So that was the Billboard music awards - and like most big pop events in 2015, it was all about Taylor Swift. Good night!
Kanye did All Day and has now launched into Black Skinhead, but whoever is in charge of making sure no swears get through is so heavy-handed on the mute button that it feels like my TV’s broken. He performed on a platform of flames, smoke and sparks, but the low lighting made him very hard to make out. So it wasn’t really the rip-roaring closer we needed, but it was a lot more rock’n’roll than what went before - which wasn’t saying much.
At this point #BBMAs is censoring the words "and, it, the, he and she". #KanyeWest
— Gawvi (@GAWVI) May 18, 2015
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Kylie and Kendall Jenner’s introduction to Kanye didn’t go down well with everyone.
THEYRE BOOING SO MUCH HAHAHA #bbmas pic.twitter.com/hR9S4JOnNS
— ≀tees≀ (@5SecsOfBanging) May 18, 2015
It’s graduation today in the States, and Taylor just rather sweetly dedicated to her award to anyone who’s graduated this year, reminding us, she says, that we have so much more to learn. Now it’s Kanye. Come on Kanye, shake us up.
So it’s time for the top artist award, voted for by the public. And it’s been won by Taylor Swift, of course.
In a tribute to Ben E King, Imagine Dragons are performing Stand By Me. It would be easy to be snarky about this performance. Soul is perhaps not at a premium, but it’s not much worse than John Lennon’s take.
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The bro-country duo Florida Georgia Line just won top country artist. Here’s a typical moment from them.
It’s Kelly Clarkson belting out Invincible in a leather-lunged performance. How much longer to Kanye?
Now it’s a Breakfast Club tribute presented by the Guardian’s own Molly Ringwald, who was in The Breakfast Club and says she wants to be in Taylor Swift’s club now. It’s Simple Minds doing (Don’t You) Forget About Me. Jim Kerr is in a tartan jacket. Crowd are into it - even Jennifer Lopez.
Looks like Taylor let her into the club! #BBMAs pic.twitter.com/t3D426MLf4
— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSwiftOnTour) May 18, 2015
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Tori Kelly just did Nobody Love acoustically, and it was ... a bit of a racket actually. Here’s an alternative point of view, for balance ...
Tori is slaying clearlyyyy live with just a guitar and some amazing hair. Get it girlfriend. #BBMAs
— The Rules (@RulesForBelles) May 18, 2015
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Liam Payne looking a lot happier hanging out with Hozier than he did picking up his awards.
.@Real_Liam_Payne of @onedirection hanging backstage with @hozier at tonight's #BBMAs! pic.twitter.com/7a42iQrwD5
— Columbia Records (@ColumbiaRecords) May 18, 2015
Nicky Minaj brought some star power to her performance of The Night is Still Young. Unfortunately she also brought David Guetta to do Hey Mama.
.@NICKIMINAJ just made @davidguetta’s #BBMAs "Hey Mama” performance worth watching http://t.co/aVOopWK2Aa pic.twitter.com/SgsPUJ4KAJ
— SPIN (@SPINmagazine) May 18, 2015
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It’s the chart achievement award. What’s the criteria? What’s involved? We may never know, but it’s no surprise that Tay Tay has won it.
Billboard Chart Achievement goes to Taylor Swift! Fan voting FTW! #BBMAs "To the fans online: I'm obsessed with you!" pic.twitter.com/XdQgU1hwn8
— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSwiftOnTour) May 18, 2015
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More on Britney and Iggy:
The billboard producers at @britneyspears and @IGGYAZALEA !! pic.twitter.com/d7ry5jj65Y
— Taeé (@TaeeMinaj) May 18, 2015
Surely the definition of faint praise:
I love that at least Britney put in the effort to re-record her vocals to sound as live when she's lipsynching! So far so good! #BBMAs
— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) May 18, 2015
It’s Britney and Iggy. Britney is in a sheer bodystocking with strategically-placed black rubber shapes on it. Iggy is in skin-tight silver leather. As for the song, like a lot of Britney’s recent oeuvre, it sounds as though no human hand touched it at any point - especially not Britney’s.
Pretty pose ON POINT! #BBMAs pic.twitter.com/afeY0Gokf9
— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) May 18, 2015
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Top 100 hot song might be an upset - it’s All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor. She’s delightfully surprised and overwhelmed.
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Ed Sheeran did Bloodstream acoustically, perhaps limbering up for his three-night busking stand at Wembley Stadium in London this summer.
His music is literally perfect. @edsheeran singing "Bloodstream" 😍 #BBMAs pic.twitter.com/4g9XpSM5nQ
— Stage Right Secrets (@StageRights) May 18, 2015
Meanwhile, Twitter seems to be turning over to watch the final episode of Mad Men. Take a look at our recaps to date here.
As Ed Sheeran takes the stage, One Direction fans are still angsting about the fact that Liam Payne was cut off as he was about to say something as they accepted their award for best touring artist.
can you imagine if liam was ready to say something like how he wishes zayn could've stayed on the tour with them ffs billboard awards
— breelyn (@stylespaws) May 18, 2015
Pit bull and Chris Brown how much low can you get billboard
— Oscar ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) (@oscarr96) May 18, 2015
Indeed. That involved the grisly pair and a load of women on all fours. The song was inaccurately titled Fun. Next!
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One Direction have won the award for top touring artist and gave a speech saying that they enjoy touring and will be back in the States in July. So there you have it.
I was busy editing the recap of a certain celebrated TV programme that ends tonight when Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth and Lindsey Stirling did See You Again, but here’s the performance in full of America’s current No 1, from the commercially enormous Furious 7.
Is pop music for women? This person thinks so:
Watching this Billboard award show slowly reminds me of the fact that almost all music is for the females so you better cater to that crowd.
