New Edition to perform with New Kids on the Block at American Music Awards
This is the first time both groups will share a stage together. Bad Bunny and Megan Thee Stallion will also perform.
Boy band history is about to be made at the 2021 American Music Awards. New Edition and New Kids On The Block (NKOTB) will be performing together for the first time ever during the ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m., according to a press release.
The two groups will engage in a “Battle of Boston” as part of the award show’s new segment, “My Hometown.” The segment will take fans down memory lane highlighting the cities that helped raise and shape their favorite musicians, as well as mentors and individuals who assisted them along the way.
New Edition and NKOTB hail from Beantown, and were at one point mentored and produced by songwriter Maurice Starr. Both groups are two-time AMA award winners.
Since their 1983 debut, New Edition has been R&B royalty thanks to hits like “Candy Girl,” “Mr. Telephone Man,” “Can You Stand the Rain” and “If It Isn’t Love.”
NKOTB took up constant residence on the pop charts from their 1986 debut through the mid-’90s with hits like “Hangin’ Tough,” “Please Don’t Go,” “The Right Stuff,” and “Step By Step.”
This year marks the triumphant return to the AMA stage for both groups. New Edition’s last appearance was in 1997, while NKOTB’s most recent appearance came in 2010.
Although the two legendary groups have never performed together, they have collaborated in the recording studio. They recorded the song “Full Service” for NKOTB’s 2008 album The Block.
Also taking part in the “My Hometown” segments are fellow performers Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, and Kane Brown.
Underwood, a 15-time AMA winner, will perform with Aldean, celebrating their Southern roots with their hit duet “If I Didn’t Love You.” Brown, a five-time AMA winner, will give fans a look into his Tennessee and Georgia upbringing as he performs his song “One Mississippi” on the campus of Tennessee State University.
In addition to the “My Hometown” segments, also slated to perform on the AMA stage is South Korean supergroup BTS featuring Megan Thee Stallion with the world premiere performance of “Butter.”
Bad Bunny will perform “Lo Siento BB:/” for the first time on television, and Olivia Rodrigo will make her AMA performance debut.
Cardi B is the host of the 2021 AMAs which will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. This will mark the “WAP” rapper’s hosting debut, as previously reported by theGrio.
Cardi is nominated in four categories this year, including Favorite Music Video and Favorite Hip Hop Song for her hit “Up,” as well as Favorite Female Hip Hop Artist.
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