American singer and song writer Taylor Swift took the high road as she won six American Music Awards on Sunday, November 24, 2019 to surpass Michael Jackson’s all-time record, avoiding any direct mention of a bitter dispute with her old record company.
The Bad Blood singer won the Top Award, Artist of the Year, and four others. She was also given an honorary artist of the decade award, taking her all-time total to 29 American Music Awards, organizers said. That easily outstripped the 24 awards picked up by Michael Jackson.
“All that matters to me is the memories that I have had with you guys, with you the fans, over the years,” 29-year-old Swift told the audience at the ceremony in Los Angeles after performing a medley of her old hits.
Swift had been expected to speak out about a long feud with record industry executive Scooter Braun, who owns the master recordings to her first six albums after Swift signed with a new label in 2018.
Swift accused Braun last week of refusing permission for her to sing songs from her back catalog at the awards show. The public spat culminated last week with Braun saying that his family had received numerous death threats after the pop singer urged her 122 million Instagram fans to let Braun “know how you feel about this.”
But on Sunday, the “Fearless” singer made no mention of the dispute, although she opened her performance wearing a white shirt printed with the titles of her old albums.
“This year for me has been a lot. It’s been a lot of good, it’s been a lot of really complicated,” she said, without elaborating. She beat Drake, Ariana Grande, Halsey and Post Malone as artist of the year.
Newcomer Billie Eilish, 17, took home two statuettes for best new artist and best alternative rock artist after a breakout year that saw her top the U.S. charts with her single “Bad Girl.”
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“You made it all happen,” said Eilish, thanking her fans.
Eilish showed her support for environmental causes by wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “No Music on a Dead Planet” as she gave her first awards show performance with “All the Good Girls Go to Hell.”
Selena Gomez kicked off the ceremony in her first live TV performance in two years after undergoing a kidney transplant in 2017 and battling anxiety and depression.
Body positive R&B singer Lizzo performed her new single “Jerome,” and Cuban-born Camila Cabello and boyfriend Shawn Mendes sang their hit pop single “Senorita,” which won the award for collaboration of the year.
British rocker Ozzy Osbourne, 70, who has been sidelined by serious health problems for a year, was mostly seated as he took to the stage with rappers Post Malone, Travis Scott and rocker WATT for their single “Take What You Want.”
Punk rockers Green Day got the audience to its feet as they marked the 25th anniversary of their 1994 breakout album “Dookie.”
Other performers included the Jonas Brothers, Kesha, Halsey, Christina Aguilera and Shania Twain.
See the full list of nominees and subsequent winners:
Artist of the Year
Drake
Ariana Grande
Halsey
Post Malone
Taylor Swift – WINNER
New Artist of the Year
Luke Combs
Billie Eilish – WINNER
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Ella Mai
Collaboration of the Year
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, “Shallow”
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus, “Old Town Road”
Marshmello and Bastille, “Happier”
Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, “Señorita” – WINNER
Post Malone and Swae Lee, “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)”
Tour of the Year
BTS – WINNER
Ariana Grande
Elton John
P!nk
Ed Sheeran
Favorite Music Video
Billie Eilish, “Bad Guy”
Ariana Grande, “7 Rings”
Halsey, “Without Me”
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus, “Old Town Road”
Taylor Swift, “You Need to Calm Down” – WINNER
Favorite Social Artist
BTS – WINNER
Billie Eilish
EXO
Ariana Grande
Shawn Mendes
Favorite Male Artist — Pop/Rock
Drake
Khalid – WINNER
Post Malone
Favorite Female Artist — Pop/Rock
Billie Eilish
Ariana Grande
Taylor Swift – WINNER
Favorite Duo or Group — Pop/Rock
BTS – WINNER
Jonas Brothers
Panic! At The Disco
Favorite Album — Pop/Rock
Billie Eilish, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”
Ariana Grande, “Thank U, Next”
Taylor Swift, “Lover” – WINNER
Favorite Song — Pop/Rock
Halsey, “Without Me” – WINNER
Jonas Brothers, “Sucker”
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus, “Old Town Road”
Panic! At The Disco, “High Hopes”
Post Malone & Swae Lee, “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)”
Favorite Male Artist — Country
Kane Brown – WINNER
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Favorite Female Artist — Country
Kelsea Ballerini
Maren Morris
Carrie Underwood – WINNER
Favorite Duo or Group — Country
Dan + Shay – WINNER
Florida Georgia Line
Old Dominion
Favorite Album — Country
Kane Brown, “Experiment”
Dan + Shay, “Dan + Shay”
Carrie Underwood, “Cry Pretty” – WINNER
Favorite Song – Country
Luke Combs, “Beautiful Crazy”
Dan + Shay, “Speechless” – WINNER
Blake Shelton, “God’s Country”
Favorite Artist — Rap/Hip-Hop
Cardi B – WINNER
Drake
Post Malone
Favorite Album — Rap/Hip-Hop
Meek Mill, “Championships”
Post Malone, “Hollywood’s Bleeding” – WINNER
Travis Scott, “Astroworld”
Favorite Song — Rap/Hip-Hop
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus, “Old Town Road” – WINNER
Post Malone, “Wow.”
Travis Scott, “Sicko Mode”
Favorite Male Artist — Soul/R&B
Chris Brown
Khalid
Bruno Mars – WINNER
Favorite Female Artist — Soul/R&B
Beyoncé – WINNER
Lizzo
Ella Mai
Favorite Album — Soul/R&B
Chris Brown, “Indigo”
Khalid, Free “Spirit” – WINNER
Ella Mai, “Ella Mai”
Favorite Song — Soul/R&B
Khalid, “Talk” – WINNER
Lizzo, “Juice”
Ella Mai, “Trip”
Favorite Artist – Alternative Rock
Billie Eilish – WINNER
Imagine Dragons
Panic! at the Disco
Favorite Artist – Adult Contemporary
Maroon 5
P!nk
Taylor Swift – WINNER
Favorite Artist — Latin
Bad Bunny
J Balvin – WINNER
Ozuna
Favorite Artist – Contemporary Inspirational
Lauren Daigle – WINNER
For King & Country
MercyMe
Favorite Artist – Electronic Dance Music (EDM)
Avicii
Marshmello – WINNER
The Chainsmokers
Favorite Soundtrack
“A Star Is Born” by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen – WINNER
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
Yetunde Adegoke
