The date is closing in on one of the biggest music awards nights of the year, the AMAs, on 24 November.
Some of the top names in the industry are nominated in categories including ‘Collaboration of the Year,’ and ‘Tour of the Year.’ But here at WhatsOn we like to keep our eye on the future, and so are focusing our attention on the nominees for ‘New Artist of the Year.’
Here is our rundown of the exciting new talent that is up for this award:
Luke Combs: An American country singer-songwriter born in Charlotte, North Carolina. His songs ‘Beautiful Crazy,’ and ‘When It Rains It Pours,’ hit No.1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. He has won many awards in recent years since rising in popularity, such as the CMT Music Award for CMT Performance of the Year, and the iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Country Artist.
Billie Eilish: Born into a family already big in the world of entertainment, Billie began her career basically when she was born: dancing, singing, and writing music. However, it was at the age of only 13 that her career really accelerated. She released ‘ocean eye,’ (produced by fellow musician, her brother Finneas O’Connell) on SoundCloud. This song was pretty much unintentional, made only for her dance teacher who wanted to choreograph a dance routine. But within hours the song blew up; views sky-rocketed, and websites wrote articles on it. The rest is history! Read our special feature on Billie’s success here.
Lil Nas X: ‘Old Town Road.’ That’s all I need to say. Lil Nas’ song broke records, sitting on the throne of the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 weeks. This is the longest a song has ever stayed at No.1 in the 61 years of the Hot 100. If that doesn’t sound great enough, which I’m sure it is, then his song has also been streamed over 130 million times in the U.S alone. Nas hasn’t slowed down either; he continues to rise, producing multiple songs, plus he has recently come out about his sexuality, becoming an important role model.
Lizzo: As an American singer-songwriter, rapper and actress, Lizzo began her career as a recording artist when moving to Minneapolis. ‘Truth hurts,’ became Lizzo’s first No.1 hit on the Billboard’s Hot 100, appealing to ages old and young. Lizzo didn’t just come out the blue; she worked hard, starting in a group of friends called the ‘Cornrow Clique.’ She then moved to Minnesota to work on her music career, and over the years began touring shows and gaining followers. She kept on rising, kept on climbing the ladder, gathering fans until becoming a commercial success. Read our special feature on Lizzo’s rise to fame here.
Ella Mai: Ella Mai is an English singer-songwriter known mostly for her single ‘Boo’d Up’ which peaked at No.5 on Billboard’s Hot 100. She used the power of social media to boost her music career’s popularity, streaming on SoundCloud and posting on Instagram. She was then noticed by DJ Mustard and offered a contract with ‘10 Summers Records.’ This really kicked off her career and in recent years she has released music on a commercial level and been rewarded many awards, such as receiving the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, and BET Award for Viewer’s Choice.
Who is up for ‘New Artist’ at the American Music Awards?
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