UPDATED WITH MORE PHOTOS!
R&B singer Chris Brown dominated the
American Music Awards on Sunday, winning three prizes including artist
of the year.
The 19-year-old star
overshadowed Alicia Keys, who led the field with five nominations, and
ended up with a pair of statues.
Brown was clearly shocked to win the artist of the year honors, the ceremony's final award.
"I probably was shocked like everybody else," Brown said backstage at the Nokia Theater. "I know everybody was like, 'Huh?' I
thought Coldplay should have genuinely won that award, but I'll take
it!"
He was also named favorite male artist in both the soul/R&B and
pop/rock categories. His girlfriend, Rihanna, won those categories for
the women.
Keys' album As I Am was
named favorite album in the soul/R&B and pop/rock categories.
Other winners included voice-of-his-generation Kanye West, who won the first two American Music Awards of his career. He said he would give one of them away to fellow nominee, Lil Wayne.
"If it was last year, this would have been my award," he said of the
favorite male rap/hip-hop category. "This year, it's Wayne's award.
We'll see what happens next year." West also won favorite rap/hip-hop album
with Graduation.
Taylor Swift won her first award, as favorite female country singer, for her album Fearless.
"It's an honor that you even care about the songs I wrote in my bedroom," said the 18-year-old star.
Brad Paisley, another first-time winner, won the favorite male country artist category. "I have always, always wanted to win an American Music Award," he
said, pausing to survey the bottom of his statuette. "Made in
China?"
For the second straight year, winners were determined by online voting. So, the evening can be cited as exhibit R in the case for why America should be turned into a benign monarchy.
All of our American Music Awards Coverage
is located here.
Featured in the gallery: Mariah Carey, Enrique Iglesias, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Nick Cannon, Annie Lennox, Daughtry, Chris Brown, Alicia Keys, Jonas Brothers, Kanye West and Justin Timberlake.
Click any photo to view all
40+ photos of the winners from the American Music Awards gallery! The gallery of losers can be found in my high school yearbook.
