LOS ANGELES • Pop star Taylor Swift was named Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards (AMA) on Sunday and won two other trophies in a ceremony held live in Los Angeles amid tight coronavirus curbs.
It was Swift's record sixth win of the top prize at the fan-voted show, although she was absent from the ceremony and thanked fans on video for their support of her surprise lockdown album Folklore.
Canadian singers Justin Bieber and The Weeknd - the latter sporting a large white face bandage - were the other big winners, with three awards each.
Bieber was named Favourite Male Pop/Rock Artist and picked up his two other wins for his collaboration with country singers Dan + Shay on 10,000 Hours.
The Weeknd took home trophies for Best Soul/R&B Male Artist as well as for his album After Hours and the song Heartless.
He gave no reason for his bandaged appearance, which confused fans on social media, but it appeared to be an artistic choice that started with his March album cover, on which he sported a bloodied and broken nose.
The show featured a mix of live and pre-recorded performances across genres such as Latin, country, pop, rap and R&B in front of a handful of socially distanced fans.
"It has been a long year and now that 2020 is coming to an end, it's time to remember that we are one country, y'all. We need to heal," said host Taraji P. Henson as she opened the ceremony.
Masked dancers were the order of the night, kicking off with Bieber singing his hits Lonely and Holy before being joined by singer Shawn Mendes for their duet Monster.
The awards celebrated the surge in popularity of Latin music with expanded categories and a steamy performance by pop superstar Jennifer Lopez and Colombian singer Maluma singing Lonely in English and Spanish.
Becky G, whose parents are Mexican-American, won for Best Female Latin Artist and dedicated her award to immigrant workers.
K-pop group BTS won two awards - for Best Pop/Rock Group and Favourite Social Artists - and closed the show with a version of their hits Dynamite and Life Goes On from South Korea.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion marked her debut performance at the awards ceremony with Body and later accepted the Best Rap/Hip-hop Song trophy for her raunchy summer collaboration WAP with fellow rapper Cardi B.
But she was beaten in the Best New Artist category by Los Angeles singer Doja Cat, who was also named Favourite Female Soul/R&B Artist.
REUTERS
