What to Expect From the 2014 American Music Awards

Published at 9:07 am, November 23, 2014

EastIdahoNews.com Staff

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready ...

Pitbull Productions, Inc./Greg Watermann(NEW YORK) — The 2014 American Music Awards kick off Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, and the show’s executive producer said that if you don’t tune in as soon as the show starts, you’ll be missing something “huge” and “outrageous.”

“Trust me. Don’t come into the show at 8:10 p.m. Don’t do that. You better start at 8 p.m., ’cause I ain’t holdin’ nothin’ back. … It’s gonna open up with a huge ‘wow,'” AMA executive producer Larry Klein told ABC News. “And it’s gonna go for three hours and end with a big ‘wow.'”

With 18 musical performances from the likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde, 5 Seconds of Summer and many more, it’s no wonder that the show will be a huge production. Klein said the challenge every year is trying to make sense out of many diverse performances.

“The show represents all the different genres of music, so you got rap and hip-hop and country and R&B and pop and rock,” he said. “And what you have to do is try to make all those things blend together into one, three-hour, cohesive show. That’s a challenge.”

He added, “I think what we’re doing is just representing what pop culture is in today’s world. Listen to any radio station — I don’t care what the station is — the songs you hear on those radio stations you’ll be seeing Sunday night with the artists performing them.”

With all this talk of the performances, it’s hard to remember that trophies will be handed out, as well. But, as Klein said, that’s really not the main attraction and it never has been, as per instructions from the show’s creator, the late Dick Clark.

“We’re an awards show like other awards shows, but Dick Clark always said, ‘We’re an entertainment show. Entertainment first, awards second,'” he said. “Awards mean a lot, but what Dick Clark created was a show that was for the masses, for the public to enjoy, to watch. It’s the world’s biggest fan-based show. We have 18 performers on the show. I always think of it as 18 little miniseries in a three-hour show.”

The show will be hosted by Pitbull, and Klein explained why he’s such a great host.

“He brings energy like you can’t imagine, and I want people to understand that when you see Pit on stage with his energy, please don’t think he’s doing that for television,” Klein said. “I hang out with Pit a lot. He’s one of my best friends. We’re at a restaurant, he has that same energy; we’re driving in a car, he has that same energy. So, please, you gotta understand: What you see on stage — he’s like that 24/7!”

Charli XCX is nominated for Single of the Year for “Fancy,” her smash collaboration with Iggy Azalea.

“I don’t do this for, like, awards, or, like, award wins, or whatever,” she told ABC News. “You know, of course, I’m very grateful but it’s just like … I’d rather be in the studio, I guess. But of course, I’m very thankful.”

Fergie is one of many artists debuting new music on the show and admitted it’s pretty nerve-wracking to sing a new song on TV for the first time.

“But that’s when I remind myself what the song’s about. It’s about having a good time and it’s about spreading the love — and I gotta take my own advice!” she said.

Here are the nominees:

Artist of the Year

Iggy Azalea
Beyoncé
Luke Bryan
One Direction
Katy Perry

New Artist of the Year Presented By Kohl’s

5 Seconds of Summer
Iggy Azalea
Bastille
Sam Smith
Meghan Trainor

Single of the Year

Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX, “Fancy”
John Legend, “All of Me”
MAGIC!, “Rude”
Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J, “Dark Horse”
Pharrell Williams, “Happy”

Favorite Male Artist — Pop/Rock

John Legend
Sam Smith
Pharrell Williams

Favorite Female Artist — Pop/Rock

Iggy Azalea
Lorde
Katy Perry

Favorite Band, Duo or Group — Pop/Rock

Imagine Dragons
One Direction
OneRepublic

Favorite Album — Pop/Rock

Lorde, Pure Heroine
One Direction, Midnight Memories
Katy Perry, Prism

Favorite Male Artist — Country

Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Blake Shelton

Favorite Female Artist — Country

Miranda Lambert
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood

Favorite Band, Duo or Group — Country

Eli Young Band
Florida Georgia Line
Lady Antebellum

Favorite Album — Country

Garth Brooks, Blame It On My Roots: Five Decades of Influences
Eric Church, The Outsiders
Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am

Favorite Artist — Rap/Hip-Hop

Iggy Azalea
Drake
Eminem

Favorite Album — Rap/Hip-Hop

Iggy Azalea, The New Classic
Drake, Nothing Was The Same
Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP 2

Favorite Male Artist — Soul/R&B

Chris Brown
John Legend
Pharrell Williams

Favorite Female Artist — Soul/R&B

Jhene Aiko
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige

Favorite Album — Soul/R&B

Beyoncé, Beyoncé
John Legend, Love in the Future
Pharrell Williams, G I R L