No other art form celebrates diversity better than music. From folk tunes to hip-hop beats, popular musical styles not only exemplify creativity in many forms, but also bridge different people across social and ethnic backgrounds.
The American Music Awards (AMA) best captures this celebration of myriad culture by letting the public not judges determine which stars deserve recognition. For years, the musical melting pot has lauded chart-topping performers such as King of Pop Michael Jackson, powerhouse balladeer Whitney Houston, and country-pop superstar Taylor Swift. These and others represent the spectrum of talent that has touched fans and influenced countless other musicians.
Today, the award show continues to showcase diversity with artists both from the U.S. and the world over, defying boundaries to honor what people believe is great music. Here are just some of the world’s most dazzling acts we look forward to watching at this year’s AMA.
Luis Fonsi
Luis Alfonso Rodriquez López-Cepero, better known as Luis Fonsi, has earned global recognition with his hit song “Despacito” featuring rapper and fellow Puerto Rican Daddy Yankee. The music video has garnered more than four billion views on Fonsi’s YouTube channel, with the song landing on the top spot of most Latin Billboard chart. Fonsi has received several nominations including Collaboration of the Year and Favorite Song under Pop/Rock with Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee, Video of the Year with Daddy Yankee, and Favorite Artist under the Latin category.
Khalid
Rising teen artist Khalid Amhearst Robinson was only 18 when he released his debut single “Location” in 2016. The soulful R&B hit soon received over 17 million plays on Soundcloud and 47 million streams on Spotify by March 2017, hitting Platinum as well as selling out tours in the U.S. and abroad.The young star’s breakthrough single has been nominated for this year’s Favorite Song under Soul/R&B.
Niall Horan
Singer Niall Horan was once part of Irish boy band One Direction, which already went on tours around the world and released five commercially successful albums. The now-solo artist still enjoys success, with his first debut single “This Town” peaking at number 9 on the U.K. Singles Chart, as well as number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Horan will be vying for the New Artist of the Year award in the upcoming AMA.
Alessia Cara
Even before recording “How Far I’ll Go” for the animated movie Moana, Alessia Caracciolo known professionally as Alessia Cara has been making waves with her debut single “Here.” The hit song has made it on Billboard’s 2015 list of top 20 pop songs for summer, as well as Rolling Stone’s 2015 year-end list of the best 50 songs.Cara has been nominated for this year’s Favorite Female Artist under Pop/Rock.
BTS
While not among the nominated artists for the 2017 AMA, the seven-member South Korean boy band BTS is making an appearance on the awards show to the thrill of American fans. The K-pop group is set to have its first-ever U.S. live television performance of its latest single, “DNA,” following the septet’s debut on the Billboard Hot 100.
Catch these artists and more at the 2017 American Music Awards on November 20, Monday, live from the U.S. at 9:00AM,with primetime encore at 10:20PM,on RTL CBS Entertainment.
RTL CBS Entertainment is available on SKYcable channels 53(SD) and 196(HD), SKYdirect channel 35, SKYondemand, Destiny Cable channel 53, and Cablelink channels 37(SD) and 313(HD).