LAS VEGAS - Taylor Swift dominated the Billboard Music Awards with eight wins, including top artist, while Kanye West was booed during his performance that closed the three-hour event. Swift also won top Billboard 200 album and top female artist Monday.
“Oh, this is such a good night!” she said after winning the top prize, besting One Direction, Ariana Grande, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran. “Early this morning I watched my brother Austin graduate from Notre Dame ... (and) to anyone who's graduating this year ... this is for you.”
“This is kind of a graduation for us,” Swift said to the audience of top musicians.
West, however, was booed during his smoky performance of “All Day.” “And now a doctor,” Kylie Jenner said while introducing the rapper, who earned an honorary doctorate from the Art Institute of Chicago.
Swift, who sat next to the DJ-producer-singer, kicked off the awards by debuting her action-filled music video for “Bad Blood,” which stars Selena Gomez and Lena Dunham and showcases Swift as a fighting vixen.
One Direction, which recently downsized to four members, won the night's first award for top duo/group.
“There is one more person to share this with, and that's our brother Zayn,” Liam Payne said of Zayn Malik, who left the group.
The boy band also won top touring artist.
Iggy Azalea won top rap song for “Fancy” as her NBA player boyfriend, Nick Young, watched her with emotion. Azalea also won top streaming artist and rap artist.
Van Halen was the night's first performance and rocked the crowd with its 1984 hit “Panama.” Mariah Carey sang her first hit, “Vision of Love,” which was pitchy. She followed it with new single, “Infinity,” where she also struggled. She ended with a strong high note, though.
Britney Spears was energetic when she performed her new single, “Pretty Girls,” in a sheer black cat suit alongside Azalea. Swift and Zendaya sang along as Nicki Minaj mainly danced, barely singing or rapping live and relying on a backing track during “Hey Mama” and “The Night Is Still Young.”
Meghan Trainor performed a duet with John Legend and won hot 100 song for “All About That Bass.” She was teary and shaky onstage, as was her friend and collaborator Charlie Puth, who performed “See You Again” with Wiz Khalifa earlier in the show.
Other performers included Pitbull with Chris Brown and Little Big Town with Faith Hill. - AP
