Pop stars Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift won the big prizes on Sunday at the Billboard Music Awards. Bieber, who was named top male artist, also performed at the show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Contactmusic reported.
He also took home Billboard’s first Milestone Award, chosen by fans, for musical innovation and ingenuity.
The teen heartthrob has had a rough few months, with scathing reports about his bad behaviour on his ongoing world tour. He also took the opportunity to address the controversy. “I’m 19-years-old and I think I’m doing a pretty good job,” Justin proclaimed. “And basically from my heart I really just want to say it should really be about the music, it should be about the craft that I’m making. Swift won the top award of the night, artist of the year. She thanked her fans by telling them: “You are the longest and best relationship I’ve ever had.” Pop diva Madonna was named top touring artist for her “MDNA Tour,” 2012’s highest-grossing concert series.
Gotye and Rihanna followed with four awards each.
Justin Bieber booed at 2013 Billboard Music Awards
When Justin Bieber walked up to the podium Sunday night to accept the fan-voted Milestone Award at the Billboard Music Awards, one thing he probably didn’t expect was a room full of boos from the crowd.
The boos, though, were mixed with cheers at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Looking surprised by the audience’s reaction, Bieber hesitated to speak at first, unsure how to react to the crowd. After all, he walked up to the stage to accept a fan-voted honour. He stood at the mic for a while looking befuddled before launching into his acceptance speech. The Canadian singer during the acceptance speech said, “This is not a gimmick. I’m an artist and I should be taken seriously and all this other bull should not be spoken of. I wanna thank my manager, Scooter Braun. I wanna thank my family at home. I wanna thank my mother, my father, I wanna thank Jesus Christ. Mom, I love you so much. Dad, I love you. Little brother and sister, I love you so much. Thank you guys so much. Fans, you’re incredible.”
Bieber topped several other stars for the award, including Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift. He also took home the top male artist honor on Sunday night. Earlier in the evening, Bieber sang “Take You” and also took the stage with will.i.am for a performance of “#thatPOWER.”
Following the awards ceremony, Bieber tweeted: “I love music, my fans, my family, my friends.. And I love The Lord.” Meanwhile, Bieber and Selena Gomez have sparked speculation that they may be back together again after getting cozy in Las Vegas over the weekend.
