Cardi B attends the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Oct. 9, 2018 in Los Angeles.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images For dcpCardi B will host the 2021 American Music Awards, which are set to air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 21.
A five-time AMA winner, Cardi has three nominations at this year’s show – favorite female hip-hop artist and two nods for “Up” as favorite music video and favorite hip-hop song.
Cardi joins a long line of hip-hop stars to host or co-host the AMAs. Others include M.C. Hammer (1992), Will Smith (1994), Queen Latifah (1995), LL Cool J (2001), Sean Combs (2002) and Pitbull (2013-14).
This is the fifth consecutive year that a Black female star will front the AMAs. Cardi B follows actress Tracee Ellis Ross (2017-18), R&B star Ciara (2019) and actress Taraji P. Henson (2020).
Cardi, 29, performed “I Like It” at the 2018 AMAs with J Balvin and Bad Bunny. The smash went on to receive a Grammy nomination for record of the year. Last year, Cardi became the first female rapper to win favorite hip-hop song twice. (The category was introduced in 2016.) She had won in that category in 2018 with her breakthrough smash “Bodak Yellow” and won again last year with “WAP” (featuring Megan Thee Stallion).
"When I received the invite to host the AMAs, I was so excited,“ Cardi B said in a statement. "I'm ready to bring my personality to the AMAs stage! Thank you to Jesse Collins, ABC and MRC for making this happen."
“We are immensely excited to have the dynamic Cardi B bring her infectious energy to the American Music Awards as a first-time host,” said AMAs executive producer Collins. “She will excite the viewers, push the limits and deliver a show that will be remembered forever!”
Nominees are based on key fan interactions - as reflected on the Billboard charts - including streaming, album sales, song sales and radio airplay. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partner MRC Data, and cover the time period Sept. 25, 2020, through Sept. 23, 2021.
The 2021 American Music Awards is produced by MRC Live & Alternative and Jesse Collins Entertainment.
As the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, the AMAs will air globally across a footprint of linear and digital platforms in over 120 countries and territories.
The show will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Nov. 21, at 8:00 p.m. EST/PST on ABC and will stream the next day on Hulu.
Voting is now open and this year. For the first time ever, fans can vote for all AMA categories, once per category per day, globally on TikTok by searching for “AMAs” in-app. They can also access the voting hub by clicking here.
Tickets are now on sale now at www.axs.com.
Lamb of God and Trivium are set to return to Australia this October for a massive five date co headlining arena tour presented by Destroy All Lines. Joining them on every stop will be Scottish metalcore band Bleed From Within as special guests.
The tour kicks off at Perth HPC on Oct. 2 before heading to AEC Theatre in Adelaide on Oct. 4, John Cain Arena in Melbourne on Oct. 6, Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on Oct. 9, and Riverstage in Brisbane on Oct. 11. Artist early bird presale tickets become available Friday, May 15 at 9 a.m. local time. Additional presales begin Tuesday, May 19 through Destroy All Lines, venue partners, and My Ticketek, while Spotify’s early bird presale launches Wednesday, May 20. General public tickets will be available Thursday, May 21 at 9 a.m. local through destroyalllines.com.
For Lamb of God, this upcoming run will be their first proper Australian headline tour in almost ten years. The Richmond, Virginia metal giants, who have received five Grammy nominations throughout their career, most recently appeared in Australia during Knotfest Australia in 2024.
Since forming in the mid 1990s, the group have cemented themselves as one of the defining names in heavy metal. Tracks like “Laid to Rest,” “Redneck,” “Walk With Me in Hell,” and “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For” continue to stand as fan favorites and staples within the genre. Earlier this year, the band released their newest studio album, Into Oblivion.
Trivium, who came together in Orlando, Florida in 1999, have built a reputation over the years as one of modern metal’s most dynamic and technically skilled live bands. Their music blends elements of thrash, progressive, melodic death, and groove metal, while their 2017 track “Betrayer” earned the band a Grammy nomination.
The group has also achieved several top 20 entries on the Billboard 200 along with multiple chart topping releases on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart. Trivium last visited Australia in 2023 for the first ever Knotfest Australia, where their Brisbane sideshow received strong praise from fans and critics alike. Their most recent project is the 2024 EP Struck Dead, which followed their 2021 album In the Court of the Dragon.
Bleed From Within will open the tour after recently celebrating two decades as a band. The Glasgow metalcore act released their seventh studio album Zenith in 2025 and have previously toured alongside major names including Slipknot, Bullet for My Valentine, and Megadeth throughout their career.
