Singer and artist, Pink, rolls out in her light pink, fluffy roller skates. Her bright, tie-dye outfit immediately sets the stage for an energetic performance and eventful night. The stage is lit with disco lights and dancers on roller skates. Pink hypes up the crowd with her new single “Never Gonna Not Dance Again.” It takes no time for her to bring the audience to their feet, and with that, the 2022 American Music Awards began. 

The audience remains on their feet as Wayne Brady walks in, following Pink’s performance. Wayne Brady, a comedian, actor, and singer, was chosen to host this year’s American Music Awards. He keeps the energy up, cracking multiple jokes and putting on his own chaotic performance for the audience. He humbly admits how much of an honor it is for him to host this award show and wastes no time getting started with the awards. 

The first award category was for the New Artist of the Year, which was given to Dove Cameron for her song “Boyfriend.” Following this, Bebe Rexha performed her song “Feeling Good,” keeping the consistent upbeat energy of the show. 

When Machine Gun Kelly won Favorite Rock Artist, his speech was potentially one of the most confusing and odd speeches. He wore a black suit with spikes coming out from all over. In his speech, he essentially explained how he has been to the moon. 

The odd tone he set was quickly diminished when they moved on to the next category of Favorite Country Duo or Group, which was won by Dan and Shay. 

Some of the most popular and trending artists today were nominated for the Favorite Pop Album award, including Adele, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd. While it was a competitive category, there was no surprise when Taylor Swift won for her album, “Red (Taylor’s Version).”

Other awards such as the Favorite Female Latin Artist award, given out to Anitta, and the Favorite Afrobeats Artist award, awarded to Wizkid, demonstrated the popularizing genres and cultural inclusions to American music. 

Following a performance by Imagine Dragons of their songs “Bones” and “Enemy,” the award for Favorite Rock Song was awarded to Maneskin for their song “Beggin.” Favorite Hip-Hop Song went to Future featuring Drake and Tems for their song “Wait for You.”

Making her true mark on American music, Taylor Swift won two more awards: Favorite Music Video for her song “All Too Well” and Artist of the Year. Her increasing popularity was definitely supported by the three awards she won. 

Harry Styles, another increasingly popular artist, won Favorite Pop Song for his song “As it Was.” 

Other performances of the night included one by Lil Baby and one by Dove Cameron who sang her recent song, “Boyfriend.” 

In addition to these performances, Pink sang “Hopelessly Devoted to You” by Olivia Newton-John as a tribute to Olivia Newton-John after her recent passing. The audience was brought together by this moving performance. 

The award show finished with a celebration of Lionel Richie, a well-known and well-established singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He received the Icon Award, which is given to an artist who has devoted their life and career to the music industry. His impact on the industry and American music was given tribute to with performances by Charlie Puth, Stevie Wonder, and other artists. 

The American Music Awards concluded, leaving Americans in anticipation of the next one to come.