Queen Latifah Hosts AMAs as Breakthrough Categories Reshape the Night

The American Music Awards returned on Memorial Day Monday with Queen Latifah hosting for the first time in three decades. The ceremony added 11 new categories this year, a structural change that tilted the spotlight toward artists still defining their place in the mainstream.

Taylor Swift led all nominees with eight nods for The Life of a Showgirl and its singles, including “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Elizabeth Taylor.” But it was the seven nominations each for Sabrina Carpenter, Morgan Wallen, and first-timers Olivia Dean and Sombr that shaped the evening’s texture. Dean and Sombr faced off directly in New Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and the freshly minted Breakthrough Album of the Year. That kind of overlap at a major televised event is rare for performers this early in their commercial arc. It suggests a deliberate effort by the AMAs to track the edges of pop, R&B, and alternative songwriting more closely.

The rest of the field spanned global heavyweights (Bad Bunny, BTS, Lady Gaga) and streaming-era successes (PinkPantheress, Shaboozey, Tyla). New categories like Best Throwback Song and Breakout Tour gave the broadcast room to reflect on catalog depth and live momentum. Still, the story that lingered wasn’t about the established names. It was about a pair of newcomers who turned seven nominations into a moment that felt chosen, not automatic.