| 42nd Annual American Music Awards | |
| Date: | November 23, 2014 |
| Ratings: | 11.61 million |
| Runtime: | 180 minutes |
| Website: | ABC-American Music Awards |
| Most Awards: | Katy Perry (3 wins) |
| Most Nominations: | Iggy Azalea (6) |
| Previous: | 2013 |
| Next: | 2015 |
The 42nd Annual American Music Awards ceremony was held on November 23, 2014, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California.[1] The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums of 2014. Iggy Azalea led the nominees with six categories.[2] It was broadcast live on ABC.[3] Pitbull was announced as a host on October 20, 2014. NSYNC's Lance Bass, Chelsea Briggs, Kandi Burruss, Gavin DeGraw, Frankie Grande, Taryn Manning, Jordin Sparks, Morgan Stewart and Ted Stryker were all announced co-hosts of the pre-show on November 7, 2014.[4] [5]
The special received 11.61 million viewers, the fourth-most that night.[6]
| Artist(s) | Song(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-show | ||
| Becky G | "Can't Stop Dancin'" | |
| Ella Henderson | "Ghost" | |
| Katy Tiz | "The Big Bang" | |
| Mary Lambert | "Secrets" | |
| R5 | "Smile" | |
| Main Show[7] [8] [9] | ||
| Taylor Swift | "Blank Space" | |
| Charli XCX | "Boom Clap" "Break the Rules" | |
| Wyclef Jean Magic! | "Rude" | |
| 5 Seconds of Summer | "What I Like About You" | |
| Imagine Dragons | "I Bet My Life" | |
| Sam Smith ASAP Rocky | "I'm Not the Only One" | |
| Iggy Azalea Charli XCX | "Fancy" "Beg for It" | |
| Lorde | "Yellow Flicker Beat" | |
| Ariana Grande The Weeknd | "Problem" "Break Free" "Love Me Harder" | |
| Pitbull Ne-Yo | "Don't Stop the Party" "Fireball" "Time of Our Lives" | |
| Selena Gomez | "The Heart Wants What It Wants" | |
| One Direction | "Night Changes" | |
| Lil Wayne Christina Milian | "Start a Fire" | |
| Nicki Minaj Skylar Grey | "Bed of Lies" | |
| Fergie YG DJ Mustard | "L.A. Love (La La)" | |
| Chopstick Brothers | "Little Apple" | |
| Garth Brooks | "People Loving People" | |
| Mary J. Blige | "Therapy" | |
| Jessie J Ariana Grande Nicki Minaj | "Bang Bang" | |
| Jennifer Lopez Iggy Azalea | "Booty" | |
The nominations were announced on October 13, 2014, by Jason Derulo and Charli XCX.[2]
| Artist of the Year | New Artist of the Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist | Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist | |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group | Favorite Pop/Rock Album | |
| Favorite Country Male Artist | Favorite Country Female Artist | |
| Favorite Country Duo or Group | Favorite Country Album | |
| ||
| Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist | Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album | |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist | Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | |
| ||
| Favorite Soul/R&B Album | Favorite Alternative Artist | |
| ||
| Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist | ||
| Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist | Favorite EDM Artist | |
| Single of the Year | Top Soundtrack | |
| valign"top" | |
| International Song Award | International Artist Award | |
| valign"top" | |
| Dick Clark Award for Excellence | ||