BTS and Coldplay
James Marcus Haney, Hae Jae Young, Kim So JungBTS will be working overtime at the American Music Awards on Sunday Nov. 21. They will perform “My Universe” with Coldplay in addition to performing “Butter” with Megan Thee Stallion, as was previously announced. Both songs topped the Billboard Hot 100 this year – “Butter” for 10 weeks and “My Universe” for one.
The pairing is billed as the two groups’ “first live performance together” of “My Universe.” Hosted by Cardi B, the AMAs will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
This will mark BTS’ third performance on AMAs. They sang “DNA” in 2017 and closed last year’s show with a performance from Korea of “Dynamite” and “Life Goes On.” This will be Coldplay’s first AMAs performance since 2015, when they sang “Adventure of a Lifetime.”
BTS is nominated for three awards at Sunday’s show – artist of the year, favorite pop duo or group and favorite pop song. They won favorite pop duo or group the last two years. If they win again this year, they’ll become just the third duo or group to win three years running in this category. The first two were Daryl Hall & John Oates (1983-85) and One Direction (2013-15).
Coldplay and BTS (x 2) join previously announced performers Bad Bunny with Tainy and Julieta Venegas, Olivia Rodrigo, Carrie Underwood with Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, New Edition and New Kids on the Block, Diplo, Måneskin, Mickey Guyton, Tyler, The Creator, Walker Hayes and Zoe Wees.
This year, for the first time, fans could vote for all AMA categories, once per category per day, globally on TikTok by searching for “AMAs” in-app. Voting closed Tuesday (Nov. 16) at 11:59 p.m. EST.
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.
MRC Live & Alternative and Jesse Collins Entertainment are producing the 2021 American Music Awards. As the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, the AMAs will air globally across a footprint of linear and digital platforms.
The AMAs will air live on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 8:00 p.m. EST/PST on ABC and will stream the following day on Hulu. Tickets are now on sale at www.axs.com
The American Music Awards are produced by MRC Live & Alternative, which is owned by MRC. MRC and Penske Media are co-parent companies of Billboard.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
