Music’s biggest stars were all under one roof at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, with Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross hosting for a second consecutive year. She opened the proceedings with a dance routine, a promise to highlight black designers through her fashion choices throughout the night, and a fervent hope to end up on the Shade Room (or as she calls it, “the black TMZ”) before the night is over. Here are the good, bad, and bewildering moments from the 2018 American Music Awards: Least Political Moment: Fresh off a three-year break from award shows, and complete with newly-minted political personality, Taylor Swift opened the AMAs with “I Did Something Bad” and a guest appearance from a giant snake. Perhaps the song choice could was riposte to the ticking off from President Trump (who now likes her music “25% less”). Sadly, the performance was decidedly unpolitical (although she did get bleeped for saying a naughty word during her song). Best Mom Realness Moment: Favorite rap/hip hop artist nominees were Cardi B, Drake, and Post Malone. The winner was Cardi B who hit the stage in a Carmen Miranda-inspired dress to chants of “Cardi! Cardi!” She said “I just want to thank my daughter, not just because she’s my daughter,” but because her daughter inspired her to prove everyone wrong, adding, “They said I wasn’t going to make it after I had a baby!” Most In Need of a Makeover: Post Malone’s fans want him to appear on the next season of Netflix’s Queer Eye and his sartorial choices—and drinking—at the AMAs probably didn’t change their mind. Most Succinct Acceptance Speech: Post Malone accepted his award for Favorite Male Artist Pop/Rock with a few honest words, “I’m not very good at talking in front of people, but I just want to say thank you for the award, and I love you guys very very much.” Biggest Surprise: The biggest surprise was that Taylor Swift didn’t even feign surprise! She simply smiled, booped Camila Cabello on the nose, and took the stage in a disco-ball masquerading as a dress and rattled off a gracious list of thank yous to her tour mates, her crew, and her fans. The old Taylor really is gone. Best Diva Moment: Mariah Carey returned to the AMAs for the first time since 2008 and made sure the performance was memorable. She appeared on stage like a Venus in Feathers perched on a cloud-like pink platform singing “With You,” the first single from her upcoming album. The diva was nearly upstaged when her pink cloud erupted and men popped out of her skirt to dance around her like it was the most natural thing in the world. Best Inter-generational Moment: Busy Phillips and John Stamos came on stage to announce the chosen Favorite Male Artist. Soul/R&B and Phillips admitted that she used to have a huge crush on Stamos. Naturally Stamos, who was wearing a Jonas Brothers t-shirt, wanted to know what killed the crush? “The poster on my wall started to age fast than you did and it started to freak me out,” she said. Then Khalid came on stage to collect his prize and hugged John Stamos even though the 20-year-old probably doesn’t know who he is. Best Bleeping: When Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin showed up to play their song-of-the-summer hit, “I Like It,” the censors had their work cut out for them. The censor was very focused, apparently, because nary a bad word slipped through, which was particularly impressive because there was a full-on carnival on stage and Cardi B was doing her best to distract the censor from the job. Best Audience Reaction: Former Saturday Night Live star Taran Killam appeared to be gobsmacked by Cardi B’s onstage antics (or the bleeping skills of the censors) and was caught on camera standing with his mouth wide open staring at the carnival that had erupted on stage. Most Likely To Blow Up The Place: Post Malone got over his reticence long enough to nearly light the stage on fire with dramatic pyrotechnics for his mash-up of “Better Now” and “Psycho” with Ty Dolla $ign. Second place goes to 21 Pilots, who blew up a car like they were auditioning to be special effects men in a remake of the Chuck Norris classic Invasion U.S.A. In third place is Carrie Underwood, who performed “Spinning Bottles” on stage surrounded by wine bottle candle holders that literally spun around her in a circle. Are there firemen on standby? Saddest Intro: Amber Heard showed up to introduce 21 Pilots, which she noted was “exactly the number of TV shows I have been on that haven’t been picked up.” Most Political Moment: Billy Eichner refused to open the envelope containing the winner’s name until he had his say, which was a plea to the young folks to Vote. He pointed out that it was the final night to register in 20 states in the country and that it was a crucial election for people who care about climate change, LGBTQ rights, and equality. He then told everyone to go to vote.gov “like Taylor Swift told you to” before opening the envelope to announce an award for Shawn