— IG:@DimMastersLife (@DimMastersLife) May 18, 2015
Taylor Swift says that the best thing about the past year has been surrounding herself with “so many incredible women” - for instance the ones in the video for Bad Blood, but also the ones she talks to on the internet and who teach her teen slang.
It’s time for top female artist award, and Taylor has scooped it again - her sixth gong of the night.
Taylor Swift, who has won top Billboard 200 album, top Billboard 100 artist, top 100 artist, top digital songs artist and top streaming song (video) so far, is an old hand at these awards:
Taylor winning at the #BBMAs over the years recap: pic.twitter.com/E6ajpGvW32
— Taylor Swift Updates (@SimplySFans) May 18, 2015
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Faith Hill and Little Big Town are now joining forces for Girl Crush as the BBMAs take a turn for the country.
Here’s Nick Jonas’s performance, by far the most enjoyable of the night for my money.
Ludacris just gave a heartfelt salute to BB King.
One Direction present the best radio record award to John Legend for All of Me.
As Hozier performs Take Me to Church with his usual gusto, have a look at who’s one which awards so far. Hozier himself has won best rock artist.
After a performance of See You Again by Wiz Khalifa, Sam Smith wins best male. He’s recovering from vocal surgery, so his speech is on Subterranean Homesick Blues-style placards. It’s rather charming. It finishes saying “Ed ... I’ve organised a special dance for you at Chippendales.”
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And it’s a win for Charli XCX and Iggy Azelea’s Fancy for best rap song. Possibly controversial, that one.
Top Rap category is all you need to know about Billboard. 🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮
— The Kitchenista (@MissAngelaDavis) May 18, 2015
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Mariah did a somewhat shaky Vision of Love which morphed into her new song Infinity. But she did unleash one of her trademark stratospheric notes at the end and got a massive ovation. So that’s OK.
Meanwhile, here’s the video for Bad Blood, like the Spice Girls’s Say You’ll Be There on a Mad Max-sized budget:
That was Meghan Trainor and John Legend (AKA Mr Chrissy Teigen) doing Like I’m Gonna Lose You, a perfectly serviceable but not hugely exciting performance.
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The Billboard Music awards aren’t just about music. Oh no. There’s fashion as well. Kendall Jenner has used her appearance at the event with Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing to divulge that Balmain are doing a collection with H&M. Exciting for news for people who like queuing/eBay.
Harsh but fair
The Billboard Awards, Hosted by Ludacris and That Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party
— Patrik Sandberg (@PatrikSandberg) May 18, 2015
It’s Nick Jonas doing Jealous in a silver jacket and shredding an axe while he’s at it. It’s the best performance so far by quite some distance.
“Good morning America, let’s get it on”, says a pink-wigged Jessie J, in a greeting that would have me drawing the curtains firmly shut.
Fall Out Boy and Wiz Khalifa put on a frantic performance of Uma Therman with a whole bunch of dancers, although the internet seems more excited about Taylor Swift’s (very nice) white sparkly jumpsuit.
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And for fans of celebs falling over ...
Oof. Billboard awards. https://t.co/tj0DvwZ3q6
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) May 18, 2015
Taylor Swift thanks the fans and the people who “embraced the change” in her music.
1989 by Taylor Swift wins, not too surprisingly at an awards ceremony presented by America’s chart company. She kisses all her peers on the way up.
Wow I'm so shocked that 1989 (the one album to sell 1 million copies in a week since like 2003) won best billboard 200 award
— Jared Smith (@heyyitsjared) May 18, 2015
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It’s Laverne Cox from Orange is the new black and Tracee Ellis-Ross from Blackish presenting the top Billboard 200 album. They look glamorous, Amazonian even.
.@Lavernecox in that silver dress! She should've been in Bad Blood slaying like that
— V Magazine (@vmagazine) May 18, 2015
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Did Ludacris “shade” Mariah Carey, who’s performing later? He said “she hasn’t been on the Billboard stage for 17 years,” which some are taking as a reference to her chart performance. Mariah is of course doing a residency in Sin City - our review is here.
Liam out of One Direction dedicate their award to “our brother Zayn”. So that’s nice.
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One Direction have won the Billboard music award for best duo or group.
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Now it’s “a woman whose butt I touched on the cover of Sports Illustrated” says Chrissy. Groo ...
It’s our hosts Ludacris and model Chrissy Tegan. Ludacris is in a tux and they’re doing the old “which side is the loudest” thing. Chrissy is saying that she’s hosted because “I bang a musician,” and now Ludacris is showing a lot of pictures of her in a swimsuit to demonstrate the “extensive research” he did earlier. This night is already less than classy and we haven’t started properly yet.
So that was it. Directed by Joseph Kahn, the Bad Blood video had 18 celebrity cameos from the likes of Karlie Kloss, Carla Delevigne and even Cindy Crawford striding purposefully through a future sci-fi world, and finally in front of a wall of fire that seemed to be consuming the London skyline. It was chock-full of meme-worthy moments, with lots of marshall arts and Kill Bill moments, but it also seemed a bit bloated and, dare I say it, predictable. That said, it was a lot more exciting than Van Halen, who are on now.
The ladies of @taylorswift13’s “Bad Blood” music video on the #BBMAs red carpet. http://t.co/mLh1NvKzna pic.twitter.com/usteL1AtQy
— The FADER (@thefader) May 18, 2015
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And we’re straight into the Taylor Swift video!
It’s the Billboard music awards - and we’re watching it. It’s coming live from Las Vegas, but we’re watching it on the TV - much like yourself, we imagine. Delights to come include Britney and Iggy and the new Taylor Swift video.
