Bruno Mars leads music’s AMA nominations as female artists edged out

Photo grabbed from Reuters video

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — The men of pop and hip hop led the nominations for the American Music Awards (AMA) on Thursday (Oct. 12), while female artists were left out of most categories.

Bruno Mars led with eight nominations, including Artist of the Year, the top accolade of the night. He will face hip hop stars Drake and Kendrick Lamar, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and electro-pop DJ duo The Chainsmokers – each of whom landed five nominations – for the coveted award.

The women of pop music failed to land nominations in categories such as Artist of the Year, Video of the Year and Tour of the Year.

Pop star Halsey, one of the few female artists to land nominations for her collaboration with The Chainsmokers on the hit song “Closer.”

Notable omissions include Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus, both of whom released new songs and albums this year. Rihanna was the only other female artist to land two nods. The winners of the American Music Awards are voted for by fans and will be announced at a live ceremony televised on ABC on Nov. 19.