Taylor Swift is having a big week: She first broke her long-standing refusal to discuss politics Sunday and now she’s going to give her first awards show performance in three years at the American Music Awards.
The pop star will open Tuesday night’s show at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, which airs live on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern. Other performers include Cardi B with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, twenty one pilots and Jennifer Lopez. The show will also pay tribute to Aretha Franklin, who died in August.
Swift is nominated for the top prize — artist of the year — where she will compete with Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Post Malone and Drake, who ties with Cardi B for most nominations with eight.
Due to their success on the pop and rap charts, Drake and Cardi B earned nominations in both the pop/rock and rap/hip-hop categories. In the rap/hip-hop and pop/rock categories, Drake is up for favorite male artist, favorite album and favorite song with “God’s Plan.” He has the year’s top-selling album with “Scorpion” and also scored three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Cardi B’s collaboration with Bruno Mars, the remix of “Finesse,” earned two nominations and she also earned nods for favorite social artist and favorite music video, among others. Her album, “Invasion of Privacy,” was surprisingly shut of the favorite rap/hip-hop album category.
Rapper-singer XXXTentacion, a streaming juggernaut before his death in June and afterward, earned nominations for new artist of the year and favorite soul/R&B album for his 2017 debut, “17.” He won best new artist at the BET Hip-Hop Awards this month.
Sheeran and Malone, who will perform with Ty Dolla $ign, each earned six nominations. Other performers include Shawn Mendes with Zedd, Camila Cabello, Ciara with Missy Elliott, Ella Mai, Panic! at the Disco, Dua Lipa and Benny Blanco with Halsey and Khalid.
The Queen of Soul will be remembered with a performance by Gladys Knight, Ledisi, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin and CeCe Winans. The musicians will pay tribute to her gospel roots and her iconic album, “Amazing Grace.”
Golden Globe-winning “black-ish” actress Tracee Ellis Ross will host the fan-voted show. Presenters include Tyra Banks, Chloe x Halle, Macaulay Culkin, Sara Gilbert, Heidi Klum, Lenny Kravitz, John Stamos, Amandla Stenberg, The Chainsmokers and Rami Malek.