The American Music Awards took place on Sunday, November 19th in Los Angeles, California. Different artists of varying musical genres were nominated; from Drake, to Keith Urban, to Niall Horan, and Linkin Park. For this year’s award show, star of ABC’s Blackish, Tracee Ellis Ross hosted the event. Her outfit changes were extraordinary!

There were many things that fans of the AMAs were looking forward to. Appearances and performances from their favorite artists increase the fans’ already tremendous excitement. A K-Pop boy band showcased their debut American award show performance. It was (as many teenagers like to say) lit! The positive energy they brought was definitely felt throughout their performance. Former Disney star Selena Gomez performed her song “Wolves”, and Demi Lovato displayed her talent by singing “Sorry Not Sorry” from her most recent album Tell Me You Love Me.

In honor of the late Whitney Houston and the film she starred in, The Bodyguard, singer Christina Aguilera performed songs from the movie’s soundtrack. Unfortunately, she left many to be a little disappointed in her performance. Certain artists were not afraid to show their disappointment in Aguilera’s performance. Hint, hint: Watch the awards again, if you missed it!

         The nominees of the Artist of the Year award were: The Chainsmokers, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran. Aaaannd…Bruno Mars won Artist of the Year! He definitely deserved the win. The songs he released this year are upbeat, and catchy. Who wouldn’t want him to win? A hater. Congratulations to him for also winning more than one award that night. Former One Direction member, Niall Horan won Best New Artist. “Paparazzi” singer, Lady Gaga won Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. Both Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood won Favorite Country Male/Female Artist award. Kendrick Lamar’s newest album won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist! We should all take his famous words into consideration: “Sit down… be humble!” Many people’s absolute favorite, Shakira won Favorite Latin Artist! DJ Khaled’s song “I’m the One,” featuring Chance the Rapper, Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne, and Quavo won the Favorite Song award. Queen Bey could not be forgotten for the event. She won the Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist award. And the Favorite Soundtrack award went to…MOANA! The amount of success this Disney movie has achieved is remarkable.

The legendary Diana Ross was honored with the “American Music Lifetime Achievement” Award. Her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren attended the event to show their support. Her son, Evan Ross presented the award to her. As she was speaking, she said,”Every step in [her] life was necessary, and complete, and perfect.” It was just a beautiful thing to watch. Diana Ross’s family took time to show their love and support, displaying a prime example of the age-old saying:  “family is everything.” It is amazing to see people of different backgrounds be recognized for their hard work and dedication. They’re sharing their talents with us, and all we can do is sit back and support them. Congratulations to all the nominees, especially those who actually won!