FROM left: One Direction’s Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson accept the artist of the year award. GETTY IMAGES/AFP
One Direction won artist of the year at the American Music Awards (AMAs), taking home three trophies, and was the night’s big winner next to Katy Perry, who was a no-show.
One Direction also won favorite band, duo or group, pop/rock, and favorite album, pop/rock, for “Midnight Memories” at the fan-voted show on Sunday night.
Perfect day
“This has been a real perfect day … America feels like a second home to us,” Liam Payne said onstage with his band mates when they won the night’s first award.
Perry won three honors as well, including single of the year for No. 1 hit “Dark Horse”; favorite female artist, pop/rock; and favorite artist, adult contemporary.
Though she was absent—she’s on tour in Australia—the 2014 AMAs at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles was packed with star power. Breakthrough Australian newcomer Iggy Azalea, top nominee with six, won favorite album, rap/hip-hop, for “The New Classic” and favorite artist, rap/hip-hop, taking down Eminem and Drake.
“This is the first award I’ve ever won, and it means so much to me that it is for best hip-hop because that’s what inspired me to move to America and pursue my dreams, and it’s what helped me as a teenager to escape and to get through my life,” the 24-year-old said.
Mad woman
Azalea performed her massive hit, “Fancy,” nominated for single of the year, and her new song, “Beg for It.”
Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer won new artist of the year and performed a cover of The Romantics’ “What I Like About You.”
Taylor Swift kicked off the show as a mad woman feeding a boy a poisonous apple, holding burning roses and giving crazy eyes during a performance of her song about her dating life.
She stayed in character when performing her new No. 1 hit, “Blank Space.” She later received the first-ever Dick Clark Award for Excellence, presented by Diana Ross.
Sam Smith, who also performed, won favorite male artist, pop/rock. “Genuinely from my heart I didn’t think I was going to be winning this,” said the British singer, who beat Pharrell Williams and John Legend.
Fergie gave a hip-hop flavored performance of her comeback single, “L.A. Love (La La).”
Beyoncé, who didn’t attend, either, won favorite female artist, soul/R&B, and favorite album, soul/R&B, for her self-titled effort.
Luke Bryan took home favorite male artist, country; Carrie Underwood was named favorite female artist, country.
The soundtrack for “Frozen,” the year’s top-selling album, won top soundtrack. AP