--- title: American Music Awards Recap: The Show Was Boring description: Sam Smith, Iggy Azalea, and Ariana Grande just don't have what the X-factor their elders do canonical: https://time.com/3601753/american-music-awards-recap-iggy-azalea-sam-smith-ariana-grande/ author: Daniel D'Addario article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-24T04:42:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:57.299Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: American Music Awards Recap: The Show Was Boring og:description: Sam Smith, Iggy Azalea, and Ariana Grande just don't have what the X-factor their elders do og:url: https://time.com/3601753/american-music-awards-recap-iggy-azalea-sam-smith-ariana-grande/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7dda608aafbc6bd7/69876a760b72e3fed56dc1c0/ap322151403804.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Sam Smith og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: American Music Awards Recap: The Show Was Boring twitter:description: Sam Smith, Iggy Azalea, and Ariana Grande just don't have what the X-factor their elders do twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7dda608aafbc6bd7/69876a760b72e3fed56dc1c0/ap322151403804.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The American Music Awards Proved New Pop Stars Are Way Too Cautious > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Daniel D'Addario](https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Nov 24, 2014 4:42 AM UTC  Sam Smith performs on stage at the 42nd annual American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Sam Smith performs on stage at the 42nd annual American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)Matt Sayles—Invision/AP  by [Daniel D'Addario](https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Nov 24, 2014 4:42 AM UTC Jennifer Lopez was the standout act of the American Music Awards this year. And nothing against Lopez, who’s been shoring up this awards show for years with energetic live performances, but that doesn’t speak well of the current crop of pop stars. The 2014 American Music Awards were striking in how much they depicted a wide gulf between the recording industry’s top achievers and those who hope to get there someday. Stars including Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, and Katy Perry (who won an award, accepting it via satellite!) didn’t deign to show up; their careers can go on without this promotional opportunity. (Taylor Swift _did_ show up, but she’s taking a well-deserved victory lap for _1989_, and she got a lifetime-achievement award out of the deal.) Meanwhile, Iggy Azalea seemed vaguely put-out in her acceptance speech and was largely on the sidelines in her duet with Lopez, while Ariana Grande and Sam Smith cautiously performed in exactly the same way they’ve been doing since their careers began, with a lot to recommend them and a lot to work on that hasn’t been worked on yet. (In Grande’s case, it’s enunciation; Smith’s beautiful voice can’t fully distract from his wooden arm movements.) MAGIC!, the Canadian reggae band of “Rude” fame, was also there. That One Direction, a band whose first album came out in the U.S. in 2012, felt like veterans on the AMAs stage, performing a perfectly lovely rendition of “Night Changes,” spoke volumes both of the relative novelty of the acts involved, and their relative aptitude at being pop stars. The new crop of stars, including Smith, Grande, and Azalea, among others, seem to have missed out on the advantages their forbears enjoyed, which include the time to work out what one wants to be as an artist and the tools it requires to get there. Consider that Taylor Swift won a lifetime achievement award (that is, the Dick Clark Award for Excellence) for cultivating relationships with her fans and opened the show by specifically sending up her image — the sort of image that Grande et al. have yet to try to build. We can’t learn to love an artist if they’re as recessive as the new crowd tends to be. The American Music Awards last year, by dint of who had recorded albums in the preceding months, featured performances by Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrus, all of whom bring to mind complex associations and who rely on elaborate stagecraft. This year’s performers tended to be simple; indeed, Nicki Minaj, one of the few veterans on the stage, made an impression by dialing back her theatrics. But in her case, it’s an earned privilege. Newer artists at the 2014 AMAs failed to give us much to latch on to; if they ever want the sort of success Perry and Cyrus enjoy, it’s about time to start taking risks. As we wait for that, there’ll always be Jennifer Lopez twerking. ### PHOTOS: See Taylor Swift Over the Years  Taylor Swift arrives at the 2006 CMT Music Awards at the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. John Shearer—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift arrives at the 2007 CMT Music Awards. Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during the 42nd Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2007. Ethan Miller—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during the Academy of Country Music New Artists' Party for a Cause show at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2008. Ethan Miller—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs live on MTV's "TRL" at the MTV Studios in Times Square in New York City in 2008. Gary Gershoff—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift attends the 42nd Annual CMA Awards at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee in 2008. Ed Rode—WireImage/Getty Images  Singer Taylor Swift arrives at CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California in 2008. Jon Kopaloff—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs on Saturday Night Live in 2009. NBC/Getty Images  Taylor Swift arrives at the Brit Awards 2009 at Earls Court in London, England. Gareth Cattermole—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards All-Star Jam at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2009. Ethan Miller—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 2009. Theo Wargo—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift arrives to the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Stephen Lovekin—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the 43rd Annual CMA Awards from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009. Katherine Bomboy—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs onstage at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards held at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California in 2010. Michael Caulfield—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift drops one of her awards during the 52nd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California in 2010. Valerie Macon—AFP/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee in 2010. Rick Diamond—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during the Grand Ole Opry 85th birthday bash at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee in 2010. Tony R. Phipps—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs "Back to December" at the 44th Annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee in 2010. Rick Diamond—Getty Images  Taylor Swift attends the 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011. TIMOTHY A. CLARY—AFP/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the Radio One Teen Awards at Wembley Arena in London, England in 2012. Mike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the Radio One Teen Awards at Wembley Arena in London, England in 2012. Mike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift switches on the Christmas lights and performs for fans and shoppers at Westfield London in London, England in 2012. Mike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift arrives at the 26th Annual ARIA Awards 2012 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia. Don Arnold—WireImage/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs on stage during the 26th Annual ARIA Awards 2012 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia. Brendon Thorne—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during night 1 of the 2012 KIIS FM Jingle Ball at Nokia Theatre LA Live in Los Angeles, California. C Flanigan—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Taylor Swift in concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts in 2013. Barry Chin—Boston Globe/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs while Candice Swanepoel walks the runway at the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on May 30, 2014 in Shanghai, China. ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2014 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Nov. 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, Ca. Michael Tran—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs at the 2014 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Nov. 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, Ca. Christopher Polk—Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs on The Voice in 2014. NBC/Getty Images  Taylor Swift performs during the 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Earl's Court exhibition centre on Dec. 2, 2014 in London, England. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images for Victoria's Secr  Taylor Swift performs onstage during KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2014 at Staples Center on December 5, 2014 in Los Angeles, Ca. Christopher Polk—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3601753/american-music-awards-recap-iggy-azalea-sam-smith-ariana-grande/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3601753/american-music-awards-recap-iggy-azalea-sam-smith-ariana-grande/"},"headline":"The American Music Awards Proved New Pop Stars Are Way Too Cautious","datePublished":"2014-11-24T04:42:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:57.299Z","description":"The show was predictable, conservative and short on excitement","url":"https://time.com/3601753/american-music-awards-recap-iggy-azalea-sam-smith-ariana-grande/","keywords":["Music","Iggy Azalea","Ariana Grande","Jennifer Lopez","Sam Smith"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7dda608aafbc6bd7/69876a760b72e3fed56dc1c0/ap322151403804.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel D'Addario","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7dda608aafbc6bd7/69876a760b72e3fed56dc1c0/ap322151403804.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sam Smith","caption":"Sam Smith","creditText":"Matt Sayles—Invision/AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3601753/american-music-awards-recap-iggy-azalea-sam-smith-ariana-grande/","name":"The American Music Awards Proved New Pop Stars Are Way Too Cautious"}}]}] ```