Mendes. Best On Stage Costume Change: When Jennifer Lopez took the stage to perform the Sia-written track, “Limitless”, she was wearing a suit, surrounded by a troupe of female dancers also wearing suits. At the end of the performance it was sequins and nary a suit in site—no calls to the FCC for indecency required. Best Off-Stage Costume Change: Tracee Ellis Ross re-appeared onstage in a t-shirt urging audience members to vote. Best Meme Come To Life: When Missy Elliott took the stage with Ciara she brought her “funky white sister” Mary Halsey with her to cheer her on from the audience. Best Queen Cover Band: Panic! At the Disco showed up to play Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” on stage, but it’s hard to say why they were there playing a very straightforward cover.<doc-sep>LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 09: Post Malone attends the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on October 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic) (CNN) — The American Music Awards were held in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The following is a list of this year’s nominees and winners, Taylor Swift and Camila Cabello led the night with four awards each. ARTIST OF THE YEAR Drake Imagine Dragons Post Malone Ed Sheeran Taylor Swift *WINNER NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY CAPITAL ONE Camila Cabello *WINNER Cardi B Khalid Dua Lipa XXXTENTACION COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug, “Havana” *WINNER Post Malone ft. 21 Savage, “Rockstar” Bruno Mars & Cardi B, “Finesse” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, “Meant To Be” Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey, “The Middle” TOUR OF THE YEAR Beyoncé & JAY–Z Bruno Mars Ed Sheeran Taylor Swift *WINNER U2 VIDEO OF THE YEAR Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug, “Havana” *WINNER Cardi B, “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” Drake, “God’s Plan” FAVORITE SOCIAL ARTIST BTS *WINNER Cardi B Ariana Grande Demi Lovato Shawn Mendes FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK Drake Post Malone *WINNER Ed Sheeran FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK Camila Cabello Cardi B Taylor Swift *WINNER FAVORITE DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK Imagine Dragons Maroon 5 Migos *WINNER FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK Drake, “Scorpion” Ed Sheeran, “÷ (Divide)” Taylor Swift, ‘reputation’ *WINNER FAVORITE SONG- – POP/ROCK Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug, “Havana” *WINNER Drake, “God’s Plan” Ed Sheeran, “Perfect” FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY Kane Brown *WINNER Luke Bryan Thomas Rhett FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY Kelsea Ballerini Maren Morris Carrie Underwood *WINNER FAVORITE DUO or GROUP – COUNTRY Dan + Shay Florida Georgia Line *WINNER LANCO FAVORITE ALBUM – COUNTRY Kane Brown, “Kane Brown” *WINNER Luke Combs, “This One’s For You” Thomas Rhett, “Life Changes” FAVORITE SONG – COUNTRY Kane Brown, “Heaven” *WINNER Dan + Shay, “Tequila” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, “Meant To Be” FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP Cardi B *WINNER Drake Post Malone FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP Drake, “Scorpion” Lil Uzi Vert, “Luv Is Rage 2” Post Malone, “beerbongs & bentleys” *WINNER FAVORITE SONG – RAP/HIP-HOP Cardi B “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” *WINNER Drake “God’s Plan” Post Malone ft. 21 Savage “Rockstar” FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B Khalid *WINNER Bruno Mars The Weeknd FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B Ella Mai Rihanna *WINNER SZA FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B Khalid “American Teen” SZA “CTRL” XXXTENTACION “17” *WINNER FAVORITE SONG – SOUL/R&B Khalid “Young Dumb & Broke” Ella Mai “Boo’d Up” Bruno Mars & Cardi B “Finesse” *WINNER FAVORITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK Imagine Dragons Panic! At The Disco *WINNER Portugal. The Man FAVORITE ARTIST – ADULT CONTEMPORARY Shawn Mendes *WINNER P!NK Ed Sheeran FAVORITE ARTIST – LATIN J Balvin Daddy Yankee *WINNER Ozuna FAVORITE ARTIST – CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL Lauren Daigle *WINNER MercyMe Zach Williams FAVORITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM) The Chainsmokers Marshmello *WINNER Zedd FAVORITE SOUNDTRACK “Black Panther: The Album, Music From And Inspired By” *WINNER “The Greatest Showman” “The Fate of the Furious: The Album”<doc-sep>“The whole time that I was writing an album based on all the facets of a reputation and how it affects you, what it actually means to you, I was surrounded by friends and family and loved ones who never loved me less based on the fluctuations of public opinion,” she said. “I always look at albums as chapters in my life, and to the fans, I’m so happy that you like this one … but I have to be really honest with you about something: I’m even more excited about the next chapter.”