Dick Clark ProductionsCardi B and Drake lead all nominees for the 2018 American Music Awards, with eight nods each. But if it was up to another nominee, Bebe Rexha, Cardi would be the leading nominee, with nine.
Bebe helped announce the nominees Wednesday in L.A., along with Ella Mai, Normani and country star Kane Brown, and received a nod for Collaboration of the Year for “Meant to Be.” Asked if anything about this year’s nominees was surprising to her, she told ABC News, “Well, I thought Cardi should’ve been nominated for Artist of the Year.”
“I thought there should have been another female in there, only because I’m all about female empowerment,” she continued. “That was a little shocking to me. I wish there was another female in there…probably gonna get in trouble for saying that but [that’s] just my stance on that.”
For the record, the Artist of the Year nominees are Drake, Imagine Dragons, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.
As for her own nomination, Bebe tells ABC News it’s “amazing,” adding, “I grew up watching the AMAs with my mom and, like, making notes about the performances — [like] ‘Oh, that could’ve been better’ — so just to be able to be here and then finding out that I’m nominated is incredible.”
Bebe credits her fans for helping her score the nod, and says, “This is for them, y’know what I mean?…I just feel like it’s an award for them and if we win, it’s all theirs!”
The 2018 American Music Awards will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on October 9 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross will host for the second year in a row.
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