NEW YORK -- Post Malone is the top contender at the 2019 American Music Awards, where Taylor Swift has a chance to moonwalk past Michael Jackson's record for most wins at the show.
Dick clark productions announced Thursday that Malone scored seven nominations, while newcomer Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande each earned six nominations. Swift, who has won 23 AMAs, is up for five awards and could surpass the King of Pop, who holds the record for the most wins with 24 trophies.
The fan-voted AMAs will air live Nov. 24 on ABC from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Swift, Malone and Grande, along with Drake and Halsey, are nominated for the top prize: artist of the year.
Malone's nominations include favourite male pop/rock artist, favourite rap/hip-hop artist, favourite rap/hip-hop album for "Hollywood's Bleeding" and favourite rap/hip-hop song for "Wow." His massive hit with Swae Lee, "Sunflower" from the Oscar-winning animated film "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," is up for favourite pop/rock song and collaboration of the year.
Swift will compete for favourite female pop/rock artist, favourite adult contemporary artist, favourite pop/rock album for "Lover" and favourite music video for her equal rights anthem, "You Need to Calm Down."
Though Lizzo scored three nominations, her hit "Truth Hurts" -- which is currently spending its seventh week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart -- is absent (the AMA nominees reflect the time period of Sept. 28, 2018 through Sept. 26, 2019.
Lizzo's nominations include favourite soul/R&B song for "Juice" and favourite female soul/R&B artist, pitting her against Beyonce and Ella Mai. Though she released her first album in 2013, Lizzo did pick up a new artist of the year nomination, and she has some stiff competition. Nominees include Eilish, arguably the year's top breakthrough act; Lil Nas X, whose hit "Old Town Road" is the longest-running No. 1 hit in the history of the Billboard charts; Luke Combs, who has dominated the country charts and launched multiple No. 1 hits; and Mai, who won a Grammy in her debut year and topped several R&B charts.
"Old Town Road" is the gift that keeps on giving -- it helped Lil Nas X score five AMA nominations and gives Billy Ray Cyrus, who picked up four nods, a chance of winning his first AMA in 26 years (he won two awards in 1993).
DJ-producer Avicii earned a posthumous nomination for favourite electronic dance music artist, K-pop all-stars BTS picked up three nominations, while Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper earned two nominations, including collaboration of the year for "Shallow" and favourite soundtrack for "A Star Is Born," which will compete with "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."
