The 2014 AMAs were held on Sunday, November 23, 2014. It began hours earlier with the red carpet, and the actual show followed a few hours later. On the red carpet, many celebrities were seen waving to their fans when they were not being taken aside for interviews on their latest single or latest movie, who they are looking forward to seeing perform, and just to discuss how excited they were for the show that night. Many singers were seen performing on side stages next to the red carpet, with Ella Henderson singing her latest single "Ghost" and Fifth Harmony performing "Sledgehammer" only to name a few. The fans and celebrities who walked the carpet were clearly excited for all that was going to go down later that night in the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, the excitement reflected through their smiles and waves to the cameras and audience.
Among the most talked about performances included Taylor Swift, Five Seconds of Summer, Sam Smith, Charli XCX, Lorde, One Direction, Mary J Blige, Ariana Grande, among many others. Taylor Swift opened the show with her newest single "Blank Space," acting out the role of an insane girlfriend who reveals her wild side in the song. Swift looked stunning and her performance was flawless, making it appear as if she was acting in a movie about her life. Swift also received the first ever Dick Clark Award For Excellence, an award given to an artist who had groundbreaking feats. Swift, whose latest album 1989 was titled the highest selling album of 2014, put her at the top of the list, and she clearly deserved to win this award. Another performer that took me by surprise was Charli XCX. Her song "Boom Clap," featured in the worldwide famous movie The Fault in Our Stars and played on the radio 24/7 was sung and then transitioned into a darker performance of "Break The Rules." Charli XCX was amazing, and she surpassed my original expectations of her. Lorde was also outstanding; her TV debut of "Yellow Flicker Beat," featured in the movie Mockingjay Part 1 was intense, and the ending was breathtaking. Lorde's act of smearing her lipstick combined with her icy stare concluded her performance well, and everyone gave her a standing ovation.
One of the most anticipated performances however, was Five Seconds of Summer. As they are my favorite band presently, I was shocked when they stated they were not going to sing their hits songs "Amnesia," "She Looks So Perfect," or their latest single "Good Girls." Instead they opted to sing their fan favorite song, "What I Like About You" by The Romantics. Needless to say, they were perfect. Their vocals were on point, and they had the audience engaged even before their performance, with die hard fans screaming when the band was being introduced. Five Seconds of Summer also picked up the award for New Artist Of The Year. They were clearly shocked to receive their award as they were up against other rising artists such as Sam Smith and Meghan Trainor; however their speech was amusing and they heartily thanked their fans via Instagram, Twitter, etc. right after the show concluded.
Selena Gomez was also stunning. In her performance of "Heart Wants What It Wants," she was clearly emotional, but she put all her emotion into the performance, and it worked out well. The audience was captivated by her emotional performance, and Gomez kept it together well, singing beautifully despite tearing up and barely being able to get the lyrics out in the end. Taylor Swift and Lorde were seen clapping heartily at the end, clearly moved by Gomez's soulful performance.
Many other performers took the stage, however there is not enough space on this blog to write about everything and discuss the winners. So, here is a list of all the 2014 winners:
Artist Of The Year: One Direction
New Artist Of The Year: 5 Seconds of Summer
Single Of The Year: Katy Perry featuring Juicy J - "Dark Horse"
Dick Clark Award For Excellence: Taylor Swift
Favorite Male Artist Pop/Rock: Sam Smith
Favorite Female Artist Pop/Rock: Katy Perry
Favorite Band, Duo, Group Pop/Rock: One Direction
Favorite Album Pop/Rock: One Direction - "Midnight Memories"
Favorite Male Artist Country: Luke Bryan
Favorite Female Artist Country: Carrie Underwood
Favorite Band, Duo, Group Country: Florida Georgia Line
Favorite Album Country: Brantley Gilbert - "Just As I Am"
Favorite Artist Rap/Hip-Hop: Iggy Azalea
Favorite Album Rap/Hip-Hop: Iggy Azalea - "The New Classic"
Favorite Male Artist Soul/R&B: John Legend
