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American Music Awards 2013 honors the hottest names in music
Katy Perry kicked off the American Music Awards Sunday with some serious star power, taking the Nokia Theatre stage in Los Angeles to perform her latest single, “Unconditionally.” Donning a traditional Japanese dress, the pop singer was joined by dancers for the live performance of the latest single off her “Prism” album.
Pitbull then got the fan-voted show under way, by making a joke about picturing the entire audience naked.
“It’s a miracle, America, that I’m here tonight,” he said before bringing a group of dancers onstage to show off popular dances through the years.
After Pitbull’s monologue, it was time to give out some actual awards. Taylor Swift graced the stage to announce the first honor of the night: favorite pop/rock male, which went to Justin Timberlake. “These are voted on by the fans – everyone who took to their Twitter…and got busy, this means so much to me, thank you.” He later returned to the stage for two more awards: favorite soul/R&B male artist and favorite soul/R&B album.
Rihanna swooped up her seventh American Music Award — favorite soul/R&B female artist. It marked the third time she’s won the AMA in that category. Later in the night, the first-ever Icon Award also went to the R&B/pop star, with an introduction by Bill Maher, who said that “she has become the voice of our time.” After Rihanna performed, her mother graced the stage to present her superstar daughter with the honor, saying, “Tonight I applaud and admire for being so strong and so positive and so humble and so focused. It’s amazing how you I’m so blessed to be part of this historic moment.”
Rihanna told her mom she loved her before giving an acceptance speech, admitting, “I’m terrible at giving speeches.”
“Just about 20 years ago I began giving your life a living hell with my husky…man voice, as you called it,” she said looking at her mother. “I annoyed every one of my neighbors….I can’t believe at 25 years old I’m holding an Icon Award. That sounds weird saying that out loud.”
Swift, donning a short gold dress, received the favorite country album award for her hit album, “Red.” “Thank you, you are everything to me,” she said to her fans. “I really appreciate this.” Swift thanked radio when she received her second honor of the night — favorite female country artist.
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis accepted the favorite rap/hip-hop album award via live satellite from Miami. Upon receiving the honor, they got serious, talking about racial profiling and citing the Trayvon Martin case. Ben Haggerty, the rapper known as Macklemore, said, “Due to the fact that we are in Florida tonight accepting this award I want to acknowledge Trayvon Martin and the hundreds and hundreds of kids each year that are dying due to racial profiling and the violence that follows it. This is really happening. These are our friends, our neighbors, our peers and our fans, and it’s time that we look out for the youth and fight against racism and the laws that protect it.” They later did a a performance live from Miami for the show.
One Direction scored favorite pop/rock album for “Take Me Home,” the group’s second album. It was the first time the U.K. boy band was nominated for an AMA.
It was a big night for new star Ariana Grande, who not only performed in the early part of the show but also walked away with the best new artist honor, beating out Florida Georgia Line, Imagine Dragons Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Phillip Phillips.
Single of the year — a new award — went to Florida Georgia Line and Nelly for their hit “Cruise,” topping Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.”
Performances were plentiful, with the members of One Direction showing off their vocal chops with a stripped-down performance of “Story of My Life.” Imagine Dragons heated things up with a rendition of the hit “Radioactive.” The night’s host Pitbull and Ke$ha teamed up for a performance of “Timber.” Timberlake hit the stage with an acoustic guitar in hand, introducing his performance by saying, “We’re JT and the Tennessee Kids. This is a song about alcohol.” He then launched into his country-tinged “Drink You Away” song. Florida Georgia Line and Nelly
brought some real country with their hit, “Cruise” before doing Nelly’s hit “Ride Wit Me.” Other performers included Jennifer Lopez and A Great Big World with Christina Aguilera.
Many eyes will be on Miley Cyrus as she follows up her MTV Video Music Awards performance and MTV Europe Music Awards stunt. She’s expected to close the show and if history is any indication, fans can expect the unexpected. Lady Gaga, meanwhile, will do something off of her new “ARTPOP” album.
Going into the night, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis led the nominations with six, and Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake each had five. Robin Thicke, Rihanna and Florida Georgia Line had four nods each, while Bruno Mars and Imagine Dragons were up for three awards each.
The coveted artist of the year nominees are Macklemore and Lewis, Swift, Rihanna, Bruno Mars and Timberlake.
Several stars are in attendance, including Marc Anthony, Kristen Bell, Michael Bolton, Ciara, Chris Daughtry, Fall Out Boy, Nathan Fillion, Daisy Fuentes, Juan Pablo Galavis, Dave Grohl, Jennifer Hudson, Joan Jett, Heidi Klum, Lady Antebellum, Kelly Osbourne, Hayden Panettiere, Jeremy Renner, Nicole Richie, Naya Rivera, Emma Roberts, Zoe Saldana, Sarah Silverman and Alicia Silverstone, as well as “Shark Tank” cast members. Some surprise appearances are also in the works.
American Music Awards Full Winners List
Pop/Rock Male Artist
Justin Timberlake
Soul/R&B Female Artist
Rihanna
Country Album
Taylor Swift
Rap/Hip Hop Album
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Alternative Rock Artist
Imagine Dragons
Favorite Latin Music Artist
Marc Anthony
Pop/Rock Album
One Direction
New Artist of the Year
Ariana Grande
AMA Icon Award
Rihanna
Soul/R&B Male Artist
Justin Timberlake
Country Female Artist
Taylor Swift
Single of the Year
“Cruise,” Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly
Soul/R&B Album
Justin Timberlake
Electronic Dance Music Artist
Avicii