Rihanna, Nicki Minaj lead American Music Award nods

Nominations for the 40th American Music Awards were announced Tuesday morning, and while Grammy voters probably won’t care about the resurgence in boybands or the year’s most annoyingly ubiquitous single (OK, call me, maybe) – that sort of thing is right in the wheelhouse of one of the music industry’s oddest popularity contests.

Nicki Minaj and Rihanna dominate with four nods apiece, while Drake, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, One Direction and Usher follow with three.

Carly Rae Jepsen and One Direction will battle for new artist of the year, along with J. Cole, fun. and Gotye. The latter two, like Jepsen, also had inescapable singles this year (“We Are Young” and “Somebody That I Used To Know,” respectively), but are they great enough for the rabid teenage fangirls who will surely clog voting lines for America’s favorite mop-haired British imports, One Direction?

Bieber, Drake, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, and Rihanna will vie for artist of the year.

The AMAs are also venturing into the electronic dance music arena with a new EDM category, which like most of their genre categories feature just three nominees. David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Skrillex will compete in the field.

This year’s big Grammy winner Adele, whose chart reign has bled into this award’s season, is only up for one trophy: favorite adult contemporary, an award she took home last year after losing artist of the year to Taylor Swift.

Christina Aguilera, who announced the nods Tuesday morning in L.A., is also the first performer announced for the telecast, which airs live from the Nokia Theatre on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m.

For the sixth year, winners will be determined by online voting, which begins Tuesday. The full nominee list is below.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Justin Bieber

Drake

Maroon 5

Katy Perry

Rihanna

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

J. Cole

fun.

Gotye

Carly Rae Jepsen

One Direction

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK

Justin Bieber

Flo Rida

Pitbull

Usher

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK

Kelly Clarkson

Nicki Minaj

Katy Perry

Rihanna

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK

fun.

Maroon 5

One Direction

The Wanted

FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK

Justin Bieber, “Believe”

Maroon 5, “Overexposed”

Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”

One Direction, “Up All Night”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY

Jason Aldean

Luke Bryan

Eric Church

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY

Miranda Lambert

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

FAVORITE BAND, DUO or GROUP - COUNTRY

Zac Brown Band

Lady Antebellum

Rascal Flatts

FAVORITE ALBUM - COUNTRY

Luke Bryan, “Tailgates & Tanlines”

Lionel Richie, “Tuskegee”

Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”

FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP

Drake

Nicki Minaj

Tyga

FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP

J. Cole, “Cole World: The Sideline Story”

Drake, “Take Care”

Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B;

Chris Brown

Trey Songz

Usher

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B;

Beyoncé

Mary J. Blige

Rihanna

FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B;

Chris Brown, “Fortune”

Rihanna, “Talk That Talk”

Usher, “Looking 4 Myself”

FAVORITE ARTIST - ALTERNATIVE ROCK

The Black Keys

Gotye

Linkin Park

FAVORITE ARTIST - ADULT CONTEMPORARY

Adele

Kelly Clarkson

Train

FAVORITE ARTIST - LATIN

Don Omar

Pitbull

Shakira

FAVORITE ARTIST - CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL

Jeremy Camp

Newsboys

tobyMac

FAVORITE ARTIST - ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)

David Guetta

Calvin Harris

Skrillex

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