The AMAs took place on Monday night, with very few A list celebs in attendance. Known as the fan voted award show, the terrible turnout raised concerns about the importance of fan’s opinions to artists and award shows.
The AMA’s were hosted by Jenifer Lopez in Vegas, and were anticipated to welcome some of the biggest stars in music to walk their purple carpet. One of the biggest online conversations around the AMA’s was actually whether or not Taylor Swift would release Reputation (Taylor’s Version), but when there was minutes left of the carpet and she wasn’t even there, fans were feeling a bit less hopeful for the announcement of a new album.
But it wasn’t just Taylor that failed to show at this year’s awards. The majority of nominees were no shows including, but not limited to Billie Eilish, Chappel Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams and Kendrick Lamar. Most of these were nominated for multiple awards, and with strong fanbases, were in for a strong chance of winning, but did not make the effort to show up. BillIe Eilish was the biggest winner of the night, taking home seven awards. Well, by taking home I mean shipped to her house.
Don’t get me wrong, there were some music artists and names there, such as Renee Rapp, Benson Boone, Becky G and Kehlani, and while these artists are amazing and super talented, they are arguably not the biggest names in music right now. Even the performances, such as Rod Steward and Gloria Estefan, while both icons, are icons of the past, leaving the show lacking a modern, current and relevant feel to it. Most of the carpet was made up of influencer names, seeing Alix Earle, Tara Yummy, Tana Mongeau and James Charles on the carpet.
The AMA’s being the self-proclaimed ‘Biggest fan-voted award show in the world’, it doesn’t seem like a good look for all of these celebrities to be a no show for their award winnings. Artists often love to thank their fans for their success, but this suggests that they are beginning to care less about who has the biggest and strongest fans, and more about the ‘more prestigious’ awards and boards. This year’s Grammys had the full list of celebs in attendance, and the MTV VMA’s were consistently attended as you would expect, allowing for entertaining ceremonies. But with barely any nominees or winners in attendance, they only presented 4 awards throughout the night, making it more of a place for people to perform rather than an award show.
The AMA’s are not a small award show, it isn’t a show that is known for no one showing up, like the Razzies, where they honour the worst films and actors of the past year, so naturally people are not running to attend. The AMA’s are actually home to some iconic moments, such as Zayn winning his first solo award and referencing the fact it only has his name on it, Taylor Swift performing in 2019 a melody of her songs in the white shirt with all her album names on, hinting at her future rerecords, and Lady Gaga arriving onto the red carpet in 2013 on a mechanical horse. Big iconic moments, so this year’s lack of star power raises an important question. Why?
Ultimately, it represents to fans that their votes and their awards will never be as valuable as those chosen by the real critics. Maybe it was a coincidence, that all these artists happen to be busy at the same time, but the across the board no shows from all the most relevant names sends a clear message- the AMA’s are becoming irrelevant.
Artists, and fans, should care about the AMA’s staying around, and hope that next year has a couple more nominee’s in attendance. Artists ultimately would be anywhere without their fans, as they are the core drivers in their sales and revenue, but maybe they have become too reliant. Too trusting that their fans will always vote.
Has the AMA’s lost its prestige? Fans aren’t as fiercely loyal anymore, and are more open to critiques of their favourite artists. Which is not a negative thing, as fans should be able to see character flaws, rather than seeing them as a perfect idol. It’s okay to say that Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour book was poorly made, and felt a bit like a cash grab, that is a fair critique. But is this fairer evaluation of our favourite artists, is maybe making them less appreciative of the fan awards, and how much fans dedicate themselves to supporting them. The AMA’s are not the definitive end of fan/artist relationships, but it certainly marks a shift away from the strong bonds and unwavering love between the two.