<doc-sep>LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 08: (L-R) Recording Artists Taylor Swift, Jay Z and Kanye West and TV personality Kim Kardashian attend The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS) HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 04: Musician Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2017 DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night Concert at Club Nomadic on February 4, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for DIRECTV) Taylor Swift attends the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted By Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 28, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage) Music group BTS performs onstage during the 2018 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 20, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) title: Taylor Swift - Delicate pt 2 duration: 00:04:21 site: Youtube author: null published: Fri Mar 30 2018 01:46:00 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time) intervention: yes description: sorry if the video stops in some moments, my internet is shit lmao. all rights go to taylor and big machine records i guess twitter: twitter.com/redeIuxes Is the 'bad blood' over between Taylor and Katy? LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 09: Taylor Swift attends the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on October 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) (CNN) — Taylor Swift used her acceptance speech for artist of the year at the American Music Awards on Tuesday night to encourage her fans to vote. “This award and every single award given out tonight were voted on by the people, and you know what else is voted on by the people?” Swift asked the audience. “It is the midterm elections on November 6. Get out and vote. I love you guys.” Swift had announced Sunday on Instagram that she would be voting for Democratic candidates in her home state of Tennessee in the elections and called on her fans to register and vote. The post has been liked nearly 2 million times. Earlier in the show, comedian Billy Eichner had referenced Swift’s post. “Young people of America, the biggest election of our life is happening,” Eichner said. “Go to vote.gov like Taylor Swift told you to.” Swift had actually encouraged her fans to go to vote.org, a nonpartisan website. Host Tracee Ellis Ross also showed her support for voting, wearing an “I Am A Voter” shirt. Ross also wore other clothing by black designers. She had told Billboard earlier this week that she was “so grateful” for Swift’s comments. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he liked Swift’s music “about 25% less now” because she was supporting Democrats.<doc-sep>
At the 2018 American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, Taylor Swift took home the top award — and also got some extra buzz after ABC bleeped a word from her show-opening performance of “I Did Something Bad.” Against a backdrop of a giant snake head, Swift put on a high-powered number that included the usual lyric from her Reputation song: “If a man talks s–t, then I owe him nothing / I don’t regret it one bit, ’cause he had it coming.” ABC chose to bleep the offending word, sparking plenty of conversation from fans online; Swift isn’t known for needing to be censored. Swift’s performance at L.A.’s Microsoft Theater marked her return to an awards show stage slot after a three-year absence. (It had already been a headline-making week for Swift; on Sunday she shared a message on social media elucidating her Democratic political stances and urging followers to register to vote, a marked departure from her previous silence on politics. And in her final AMAs acceptance speech, she doubled down, reminding voters to get out to the polls for the midterm elections.) She was joined by a number of American Music Awards 2018 performers including Dua Lipa, Ciara and Missy Elliott and Jennifer Lopez; the evening ending with a celebratory tribute to Aretha Franklin, the recently passed Queen of Soul. The AMAs are different from other music awards shows in that each award is entirely bestowed by fan votes. Tracee Ellis Ross hosted the evening’s event in a series of glamorous rotating outfits. As for the American Music Awards 2018 nominees: The nominations were led by Drake and Cardi B, who were both up for eight awards. (Swift was up for three, while her own tour opener and fellow AMAs performer Camila Cabello had five chances, many of which she handily won, including New Artist.) Drake, Imagine Dragons, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran and Swift were all in the ring for Artist of the Year, too, an award that Swift had won already back in 2009, 2011 and 2013 before taking home the 2018 prize as well. 2017’s Artist of the Year went to Bruno Mars, while 2016’s was Ariana Grande. Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com.