American Music Awards nominates Taylor Swift and Michael Jackson

Nominations for the 37th annual American Music Awards were announced at a October 13 press conference, with six nods for American country music singer Taylor Swift and five for late American pop icon Michael Jackson.

Taylor and Jackson are both contenders for the ceremony's artist of year prize. Other major American nominees included rapper Eminem with four noms, pop singers Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas, rapper T.I. and rock band Kings of Leon (all tied for three nominations each).

American Music Award winners are chosen by the public through online voting; nominations are determined by a combination of retail sales and radio airplay.

The 37th annual American Music Awards will be televised live on ABC on November 22 from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California.

Confirmed performers include American pop singers Alicia Keys and Jennifer Lopez, and hip-hop quartet Black Eyed Peas. A full list of AMA nominations is as follows:

Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Michael Jackson
T.I.

Favorite Female Artist
Beyoncé
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Black Eyed Peas
Kings of Leon
Nickelback

Favorite Album
Lady Gaga, The Fame
Michael Jackson, Number Ones
Taylor Swift, Fearless

Country Music

Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Darius Rucker
Keith Urban

Favorite Female Artist
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland
Zac Brown Band

Favorite Album
Rascal Flatts, Unstoppable
Taylor Swift, Fearless
Zac Brown Band, Foundation

Rap/Hip-hop

Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Jay-Z
T. I.

Favorite Album
Eminem, Relapse
Jay-Z, The Blueprint 3
T.I., Paper Trail

Soul/R&B

Favorite Male Artist
Jamie Foxx
Michael Jackson
Maxwell

Favorite Female Artist
Beyoncé
Keyshia Cole
Keri Hilson

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Black Eyed Peas
Day26
Mary Mary

Favorite Album
Beyoncé, I Am...Sasha Fierce
Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D.
Michael Jackson, Number Ones

Soundtracks

Favorite Album
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Hannah Montana 3
Twilight soundtrack

Alternative Rock

Favorite Artist
Green Day
Kings of Leon
Shinedown

Adult Contemporary

Favorite Artist
Daughtry
Jason Mraz
Taylor Swift

Latin Music

Favorite Artist
Aventura
Luis Fonsi
Wisin Y Yandel

Contemporary Inspirational

Favorite Artist
Jeremy Camp
Brandon Heath
Mary Mary

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Alternative - Kings of Leon
Country - Taylor Swift
Pop/Rock - Lady Gaga
Rap/Hip-Hop - Eminem
Soul/R&B - Michael Jackson

Online voting: ama.abc.com, www.amavote.com