Taylor Swift to Open American Music Awards

By Variety Staff

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Taylor Swift will open the 2018 American Music Awards, the singer announced Tuesday morning on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” In her first awards show performance in almost three years, Swift will sing “I Did Something Bad,” from her latest album, “Reputation.”

The song is a centerpiece of her ongoing tour in support of the album. “Between ‘I Did Something Bad’ early in the show and ‘Dress’ much later on, this might be the first Swift tour to gently warrant a PG-13 rating,” Variety’s Chris Willman wrote of the tour’s opening night back in May . “Oddly, with ‘Dress,’ Swift is the rare performer who can make herself sexier by adding a layer of clothing — in this case, putting on a sheer black gown over a one-piece that had seemed more innocent before the sensual addition. But there are other moments where like the goofy, guileless, unguarded teen of ten years ago seems to suddenly reappear.”

Swift joins previously announced performers Cardi B (with Bad Bunny and J Balvin), Halsey, Khalid, Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla Sign, Ciara, Missy Elliott, Dua Lipa and Panic at the Disco, who will pay tribute to Queen. Tracee Ellis Ross is hosting the fan-voted awards show, which will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Cardi B  tied Drake for the most AMA nominations this year, with each scoring eight nods. Other top nominated artists are Ed Sheeran and Post Malone with six noms each, followed by Camila Cabello with five nods.