Keith Urban and Bruno Mars were the big winners at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday (19Nov17).
Urban swept the country awards for which he was nominated and seemed genuinely shocked with his triple – for Male Artist, Song and Album – while Bruno picked up the coveted Artist of the Year trophy.
The show began on a sombre note as Jamie Foxx and his daughter Corinne offered up a tribute to America’s first responders.
Foxx introduced the night’s opening performance – Kelly Clarkson and Pink’s emotional performance of R.E.M.’s Everybody Hurts, after delivering his own powerful message.
“This year more than perhaps any other in recent history, we needed the power of music to help us escape the news of the day,” he said. “We needed the power of music to help us heal, from hurricanes, wildfires, hate, hatred-filled violence. 2017 was a year that tested our faith – in these moments of crisis, heroes emerged when it would’ve been so easy to run away.”
Foxx and his daughter were then joined onstage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles by firefighters, paramedics, police officers and others who helped save lives and offer hope and help following 2017’s disasters and tragedies.
“As this year comes to a close, we look forward to 2018 with hope,” Foxx continued. “For, even as we mourn those who are lost, we know this – together our strength will pull us through, together we shall overcome the pain, together we can unite as a people and a nation.
Highlight performances included Demi Lovatos girl power anthem Sorry, Not Sorry, which she kicked off while sitting in the audience, watching as negative and mean tweets about her flashed across the monitors onstage.
“There’s so much hate in this world,” Lovato said as she made her way to the stage. “We have to rise up and never say sorry for who you are (sic).”
Hailee Steinfeld hit the stage with Alesso, Florida Georgia Line, and watt to perform Let Me Go – the most bizarre collaboration of the ceremony, while another talking point was Selena Gomez’s return to performing live after her summer kidney transplant – she showed off her new blonde look as she sang her new track Wolves, wearing a nightdress. And Lady Gaga beamed in her performance of The Cure from Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Theater, her Sunday night Joanne World Tour stop.
Gaga was awarded the AMA for Favorite Female Artist later in the show and accepted the honour onstage in the U.S. capital.
But the night’s biggest performance was Christina Aguilera’s much-anticipated 25th anniversary tribute to The Bodyguard soundtrack. The singer hit the stage to perform a medley of hits from the film, including I Will Always Love You and I Have Nothing.
And, not to be outdone by her one-time pop rival, Pink sang the title track from her new album, Beautiful Trauma, while dangling from wires on the side of the sky-rise Marriott hotel in Downtown L.A. After wowing with Kelly Clarkson at the top of the show, Pink went solo for the death-defying performance, which she admitted was “the craziest, most insane thing I’ve ever attempted to do” in a video she posted from her rehearsals last week (ends17Nov17).
The list of winners available at press time is:
Artist of the Year
Bruno Mars
Lifetime Achievement
Diana Ross
New Artist of the Year
Niall Horan
Collaboration of the Year
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber – Despacito
Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock
Lady Gaga
Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock
Imagine Dragons
Favorite Male Artist – Country
Keith Urban
Favorite Album – Country
Keith Urban – Ripcord
Favorite Song – Country
Keith Urban – Blue Ain’t Your Color
Favorite Song – Rap/Hip-Hop
DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne – I’m The One
Favorite Artist – Alternative Rock
Linkin Park
Favorite Artist – Adult Contemporary
Shawn Mendes
Favorite Artist – Electronic Dance Music
The Chainsmokers
