LAS VEGAS, NV—Per usual, it’s the one awards show that happens every year right before the Thanksgiving holiday kicks off, the American Music Awards. The big winner of the night was the boy band One Direction who nabbed the Artist of the Year prize in addition to several other trophies.

For 2015, a mega-star was put into the driver seat to host the ceremony and that diva was none other than Jennifer Lopez. The triple threat opened the show singing and dancing to a melody of some of her biggest hits, and dare I say Ms. Lopez belted out some notes that were simply spectacular. I’ve never heard the songstress sound better.

She then broke out into an impromptu dance routine featuring Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda,” Beyonce’s “7/11” and Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” to name a few. I must say Jenny from the block definitely knows how to open a show. The first award of the night was for Soul/R&B album was presented by legend Prince to The Weeknd for “Beauty Behind the Madness.” 5 Seconds to Summer hit the stage to perform their hit “Hey Everybody.”

That performance transitioned to pop starlet Selena Gomez gracing the stage with a tap dance number that lacked energy, to say the least, in my opinion. Gomez was there, but I felt she could’ve given a bit more on the stage. The AMA for pop/rock duo or group was handed out to One Direction. Carrie Underwood serenaded the audience with her country hit “Smoke Break.” Now a performance that amped the level of energy was Demi Lovato who had fun with her hit “Complicated” that rocked the house. The award for Favorite Country Male Artist went to Luke Bryan, no surprise there.

Jennifer Lopez opened the show with a thrilling dance number.
Jennifer Lopez opened the show with a thrilling dance number.

Ariana Grande arrived on the stage to perform her new hit “Focus.” She might be small and young, but the girl has some serious pipes that should have plenty of songstresses in the industry scared. The cast of “Pitch Perfect 2” accepted the American Music Award for Favorite Soundtrack. Nicki Minaj took the stage to accept the award for Favorite Hip-Hop/Rap Artist, just as One Direction hit the stage to make young girls and some female fans unleash shrieks that will have their male counterparts running for their lives.

Gwen Stefani gave a heartbreaking performance with her newest hit “I Used to Love You” that many continue to speculate is about her former hubby Gavin Rossdale. It was quite raw to say the least. Nick Jonas, who has been having a stellar 2015, rocked the stage out with a medley of his hits including “Levels” and “Jealous.” I’ll admit the Gospel infused version of his hit “Jealous” was indeed catchy to say the least.

Hostess Jennifer Lopez presented the award for New Artist of the Year, which went to Sam Hunt. Carrie Underwood added another AMA to her trophy list taking home the prize for Favorite Country Female Artist. The AMA for Collaboration of the Year went to Skrillex and Dip-Lo feat. Justin Bieber “Where Are Ü Now.”

Alanis Morisette hit the stage alongside Demi Lovato to perform her ubiquitous hit “You Outta Know.” While the song is a favorite, it was apparent that the audio was slightly off in the beginning, but picked up as the performance move on. Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist went to Nicki Minaj.

Can you believe how big “Star Wars” is? It’s so big that the American Music Awards had a musical performance dedicated to the iconic film courtesy of Pentatonix, not to mention an appearance by Harrison Ford. Other memorable performances included a song by Celine Dion dedicated to victims of the Paris attacks, and who would’ve thought Coldplay after all these years could still rock the stage? I must say I’m stunned that One Direction managed to outdo Taylor Swift for Artist of the Year for the second consecutive year. Don’t worry music fans, Adele has arrived and I’m certain she’ll nab more awards than I can count in the year 2016 and 2017.

I could argue for the first time in YEARS the American Music Awards were quite entertaining to watch, who knew!