Favorite Female Artist Soul/R&B: Beyonce
Favorite Album Soul/R&B: Beyonce - "Beyonce"
Favorite Artist Alternative Rock: Imagine Dragons
Favorite Artist Adult Contemporary: Katy Perry
Favorite Artist Latin: Enrique Iglesias
Favorite Artist Contemporary Inspirational: Casting Crowns
Favorite Artist Electronic Dance Music: Calvin Harris
Top Soundtrack: Frozen
International Song Award: Chopstick Brothers - "Little Apple"
International Artist Award: Zhang Zie
Among the most talked about performances included Taylor Swift, Five Seconds of Summer, Sam Smith, Charli XCX, Lorde, One Direction, Mary J Blige, Ariana Grande, among many others. Taylor Swift opened the show with her newest single "Blank Space," acting out the role of an insane girlfriend who reveals her wild side in the song. Swift looked stunning and her performance was flawless, making it appear as if she was acting in a movie about her life. Swift also received the first ever Dick Clark Award For Excellence, an award given to an artist who had groundbreaking feats. Swift, whose latest album 1989 was titled the highest selling album of 2014, put her at the top of the list, and she clearly deserved to win this award. Another performer that took me by surprise was Charli XCX. Her song "Boom Clap," featured in the worldwide famous movie The Fault in Our Stars and played on the radio 24/7 was sung and then transitioned into a darker performance of "Break The Rules." Charli XCX was amazing, and she surpassed my original expectations of her. Lorde was also outstanding; her TV debut of "Yellow Flicker Beat," featured in the movie Mockingjay Part 1 was intense, and the ending was breathtaking. Lorde's act of smearing her lipstick combined with her icy stare concluded her performance well, and everyone gave her a standing ovation.
One of the most anticipated performances however, was Five Seconds of Summer. As they are my favorite band presently, I was shocked when they stated they were not going to sing their hits songs "Amnesia," "She Looks So Perfect," or their latest single "Good Girls." Instead they opted to sing their fan favorite song, "What I Like About You" by The Romantics. Needless to say, they were perfect. Their vocals were on point, and they had the audience engaged even before their performance, with die hard fans screaming when the band was being introduced. Five Seconds of Summer also picked up the award for New Artist Of The Year. They were clearly shocked to receive their award as they were up against other rising artists such as Sam Smith and Meghan Trainor; however their speech was amusing and they heartily thanked their fans via Instagram, Twitter, etc. right after the show concluded.
Selena Gomez was also stunning. In her performance of "Heart Wants What It Wants," she was clearly emotional, but she put all her emotion into the performance, and it worked out well. The audience was captivated by her emotional performance, and Gomez kept it together well, singing beautifully despite tearing up and barely being able to get the lyrics out in the end. Taylor Swift and Lorde were seen clapping heartily at the end, clearly moved by Gomez's soulful performance.
Many other performers took the stage, however there is not enough space on this blog to write about everything and discuss the winners. So, here is a list of all the 2014 winners:
Artist Of The Year: One Direction
New Artist Of The Year: 5 Seconds of Summer
Single Of The Year: Katy Perry featuring Juicy J - "Dark Horse"
Dick Clark Award For Excellence: Taylor Swift
Favorite Male Artist Pop/Rock: Sam Smith
Favorite Female Artist Pop/Rock: Katy Perry
Favorite Band, Duo, Group Pop/Rock: One Direction
Favorite Album Pop/Rock: One Direction - "Midnight Memories"
Favorite Male Artist Country: Luke Bryan
Favorite Female Artist Country: Carrie Underwood
Favorite Band, Duo, Group Country: Florida Georgia Line
Favorite Album Country: Brantley Gilbert - "Just As I Am"
Favorite Artist Rap/Hip-Hop: Iggy Azalea
Favorite Album Rap/Hip-Hop: Iggy Azalea - "The New Classic"
Favorite Male Artist Soul/R&B: John Legend
Favorite Female Artist Soul/R&B: Beyonce
Favorite Album Soul/R&B: Beyonce - "Beyonce"
Favorite Artist Alternative Rock: Imagine Dragons
Favorite Artist Adult Contemporary: Katy Perry
Favorite Artist Latin: Enrique Iglesias
Favorite Artist Contemporary Inspirational: Casting Crowns
Favorite Artist Electronic Dance Music: Calvin Harris
Top Soundtrack: Frozen
International Song Award: Chopstick Brothers - "Little Apple"
International Artist Award: Zhang Zie