Ashanti Leads American Music Award Contenders
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – R&B singer Ashanti, who made a big splash this year with her debut album, led the contenders for the 30th annual American Music Awards, picking up nominations in five categories, organizers said on Tuesday.
Rappers Eminem and Nelly will go head-to-head in four categories, while Latino star Enrique Iglesias, country trio the Dixie Chicks and rock band Linkin Park were among the 10 acts with two nods each.
The awards will be presented on Jan. 13 during a nationally televised ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles. Heavy metal maven Ozzy Osbourne and his family, stars of the MTV reality series “The Osbournes,” will host the three-hour event.
Ashanti (last name Douglas), 22, was nominated for favorite album and favorite new artist in both the pop/rock and hip-hop/R&B categories. Additionally, she will compete for favorite female hip-hop/R&B artist.
After shooting up the charts with a series of high-profile duets with the likes of Ja Rule and Fat Joe, the New York native released her self-titled debut album in April. It has since sold about 2.9 million copies in the United States.
Eminem (aka Marshall Mathers) and Nelly (aka Cornell Haynes, Jr.) were nominated for favorite male artist and favorite album in both the pop/rock and hip-hop/R&B categories. Eminem’s “The Eminem Show” is the biggest release of 2002 with sales of more than 6.6 million units, while Nelly’s “Nellyville” has shifted four million copies.
Other acts with two nominations each included pop singers Pink and Celine Dion, rookie hip-hop combos B2K and Nappy Roots, country singers Alan Jackson and Toby Keith, and rock band Creed.
Winners are determined by a survey of about 20,000 members of the public; the nominees are drawn from retail sales and radio airplay data. The more prestigious Grammy Awards, which will be presented on Feb. 23 in New York, are determined by music industry voters.
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