Indonesia’s AMI Awards announce new categories including metal and R&B

The Anugerah Musik Indonesia (AMI) Awards have released the full list of nominations for its 2022 iteration. 

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Yesterday (14 September), the Indonesian award ceremony released its staggering nominations list, which encompasses over 57 categories including the addition of new awards in the fields of metal, hip-hop and contemporary R&B.

Namely, new awards are being given for Best Contemporary R&B Male/Female Solo Artist, Best Contemporary R&B Duo/Group/Collaboration, Best Male/Female Rap/Hip-hop Solo Artist, Best Rap/Hip-hop Duo/Group/Collaboration, Best Male/Female Solo Artist/Group/Metal Collaboration, and Best Metal Album.

The new awards mark the award ceremony’s first additions since 2013, when it introduced awards for Best Urban Pop Duo/Group/Collaboration and Best Urban Pop Male/Female Solo Artist. This year’s iteration also historically marks the first time the ceremony is issuing metal performance awards, for which veteran acts such as Burgerkill and DeadSquad are in contention.

Awards for “contemporary R&B” performances are noteworthy, as contemporary R&B acts were previously competing with soul acts for awards under general “Soul/R&B” categories. Artists such as Gameliél and Audrey Tapiheru have received nominations within the contemporary R&B field. Additionally, the addition of rap performance awards – for which artists such as Ramengvrl and BAP. have received nods – is significant, as awards have only been previously given to rap productions.

In a statement accompanying the awards’ nominations list, AMI chairman Candra Darusman maintained his insistence on “selection based on quality, not just popularity alone”. He added that the organising committee could do more to include greater representation of Indonesia’s diverse music industry, specifically targeting “traditional music and the presence of music maestros who have not received special attention at AMI” as areas for which new categories may be introduced next year.

See the full list of nominations for the 2022 AMI Awards here. AMI’s accompanying statement can also be read in full here.

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