What to Expect From the 2014 American Music Awards

— -- The 2014 American Music Awards kick off Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, and the show's executive producer said that if you don't tune in as soon as the show starts, you'll be missing something "huge" and "outrageous."

"Trust me. Don't come into the show at 8:10 p.m. Don't do that. You better start at 8 p.m., 'cause I ain't holdin' nothin' back. ... It's gonna open up with a huge 'wow,'" AMA executive producer Larry Klein told ABC News. "And it's gonna go for three hours and end with a big 'wow.'"

With 18 musical performances from the likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde, 5 Seconds of Summer and many more, it's no wonder that the show will be a huge production. Klein said the challenge every year is trying to make sense out of many diverse performances.

"The show represents all the different genres of music, so you got rap and hip-hop and country and R&B and pop and rock," he said. "And what you have to do is try to make all those things blend together into one, three-hour, cohesive show. That's a challenge."

He added, "I think what we're doing is just representing what pop culture is in today's world. Listen to any radio station -- I don't care what the station is -- the songs you hear on those radio stations you'll be seeing Sunday night with the artists performing them."

With all this talk of the performances, it's hard to remember that trophies will be handed out, as well. But, as Klein said, that's really not the main attraction and it never has been, as per instructions from the show's creator, the late Dick Clark.

"We're an awards show like other awards shows, but Dick Clark always said, 'We're an entertainment show. Entertainment first, awards second,'" he said. "Awards mean a lot, but what Dick Clark created was a show that was for the masses, for the public to enjoy, to watch. It's the world's biggest fan-based show. We have 18 performers on the show. I always think of it as 18 little miniseries in a three-hour show."

The show will be hosted by Pitbull, and Klein explained why he's such a great host.

"He brings energy like you can't imagine, and I want people to understand that when you see Pit on stage with his energy, please don't think he's doing that for television," Klein said. "I hang out with Pit a lot. He's one of my best friends. We're at a restaurant, he has that same energy; we're driving in a car, he has that same energy. So, please, you gotta understand: What you see on stage -- he's like that 24/7!"

Charli XCX is nominated for Single of the Year for "Fancy," her smash collaboration with Iggy Azalea.

"I don't do this for, like, awards, or, like, award wins, or whatever," she told ABC News. "You know, of course, I'm very grateful but it's just like ... I'd rather be in the studio, I guess. But of course, I'm very thankful."

Fergie is one of many artists debuting new music on the show and admitted it's pretty nerve-wracking to sing a new song on TV for the first time.

"But that's when I remind myself what the song's about. It's about having a good time and it's about spreading the love -- and I gotta take my own advice!" she said.

Here are the nominees:

Artist of the Year

Iggy Azalea

Beyoncé

Luke Bryan

One Direction

Katy Perry

New Artist of the Year Presented By Kohl’s

5 Seconds of Summer

Iggy Azalea

Bastille

Sam Smith

Meghan Trainor

Single of the Year

Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX, “Fancy”

John Legend, “All of Me”

MAGIC!, “Rude”

Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J, “Dark Horse”

Pharrell Williams, “Happy”

Favorite Male Artist -- Pop/Rock

John Legend

Sam Smith

Pharrell Williams

Favorite Female Artist -- Pop/Rock

Iggy Azalea

Lorde

Katy Perry

Favorite Band, Duo or Group -- Pop/Rock

Imagine Dragons

One Direction

OneRepublic

Favorite Album -- Pop/Rock

Lorde, Pure Heroine

One Direction, Midnight Memories

Katy Perry, Prism

Favorite Male Artist -- Country

Jason Aldean

Luke Bryan

Blake Shelton

Favorite Female Artist -- Country

Miranda Lambert

Kacey Musgraves

Carrie Underwood

Favorite Band, Duo or Group -- Country

Eli Young Band

Florida Georgia Line

Lady Antebellum

Favorite Album -- Country

Garth Brooks, Blame It On My Roots: Five Decades of Influences

Eric Church, The Outsiders

Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am

Favorite Artist -- Rap/Hip-Hop

Iggy Azalea

Drake

Eminem

Favorite Album -- Rap/Hip-Hop

Iggy Azalea, The New Classic

Drake, Nothing Was The Same

Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP 2

Favorite Male Artist -- Soul/R&B

Chris Brown

John Legend

Pharrell Williams

Favorite Female Artist -- Soul/R&B

Jhene Aiko

Beyoncé

Mary J. Blige

Favorite Album -- Soul/R&B

Beyoncé, Beyoncé

John Legend, Love in the Future

Pharrell Williams, G I R L

Favorite Artist -- Alternative Rock

Bastille

Imagine Dragons

Lorde

Favorite Artist -- Adult Contemporary

Sara Bareilles

OneRepublic

Katy Perry

Favorite Artist -- Latin

Marc Anthony

Enrique Iglesias

Romeo Santos

Favorite Artist -- Contemporary Inspirational

Casting Crowns

Hillsong United

Newsboys

Favorite Artist -- Electronic Dance Music (EDM)

Avicii

Calvin Harris

Zedd