Justin Bieber, One Direction, Paris get spotlight at 2015 American Music Awards
By Mesfin Fekadu
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The 2015 American Music Awards, hosted by Jennifer Lopez at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, featured memorable performances from the Weeknd and Carrie Underwood, a sneak peak at the upcoming “Star Wars” film and a moving tribute to Paris. Here is a look at the top moments from Sunday night.
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BIEBER IS BACK
Justin Bieber officially marked a comeback and he celebrated at the AMAs: His new album, “Purpose,” debuted on top of the Billboard charts on Monday, beating One Direction.
Bieber also won the AMA for best collaboration with Skrillex and Diplo for “Where Are U Now,” which he performed when he closed the three-hour awards show.
He also sang the hits “Sorry” and “What Do You Mean” from “Purpose,” which sold an impressive 649,000 equivalent albums in its first week.
But Bieber’s position at No. 1 won’t last long _ Adele just released her new album. Hello!
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ANOTHER 1 FOR 1D
Being down a band member didn’t stop One Direction’s fans from helping them win artist of the year for a second year in a row.
The group beat Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Luke Bryan for the top honour at the fan-voted awards show. One Direction downsized from five to four members when Zayn Malik left the group earlier this year.
They also performed the song “Perfect” _ a perfect description of the boy band’s night.
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PRAYING FOR PARIS
Celine Dion was in top form as she beautifully sang “Hymne a L’Amour” in French _ even driving some audience members to tears. Others watched closely as Dion belted high notes.
Jared Leto introduced Dion and told the audience that his band, 30 Seconds to Mars, recently performed at the Bataclan, the Paris concert hall where 89 people were killed in the Nov. 13 attack.
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LET’S GET IT ON
Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor brought the lyrics of their song, “Marvin Gaye,” to life when they had a full-blown make-out session onstage after performing the tune.
The duo locked lips as the audience cheered them on. Lips are movin’, indeed!
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SINGING SISTERS
During performances from Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, there was a sense of sisterhood among the young female performers at the Microsoft Theater.
Girl group Fifth Harmony was the most supportive, singing along as the other pop stars performed their latest hits onstage. Oscar nominee and singer Hailee Steinfield, who has a hit with “Love Myself,” sang and danced along.
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SCHEDULING WOES
Some of the big winners at the AMAs didn’t attend Sunday _ a growing trend at music awards show.
Swift, who won three awards, was out of the country filming a new music video. Ed Sheeran, who was behind Swift as the second-most nominated act along with the Weeknd, didn’t attend the show. He won favourite male artist _ pop/rock.
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SURPRISE WINS
Because the AMAs are based off of fan votes, some of the winners shouldn’t be too surprising.
For instance, Nicki Minaj beat both Drake and J. Cole for favourite album _ rap/hip-hop. In reality, that is a little ludicrous, so much thanks has to go to her feverish, die-hard fans.
The surprises weren’t just with the awards: Jennifer Lopez opened the show with a performance that highlighted her strong vocals when she sang a toned down version of her past hit, “Waiting for Tonight.”
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