2018 American Music Awards are October 9th on ABC
Dick Clark Productions and ABC, in partnership with YouTube Music, have announced that multi-platinum selling band Panic! At The Disco will pay tribute to legendary British rock band, Queen, with a special performance of the award-winning hit, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” This performance will take place at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia as part of the 2018 American Music Awards. The song, written by Freddie Mercury for the band’s 1975 album A Night at the Opera, remains one of Queen’s most popular and is often considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time. Rami Malek, Joe Mazzello and Gwilym Lee, cast of the upcoming 20th Century Fox Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, will introduce Panic! At The Disco’s performance live from the awards show in Los Angeles. Nominated this year for Favorite Artist – Alternative Rock, this will mark Panic! At The Disco’s first performance on the AMAs. Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross, the 2018 American Music Awards, the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 9th at 8 pm EDT on ABC.
“If there is one song that I wish I would’ve written myself, it’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’” statesPanic! At The Disco frontman, Brendon Urie. “Freddie Mercury’s genius is clear from the very first note to the last and I’m honored to be able to pay tribute to Queen with my performance.”
Panic! At The Disco joins previously announced performers Benny Blanco with Halsey and Khalid, Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin, Mariah Carey, Ciara featuring Missy Elliott, Dua Lipa, Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign, and Carrie Underwood, as well as a moving tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.
Panic! At the Disco released their No. 1 album Pray For The Wicked in June (via Fueled by Ramen/DCD2 Records) off the heels of their critically acclaimed fifth album, Death Of A Bachelor. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2017 GRAMMY Awards. The RIAA platinum selling release was the highest selling rock album and fourth-highest selling album released in 2016, according to Nielsen Soundscan. DOAB has also spawned RIAA certified gold singles “Hallelujah,” “LA Devotee,” Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time,” and platinum singles “Death Of A Bachelor,” “Emperor’s New Clothes,” and “Victorious.” Panic! At The Disco have been nominated for multiple awards, including the GRAMMYS, Teen Choice Awards, Alternative Press Music Awards, Kerrang! Awards and VMAs. At the 2006 VMAs they won “Video of the Year” for their smash “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.”
Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Mercury defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Mercury, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Mercury manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Mercury leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.
Nominations were announced earlier this month with Cardi B and Drake leading the pack, with eight possible wins each. Ed Sheeran and Post Malone each earned six nominations. Camila Cabello, nominated five times this year, could win her first AMA as a solo artist. Drake, Imagine Dragons, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift are all up for Artist of the Year.
The American Music Awards, the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, is where music enthusiasts watch their favorite artists and pop culture icons come together to honor idols, newcomers and record-breakers in the contemporary music scene. From Pop and Rock, to Country, Hip Hop and beyond, this year’s show will celebrate some of the best moments in music with appearances by today’s brightest stars and live performances from the biggest names in the industry.
American Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected on Billboard.com, including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound, and reflect the time period of September 15, 2017 through August 9, 2018. The American Music Awards winners are voted entirely by fans.
Voting is now open in all categories. For New Artist of the Year presented by Capital One Savor Card, Favorite Social Artist and Collaboration of the Year, fans can vote for each award 100 times per day, per voting platform in one or both of the ways below. Fans can vote for all other awards once per day, per voting platform.
- Via web at VoteAMAs.com
- Posting a tweet on Twitter that includes the nominee’s name or Twitter handle, the category name and #AMAs within the tweet
Voting for New Artist of the Year presented by Capital One Savor Card and Collaboration of the Year will close on Tuesday, October 9th at 5:59:59 pm PT, one hour into the live broadcast. Voting for all other categories will close on Thursday, October 4th at 11:59:59 pm PT.
