2022 AMAs: The 3 Worst Performances of the Night
The 2022 American Music Awards took over the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on November 20, and some of the biggest names in music came together to celebrate their achievements of the last year, as well as watch some entertaining performances. Some performances at the fan-voted award show were memorable, while others were forgettable.
Bebe Rexha performing ‘I’m Good (Blue)’
David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s hit song “I’m Good (Blue)” has continued to climb up the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching the top 10 in the days after the 2022 AMAs ceremony. The song interpolates Eiffel 65’s 1998 single “Blue (Da Ba Dee)”, becoming the latest in a line of songs that sample ’90s and ’00s techno songs like Ava Max’s “My Head and My Heart,” which reworks ATC’s 1999 song “Around the World (La La La La La),” and Tove Lo’s 2022 single “2 Die 4,” the chorus for which is built on Hot Butter’s “Popcorn” sample popularized by Crazy Frog in 2005.
The 2022 AMAs marked the first time Bebe Rexha took the stage at the American Music Awards. For her performance of “I’m Good (Blue),” Bebe Rexha donned a futuristic-looking metallic outfit flanked by green-haired dancers. David Guetta, the producer behind the song, was absent from the performance, leaving Rexha solo to sing the high-energy dance track.
Imagine Dragons and JID performing ‘Enemy’
Imagine Dragons and JID might seem like an unlikely combination, but the band teamed up with the rapper in 2021 for the single “Enemy,” taken from the Arcane League of Legends animated series soundtrack.
They took the stage together to perform the song at the 2022 AMAs, and their show was enhanced by pyrotechnics and a slew of backup dancers.
Stevie Wonder and Charlie Puth paying tribute to Lionel Richie
Legendary singer Lionel Richie was awarded with the Icon Award at the 2022 AMAs. Prior to the 17-time AMA winner accepting the award, another music icon, Stevie Wonder, was joined by singer Charlie Puth for a special tribute to Richie. Both singers were perched at pianos on stage as they performed some of Richie’s biggest hit songs, including “Three Times a Lady,” “Easy,” “All Night Long (All Night),” “Say You, Say Me,” “Brick House,” and “Jesus Is Love.” The unlikely pairing resulted in some awkward onstage chemistry.
Wonder and Puth were then joined by Melissa Etheridge, Ari Lennox, Muni Long, Yola, Jimmie Allen, Dustin Lynch, Smokey Robinson, and even Richie himself for a rendition of “We Are the World,” the famous 1985 charity single written by Richie and Michael Jackson.
Richie later took time during his acceptance speech to inspire everyone in attendance with some words of wisdom.
“God has given you a light. That light is special. That light is only given to a few. When you hear the word ‘hip,’ it means today. When you hear the word ‘inspiring,’ it means forever. If you get a chance to have that light on you, understand what God has in store,” the singer explained. “He’s not trying to tell you that your car looks great, your clothes look great. He’s trying to tell — He, She, Mother, God — is trying to tell you that you are chosen to inspire. Take this opportunity. That light is on you. Inspire.”
