Justin Bieber may be Canadian, but he was the all-American boy at Sunday night's American Music Awards.
The
pop singer dominated the awards show, winning three trophies, including
artist of the year. His mom joined him onstage as he collected the
award, beating out Rihanna, Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Drake.
"I wanted to thank you for always believing in me," Bieber said, looking to his mom.
The
18-year-old also won the honor in 2010. He said it's "hard growing up
with everyone watching me" and asked that people continue to believe in
him.
But the teenager who brought his mom as a date also got in
some grinding with Nicki Minaj — who shared the stage with him and took
home two awards — and a kiss on the neck from presenter Jenny McCarthy.
"Wow. I feel violated right now," he said, laughing.
"I
did grab his butt," McCarthy said backstage. "I couldn't help it. He
was just so delicious. So little. I wanted to tear his head off and eat
it."
Another collaboration was the night's most colorful
performance: Korean rapper PSY and MC Hammer. Hammer joined the
buzzed-about pop star for his viral hit "Gangnam Style." PSY rocked
traditional "Hammer" pants as they danced to his jam and to Hammer's
"Too Legit to Quit."
Minaj, who wore three different wigs and four
outfits throughout the night, repeated her AMAs wins from last year,
picking up trophies for favorite rap/hip-hop artist and album for "Pink
Friday: Roman Reloaded." She was in an all-white get-up, including fur
coat and pink hair when she performed her new song "Freedom." The scene
was ghostly and snowy, as a choir — also in white — joined her onstage.
One background singer stole the performance, belting semi-high notes as
Minaj looked on.
Usher kicked off the three-hour show with green
laser lights beaming onstage as he performed a medley of songs,
including "Numb," ''Climax" and "Can't Stop, Won't Stop," which featured
a smoky floor and a number of backup dancers, as Usher jammed in all
black, with the exception of his red shoes. He won favorite soul/R&B
male artist.
His protege Bieber won favorite pop/rock male artist
in the first award handed out and gave a shout-out to those who didn't
think he would last on the music scene.
"I want to say this is for
all the haters who thought I was just here for one or two years. I feel
like I'm going to be here for a very long time," he said.
He also
won favorite pop/rock album for his platinum-selling third album,
"Believe." He gave a stripped down, acoustic performance of "As Long As
You Love Me," then transitioned to the dance-heavy "Beauty and a Beat,"
where Minaj joined him onstage, grinding with the teen for a few
seconds.
Swift won her fifth consecutive award for favorite country female artist.
"This is unreal. I want to thank the fans. You guys are the ones who voted on this," she said.
Swift
gave a masquerade-themed performance of the pop song "I Knew You Were
Trouble." She sang onstage in a light dress while dancers wore mostly
black. But then she changed into a red corset and black skirt, matching
their dark mood. She even danced and sang on the floor as lights
flickered throughout the performance.
Dick Clark, who created the AMAs, was remembered by Ryan Seacrest and an upbeat performance by Stevie Wonder.
"What a producer he was," said Seacrest, as Wonder sang his hits, including "My Cherie Amour."
Carly Rae Jepsen, who performed early in the night, won favorite new artist.
"I am floored. Wow," she said, thanking Bieber and his manager, Scooter Braun.
Party
girl Ke$ha was glammed up on the red carpet, rocking long, flowy blonde
hair and a light pink dress. She switched to her normal attire when she
performed her hit single "Die Young." It was tribal, with shirtless
dancers in skin-tight pants, silver hair and skeleton-painted faces, who
also played the drums. Ke$ha was pants-less, rocking knee-high boots
and rolling on the floor as she finished up the song.
Minaj and
Christina Aguilera were blonde bombshells, too: Minaj's hair was busy
and full of volume and she sported a neon strapless gown to accept her
first award. Aguilera wore a blonde bob in a purple dress that matched
her eyeshadow.
Aguilera performed a medley of material from her new album and joined Pitbull onstage.
Kelly
Clarkson also hit the stage, making a nod to her "American Idol" roots
with a number on her dress and three judges looking on as she sang "Miss
Independent." Then she went into "Since U Been Gone," ''Stronger" and
"Catch My Breath."
Fellow "Idol" winner Carrie Underwood won best
favorite country album and performed, hitting the right notes while
singing "Two Black Cadillacs." She talked about singing competition
shows backstage.
"These people that go on these shows are so
talented, you know? And I would love to see if so many of the other
artists that are out there today would go back and try out for these
shows, because they might get their behinds kicked by some of the
contestants," she said.
Luke Bryan won favorite country male artist and Lady Antebellum favorite country group.
American
Music Awards nominees were selected based on sales and airplay, and
fans chose the winners by voting online. At this award show, even the
stars were fans: Pink said on the red carpet that she'd like to
collaborate with Lauryn Hill. Cyndi Lauper said her musical playlist
includes Pink and Minaj. Boy band The Wanted said they were excited to
see PSY and Colbie Caillat wanted to watch No Doubt.
"What makes
the American Music Awards special is the fans choose the winning
artists," said Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, who won favorite
alternative rock artist and performed "Burn It Down," as Brandy sang
along and Gwen Stefani, Usher and Phillip Phillips bobbed their heads.
David
Guetta won the show's first-ever electronic dance music award.
Non-televised awards went to Katy Perry for pop/rock female artist,
Beyonce for soul/R&B female artist, Adele for adult contemporary
artist and Shakira for Latin artist.
Along with Rihanna, Minaj was the top nominee with four nominations.
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