Los Angeles: Justin Bieber, won four American Music Awards on Sunday night in Los Angeles, every award he’d been nominated for, including the top accolade, favourite artist.
The 16-year-old Canadian heartthrob beat a list that featured veterans Eminem and Usher, as well as Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.
Bieber became the youngest person to ever win the title. He also won favourite pop/rock album, favorite pop/rock male, and the show's breakthrough artist award.
"I can't stop smiling, this is amazing," he said after he also beat Eminem and Usher for the favourite pop/rock male accolade. "Truly I don't know how this is possible because I've been singing Eminem since I was three and Usher is my mentor. So this is big."
Eminem, along with Lady Antebellum, had been the leading nominee with five awards. He didn't come out empty handed though, winning two, along with Usher, who also nabbed two. Lady Antebellum took home one award.
Other winners included Black Eyed Peas and Taylor Swift, but Sunday's ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles was as much a showcase for acts with new albums as it was a celebration of the biggest achievers of 2010.
Rihanna, with her hair dyed ruby red, gave the show a colourful and sexy start, performing a medley of songs from her just released album ‘Loud’, including the No 1 hit ‘What's My Name’, wearing a bustier and what seemed like a scarf wrapped around her backside.
"This is amazing!" she said as she received her award for favourite soul/R&B female. She ended her speech by yelling, "Wassup! Thank you!"
The Black Eyed Peas, winners for favorite pop/rock band, gave an impressive performance, singing from boxes atop the stage during part of their performance of their new single, ‘The Time’.
Some of the prime-time performances were given to acts that hadn’t been nominated, but had albums to promote. Diddy's latest incarnation with the group Diddy-Dirty Money sang material from their upcoming album, while Kid Rock performed a stirring, acoustic version of ‘Times Like These’, his song lifting up his hometown of Detroit during its recent economic struggles, from his new CD, ‘Born Free’.
An appearance from pregnant Pink was among the evening's performance highlights. Unlike recent shows, marked by a high-wire act, she stayed close to the ground to perform her latest song, ‘Raise Your Glass’, but thrilled nonetheless with a tightly choreographed, high-energy dance number.
Katy Perry provided the evening's most explosive show as pyrotechnics accentuated her latest song, ‘Firework’.
Swift, who was last year's artist of the year, took home the award for favourite country female. Sporting sleek blonde hair instead of her usual cascading curls, she said: "I just want to thank the fans”.
She later sang her new single ‘Back to December’, a song she had also sung at the CMA Awards earlier in the month, but this time she mixed things up by incorporating some of OneRepublic's ‘Too Late To Apologise’.
Ke$ha, perhaps trying to make up for the absent Lady Gaga, gave the night's most bizarre performance with her ‘Take It Off’, looking like something out of space, with beams of light for eyes and sporting a motorcycle helmet. She then stripped down to a mirrored outfit, and started into the next song with a bunch of male dancers dressed like her, complete with blonde wigs and fishnet stockings.
Winners of the 38th annual American Music Awards
- Soul/R&B Album: Usher, ‘Raymond v Raymond’.
- Soul/R&B Female Artist: Rihanna.
- Soul/R&B Male Artist: Usher.
- Pop/Rock Album: Justin Bieber, ‘My World 2.0’.
- Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group: The Black Eyed Peas.
- Pop/Rock Female Artist: Lady Gaga.
- Pop/Rock Male Artist: Justin Bieber.
- Rap/Hip-Hop Album: Eminem, ‘Recovery’.
- Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist: Eminem.
- Country Band, Duo or Group: Lady Antebellum.
- Country Album: Carrie Underwood, ‘Play On’.
- Country Female Artist: Taylor Swift.
- Country Male Artist: Brad Paisley.
- Contemporary Inspirational Artist: MercyMe.
- Soundtrack: ‘Glee: The Music, Volume 3 –Showstoppers’.
- Latin Music Artist: Shakira.
- Alternative Rock Artist: Muse.
- Adult Contemporary Artist: Michael Buble.
- Breakthrough Artist: Justin Bieber.
- Artist of the Year: Justin Bieber.
