AMA Artist of the Year Winners from 2010-16 and What They’re Up To These Days
Every year, the American Music Awards, more commonly known as the AMAs, are held to honor the best achievements in the American music industry during the past year. In contrast to an award show like the Grammy’s, the winners of the AMAs are determined by fans and the public at large. The nominees for each category are listed online on the AMA website and people vote for who they think is the most deserving recipient of each award.
Since 1996, the AMAs have introduced a very prestigious award: Artist of the Year. In the past six years, we’ve seen some of the biggest acts in the music industry take home this award.
Here are the winners of the AMA Artist of the Year award from 2010 to 2016 and where fans can expect to see them.
Ariana Grande (2016)
On 20 November 2016, Ariana Grande won the Artist of the Year award at the 2016 AMA’s. As she fought back tears, the young singer profusely thanked all of her fans for their support and continuing devotion to her music.
The win highlighted what a huge year it had been for Grande. In March, she released the first single from her upcoming third full length studio album, Dangerous Woman. The title track debuted at the number 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. This marked a significant accomplishment for Grande, because it made her the first artist in history to have the lead single from all three of her albums to debut in the top 10 of this chart.
In the lead up to her May release for the album, Grande was a musical guest on Saturday Night Live where she also premiered her second single, “Be Alright.” She also appeared on season finale of The Voice season 10, where she performed a duet with Christina Aguilera.
When the album was finally released, it debut at the number 2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart and topped music charts in over twelve other countries, including the UK. In August, she would release her third single from the album, “Side to Side”, which features Nicki Minaj.
Fans of Ariana Grande who want to see her live in concert are in luck. The highly acclaimed pop star will be performing on the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour at the end of 2016 and in 2017 she will be heading out on a massive worldwide Dangerous Woman Tour.
One Direction (2014, 2015)
One Direction is one of the most popular pop boy bands of this generation. It came as no surprise that in 2014 and 2015 (two very big years for the band), they were the recipients of the AMA Artist of the Year award. This was the period in which they released the albums Four and Made in the A.M.
Following the departure of Zayn Malik, the remaining four members have taken some time off and One Direction is currently still on hiatus. Keep a look out for when the band returns to the spotlight; tour dates will surely follow.
Justin Bieber (2010, 2012)
Justin Bieber has won numerous awards and accolades over the course of his relatively short career. Since the start of his career, he has been nominated for fourteen American Music Awards and won twelve of them.
In 2010, Bieber won his first AMA Artist of the Year Award. This was a huge year for the teen pop icon due to the release of his debut album, My World 2.0. The album featured massive hits such as ‘Baby’ featuring Ludacris, ‘Never Let You Go’ and ‘U Smile’. Each of these hits became chart-toppers across the globe and helped Bieber expand his fan base. When his album was released, it debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart and made him the youngest male solo artist to top the chart since Stevie Wonder, who achieved the same feat in 1963. Considering all of his accomplishments in 2010, it came as no surprise that Bieber won Artist of the Year.
In 2012, Justin Bieber would win his second Artist of the Year award at the AMAs. This was the year that Bieber would release his third full length studio album, Believe. This was his first album that incorporated many different musical elements including dance and R&B.
When the album was released, it too debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart and eventually went on to become the sixth best-selling album in the world in 2012.
For anyone interested in seeing Bieber live, he’ll be performing numerous shows in the remainder of 2016 as well as in 2017. Currently, the Canadian pop star is on the Purpose World Tour which will see him perform in cities all across the globe.
During the holiday season, he will also be performing at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, the 99.7 Triple Ho Show, and Z100’s Jingle Ball.
Taylor Swift (2011, 2013)
Taylor Swift is an artist who is always under the spotlight. Say what you will about her, but this pop star knows how to top music charts worldwide. Since 2007, Swift has received 25 nominations at the American Music Awards and won 19. In 2011 and 2013, she was also the recipient of the highly coveted Artist of the Year AMA Award.
In 2011, Taylor Swift was riding on the success of the release of her third full length studio album, Speak Now. When the album was released, it debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and has since gone on to be certified quadruple platinum in the United States. Ten of the tracks off of the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart earning Swift an entry in the Guinness World Record and making her the first female artist to achieve such a feat.
In 2013, Swift won the award after an extremely successful year following the release of Red, her fourth studio album. The album debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart and was a huge commercial success all over the world.
After taking a break from touring following her 1989 tour, Swift is expected to hit the road again in 2017. Keep a look out for tour announcements so you can get your tickets.
