Snubs & Surprises at 2025 American Music Awards

Yahoo

4 days ago

There were some genuine surprises at the 2025 American Music Awards. Billie Eilish won in all seven categories in which she was nominated, including artist of the year, which had gone to fellow nominee Taylor Swift seven times between 2009 and 2022. The 51st AMAs were presented on Monday (May 26) at Fontainebleau Las Vegas in a fast-paced, two-hour ceremony hosted by Jennifer Lopez.
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Eilish won new artist of the year at the AMAs six years ago. Eilish is the third AMA new artist of the year winner to go on to win the artist of the year prize, following Carrie Underwood and Ariana Grande. Underwood won the new artist prize in 2006 and the top artist award one year later. Grande won the new artist prize in 2013 and the top artist award in 2016.
This was the first regular American Music Awards broadcast in two-and-a-half years; the first that aired on CBS (the show aired on ABC from 1974-2022), and the first not to be held in the Los Angeles area.
Some of the awards went exactly as expected. Dan + Shay won favorite country group for the fifth consecutive time. Bad Bunny and Becky G kept up their long winning streaks in Latin categories. SZA won a pair of awards – favorite female R&B artist and favorite R&B song for 'Saturn.' And Tyla won favorite Afrobeats artist.
But you wouldn't have an awards show without snubs and surprises, and there were some big ones at this year's AMAs. Take a look.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
Swift has won a record 40 American Music Awards, but she didn't add to her collection this year, despite six nominations. It's the first time she has been shut out at the AMAs since 2007, when she was nominated in one category (favorite country female artist), but lost to Carrie Underwood. Swift lost in five of those six categories this year – artist of the year, album of the year, favorite touring artist, favorite female pop artist and favorite pop album – to Billie Eilish.
Swift had lots of company among artists who received large numbers of nominations but didn't win this year. Chappell Roan and Shaboozey were shut out despite seven nominations each. Sabrina Carpenter matched Swift's record of going 0-6 on the night.
Eilish won artist of the year for the first time, beating Taylor Swift, who had won a record seven times in the category. Eilish's latest album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 behind Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, becoming Eilish's first studio album to fall short of No. 1. In a way, this surprise outcome helps make up for that.
Lamar led all nominees with 10 nominations, but won just one award – favorite hip-hop song for 'Not Like Us.' He lost two key awards – favorite make hip-hop artist and favorite hip-hop album to Eminem. 'Luther,' his megahit collab with SZA which has logged 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, lost collaboration of the year to Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars' 'Die With a Smile,' which had five weeks on top.
Abrams won new artist of the year. Her win was a surprise because she had just two total nominations – fewer than anyone else in the category. Of the other nominees in the category, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey each had seven total nods, followed by Benson Boone with five, Teddy Swims with four and Tommy Richman with three. Chappell Roan also seemed to be the favorite because she was the only new artist of the year nominee who was competing in the overall artist of the year category. Abrams was a Grammy nominee for best new artist in 2024. Roan, Shaboozey, Boone and Swims were all Grammy-nominated in that category this year, with Roan taking home the award.
In some categories, long-time favorite made surprise wins. Eminem beat Kendrick Lamar for favorite male hip-hop artist and favorite hip-hop album; Lady Gaga beat Charli xcx for favorite dance/electronic artist; and Twenty One Pilots beat Hozier and Zach Bryan for favorite rock artist.
Arcane Leage of Legends: Season 2 won favorite soundtrack, beating Wicked: The Soundtrack, the companion album to the top-grossing film based on a Broadway musical. The outcome was especially surprising because Ariana Grande, one of the lead artists on Wicked, was nominated for artist of the year. It's the second time a TV soundtrack has won in this category. Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers won in 2010.
Fuerza Regida had three nominations this year, more than any other group or duo from any genre. (Linkin Park and Twenty One Pilots shared second place, with two nods each.) Yet Fuerza Regida was shut out in all three categories – favorite Latin duo or group, favorite Latin album and favorite Latin song. Their losses to Bad Bunny for favorite Latin album and Shakita for favorite Latin song were not surprises, but their loss to Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda for favorite Latin duo or group was a surprise.
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