- Thursday, April 24, 2025
By: Vibhuti Pathak
The 2025 American Music Awards are shaping up to be a standout celebration of music excellence, with Kendrick Lamar leading the pack with an impressive 10 nominations. The announcement, made on Wednesday, highlights Lamar’s sweeping presence across major categories, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for GNX.
Known for his lyrical prowess and cultural impact, Lamar has the chance to more than triple his current AMA wins—he has just three trophies to date—if he dominates all eight categories he’s competing in.
Trailing closely is Post Malone, fresh off a successful Coachella headlining performance, earning eight nominations. Following him are Billie Eilish, rising pop provocateur Chappell Roan, and genre-blending artist Shaboozey, each scoring seven nods and establishing themselves as significant forces in this year’s music conversation.
Taylor Swift, long considered a fixture at the AMAs and already holding the record with 40 wins, is also in the mix with six nominations. She’s joined in that category count by big names such as Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, and SZA.
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The awards show, which returns live to CBS and Paramount+ on May 26 (Memorial Day) from Las Vegas, promises an exciting evening of performances and fan-driven wins. Hosted by global superstar Jennifer Lopez, the 2025 edition of the AMAs features several newly introduced categories, including all-genre Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Social Song of the Year—highlighting the growing impact of viral hits and fan engagement online.
The Artist of the Year category is packed with ten nominees: Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Kendrick Lamar, Morgan Wallen, Post Malone, Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, Taylor Swift, and Zach Bryan. This all-star list reflects a diverse blend of pop, hip-hop, country, and alternative rock influences dominating the charts.
The New Artist of the Year contenders are equally exciting, with breakout artists Benson Boone, Chappell Roan, Gracie Abrams, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims, and Tommy Richman battling it out for the coveted title.
Kendrick Lamar’s nomination list also includes Song of the Year for his smash “Not Like Us” and Collaboration of the Year for “Luther” with SZA. Notably, he’s a triple contender in the Favorite Hip-Hop Song category, a rare feat shared with few artists in AMA history. If he were to sweep, Lamar would tie icons Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston for the most AMA wins in a single night.
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Major names also populate the Album of the Year nominations. Among the frontrunners: Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Charli XCX’s BRAT, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion, and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department.
The Song of the Year list includes viral hits and genre-spanning favorites, such as “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone, “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, “Too Sweet” by Hozier, and the chart-topper “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey.
Post Malone’s hit duet with Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help,” appears in multiple categories, including Collaboration of the Year and Favorite Country Song, underscoring the blurred lines between pop, country, and hip-hop in 2025’s music landscape.
Social Song of the Year, a new category reflecting songs that gained traction through platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, includes viral sensations like “Hot to Go!” by Chappell Roan, “Anxiety” by Doechii, and “Million Dollar Baby” by Tommy Richman.
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The Favorite Touring Artist nominees celebrate massive global acts including Billie Eilish, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift, and Zach Bryan, highlighting the return of large-scale live music events post-pandemic.
Pop, country, hip-hop, R&B, Latin, rock, and dance genres all see strong representation in individual artist and album categories. Beyoncé, notably, makes a splash in both pop and country divisions, reflecting her genre-bending project Cowboy Carter.
Additionally, international genres are gaining stronger footholds. The AMAs have included dedicated categories for K-pop and Afrobeats, with artists like Jimin, ROSÉ, Tems, and Tyla receiving nominations, signaling the global direction of music consumption and fan interest.
Interestingly, this year’s AMAs have removed previously longstanding categories like Favorite Inspirational Artist and Favorite Gospel Artist, ending a 20-year streak of honoring religious genres.
The American Music Awards, produced by Dick Clark Productions (co-owned by PMC, parent company of Variety), rely on fan votes to determine winners. Fans can vote now through May 15 via VoteAMAs.com or the official AMAs Instagram page.
With an all-star roster, new categories, and Kendrick Lamar on the verge of making history, the 2025 AMAs are set to deliver a show fans won’t forget.
