American Music Awards 2011: Artist of the Year Nominees [VIDEOS]

Nominees for the 2011 American Music Awards were announced on Tuesday, and leading the pack is British singer Adele.

Fresh from the success of her second studio album, 21, Adele is nominated for four awards, including favorite female artist, favorite adult contemporary artist and favorite album. Since its January release, 21 has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide.

Adele, 23, is also nominated for the coveted Artist of the Year Award, along with Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne and Katy Perry.

Now in its 39th year, the American Music Awards are usually a good indication of who will be nominated for the Grammy Awards, which are handed out every February.

Swift, Perry, Gaga, Lil Wayne, Rihanna and The Band Perry each have three AMA nominations, while Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and Kanye West each have two.

Like Adele, Swift is riding high on the success of her album, Speak Now, which has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide since its release one year ago.

The highly talented group that makes up this year's 2011 AMA nominees have dominated the charts, airwaves and pop culture all year long. We are excited to congratulate and celebrate all of the artists on American music's biggest night, AMA executive producer Orly Adelson and prodcer Larry Klein said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

The 2011 American Music Awards will air on Nov. 20 on ABC, live from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.

Scroll down for music videos from the five Artist of the Year nominees.