Music Awards once again featured a star-studded line-up of the music industry's top artists and performances, while celebrating 40 years of AMA history and memorable moments.
11-time American Music Award winner Stevie Wonder performed a tribute to the legendary Dick Clark on the show. The performance was introduced by Ryan Seacrest.
Stevie Wonder joined previously announced performers including Christina Aguilera, Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson, Carly Rae Jepsen, Carrie Underwood, Ke$ha, Linkin Park, Nicki Minaj, No Doubt, P!nk, Pitbull, Psy, Taylor Swift, Usher, The Wanted and Swizz Beatz featuring Chris Brown and Ludacris on this year's show.
The 40th Anniversary American Music Awards honours artists in the categories of Pop/Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Alternative, Adult Contemporary, Latin, Contemporary Inspirational and - for the first year ever - Electronic Dance Music.
Nicki Minaj and Rihanna both lead the awards with four nominations individually, while Drake and Justin Bieber joined Maroon 5, One Direction and Usher with three nominations each and Carrie Underwood, Chris Brown, fun., Gotye, J.Cole, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, and Pitbull all collected two nominations each.
This year's 2012 Artist of the Year nominees were Justin Bieber, Drake, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, and Rihanna. This year also marked the creation of the new Electronic Dance Music Category. Nominees included David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and Skrillex.
The awards featured a slew of big name presenters from the worlds of music, film and television including Hayden Panettiere, Ne-Yo, Ryan Seacrest, will.i.am, 50 Cent, Backstreet Boys, Brandy, Cyndi Lauper, Elisha Cuthbert, Eric Stonestreet, Ginnifer Goodwin, Heidi Klum, Jenny McCarthy, Paula Abdul and American Idol winner Phillip Phillips.
For the sixth year, fans determined the winners by online voting.
2012 Performers
Justin Bieber
Kelly Clarkson
Carly Rae Jepsen
PSY
The Wanted
Swizz Beatz featuring Chris Brown and Ludacris
Christina Aguilera
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Ke$ha
Nicki Minaj
No Doubt
Linkin Park
Pink
Pitbull
Usher
Stevie Wonder
2012 Winners
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 Pop/Rock Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Flo Rida
Pitbull
Usher
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist
Kelly Clarkson
Nicki Minaj
Katy Perry
Rihanna
Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group
fun.
Maroon 5
One Direction
The Wanted
Favorite Pop/Rock Album
Justin Bieber – Believe
Maroon 5 – Overexposed
Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
One Direction – Up All Night
Favorite Country Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Favorite Country Female Artist
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Favorite Country Album
Luke Bryan – Tailgates & Tanlines
Lionel Richie – Tuskegee
Carrie Underwood – Blown Away
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
Drake
Nicki Minaj
Tyga
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album
J. Cole – Cole World: The Sideline Story
Drake – Take Care
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige
Rihanna
Favorite Soul/R&B Album
Chris Brown – Fortune
Rihanna – Talk That Talk
Usher – Looking 4 Myself
Favorite Alternative Artist
The Black Keys
Gotye
Linkin Park
Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist
Adele
Kelly Clarkson
Train
Favorite Latin Artist
Don Omar
Pitbull
Shakira
Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist
Jeremy Camp
Newsboys
tobyMac
Favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist
David Guetta
Calvin Harris
Skrillex
About the Awards
Winners of the American Music Awards are selected by the public. A national sampling of approximately 20,000, taking into account geographic location, age, sex and ethnic origin, are sent ballots by the National Family Opinion, Inc. firm under the supervision of Broadcast Research and Consulting, Inc.
Names of the nominees on the ballot were compiled from data supplied by the music industry trade publication, Radio & Records and Nielsen Soundscan, which tracks retail music sales.
Results of the voting, tabulated by the Ernst & Young LLP accounting firm, are not announced until the envelopes are opened during the presentation ceremonies.