Beyoncé and R&B singer R. Kelly were the big winners at the 14th annual Billboard Music Awards last night at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas with four trophies apiece, while 50 Cent, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz and Shania Twain each won three awards.
Destiny’s Child singer Beyoncé, who is enjoying solo success, took home awards for Hot 100 female artist, new R&B artist, new female artist and a special Hot 100 award for most weeks this year at No. 1 (17 weeks), Billboard.com reports. Kelly, who faces multiple child pornography charges in two states, walked away with awards for Hot 100 producer, R&B producer, Hot 100 songwriter and R&B songwriter.
Both performed on the broadcast, Beyoncé belted out her new single, “Me, Myself & I,” while Kelly sang his No. 1 R&B hit “Step in the Name of Love.” The show, emceed by American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, also featured performances from Evanescence, No Doubt, Foo Fighters and Pink.
Rapper 50 Cent, who did not attend the award ceremony, took the top prize, artist of the year, as well as R&B artist and rap artist, while Canadian country-pop singer Twain won top country artist, country albums artist and country album for Up. Hip-hop trio Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz captured prizes for R&B/hip-hop group, independent album artists and independent album of the year for Kings of Crunk.
For the first time, the Billboard Awards recognized the sales of legally downloaded music tracks, honoring hip-hop duo OutKast’s hit single, “Hey Ya!” as the digital track of the year.
The Billboard Awards honor the year’s chart-topping artists. The winners are determined by the magazine’s year-end chart listings, which are based on airplay compiled by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems and record sales culled by Nielsen SoundScan and radio information.
Here is a list of winners:
Artist of the year: 50 Cent
New female artist of the year: Beyoncé
Duo/group of the year: 3 Doors Down
New group artist of the year: Evanescence
Hot 100 female artist of the year: Beyoncé
Hot 100 group of the year: 3 Doors Down
Hot 100 producer of the year: R. Kelly
Hot 100 songwriter of the year: R. Kelly
Hot 100 award for most weeks at No. 1: Beyoncé (17 weeks with “Crazy in Love” featuring Jay-Z and “Baby Boy” featuring Sean Paul)
R&B artist of the year: 50 Cent
R&B/hip-hop group of the year: Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz
R&B producer of the year: R. Kelly
R&B songwriter of the year: R. Kelly
New R&B artist of the year: Beyoncé
New male R&B artist of the year: Chingy
Rap artist of the year: 50 Cent
Country artist of the year: Shania Twain
Country albums artist of the year: Shania Twain
Country album of the year: Up! (Mercury)
Modern rock artist of the year: Audioslave
Modern rock track of the year: “Headstrong,” Trapt
Rock artist of the year: Audioslave
Rock track of the year: “Headstrong,” Trapt
No. 1 Classical crossover artist of the year: Josh Groban
No. 1 Classical crossover album of the year: Closer, Josh Groban (Warner Bros.)
Independent album artists of the year: Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz
Independent album of the year: Kings of Crunk Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz (TVT)
Bestselling single of the year: “This Is the Night”/”Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Clay Aiken
Mainstream top 40 track of the year: “Where Is the Love,” Black Eyed Peas
Digital track of the year: “Hey Ya!,” OutKast
No. 1 rhythmic top 40 title of the year: “Right Thurr,” Chingy
Soundtrack single of the year: “Bring Me To Life,” Evanescence
Century Award: Sting
