Adele Wins 12 Gongs At Billboard Music Awards 2012

LMFAO, Lil Wayne & Coldplay were also among the big winners...

09:24, Monday, 21 May 2012

Adele was the big winner at last night's Billboard Music Awards (20th May), taking home twelve major gongs at the ceremony, including Top Artist and Top Billboard 200 Album for 21.

LMFAO were also one of the night's top winners, taking home six awards - with Party Rock Anthem picking up the prize for Hot 100 Song Of The Year, with Red Foo stating: "This is a dream come true."

Lil Wayne and Coldplay also received multiple trophies with four wins each, while Lady GaGa bagged two gongs - including Top Dance Artist.

If there was an award for Most Swagger then Justin Bieber would have been victorious after a clown-and-geisha-assisted future-funk performance of Boyfriend, with the 18-year old also taking home the night's first gong for Top Social Artist award for his huge online presence.

JB swaggered up to the stage and, in an uncharacteristically emotional moment, said: "I just want to say how much of a blessing it's been... the past three or four years, growing up in front of everybody.

"I want to thank all my fans, because the Internet is where I got my start, and all my fans have helped me get to this position."

Julie Bowen took a moment out of the program early on to pay tribute to late Bee Gees member Robin Gibb, who died earlier in the day Sunday after a long battle with cancer.

The night also featured a touching tribute to recently passed disco queen Donna Summer by Natasha Bedingfield and a segment devoted to music legend Whitney Houston with a medley of her indelible hits performed by John Legend and Jordin Sparks.

Daughter Bobbi Kristina accepted the Billboard Millennium Award on behalf of her late mother. "I just really want to say thank you to everyone who supported us through it all," she said. "Not just when it was good, but when it was bad too ... thank you so much for showing that much love, because she deserved it."

Katy Perry was handed the Spotlight Award for tying the record set by Michael Jackson of five #1 hits from the same album, for her handful of smashes from Teenage Dream.

Dressed in a floor-length sparkling silver gown, her hair a muted dark purple, Perry said she was "incredibly honoured" to be in the same category as someone like Jackson, adding: "Most of all, of course, I always say that the people have the power, so I want to say thank you to the glittering, gorgeous community of fans out there,"

The ladies had a great night, as Taylor Swift was honoured with the Billboard Woman of the Year award, acknowledging her stadium full of impressive credits, including a place as the only woman in music history to score three No.1 albums in a row, each of which has sold more than 5 million copies.

Swift, 22, dressed in a flowing red evening gown and ever gracious, thanked her legions of fans, saying, "I just love you so much, I'm just so humbled and honoured by this."

As Miley Cyrus noted, you're only new to the game once, so it was fitting that red-hot rapper Wiz Khalifa best the competition for the Top New Artist trophy.

"I'm up here shakin', man," the Black And Yellow rapper admitted as he thanked his whole crew and label family, as well as his "beautiful fiancée," Amber Rose. "She's my world and she puts up with my crazy butt, too," he smiled, as Rose beamed from her seat in the audience.

Some other men got a bit of attention as well, with an absent Lil Wayne beating out Chris Brown, Drake, Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber for Male Artist of the Year.

Brown got his chance a bit later with a win in the R&B Artist of the Year category, Foster the People took Top Rock Song for Pumped Up Kicks, Coldplay were named Top Rock Artist, U2 Top Touring Act and an Icon Award for Stevie Wonder.

Among the night's other performers, Kelly Clarkson made the televised debut of her rocking ballad Dark Side and The Wanted were busy Chasing The Sun and saying they were Glad You Came above the sound of shrieks from their female admirers.

A topless Breezy rode his glowing BMX bike out for a high-energy lip-synched run through Turn Up The Music, while Usher got all gothic and mysterious with a flashy, Las Vegas-worthy, high-concept staging of Scream.

Bieber's protégé Carly Rae Jepsen also took to the stage to sing her hit single Call Me Maybe, while Carrie Underwood stood her ground amid a sea of blowing fans during Blown Away.

In addition, the performance-heavy show had Linkin Park cranking up the flames for Burn It Down, Nelly Furtado sporting Big Hoops, Alicia Keys jamming with Icon winner Wonder, Perry doing a high-wire act in the virtual clouds during Wide Awake.

Cee Lo Green and Goodie Mob joined by a one-legged Cirque du Soleil break dancer on Fight To Win and a stage full of dancing kids for a cover of the Beastie Boys tune (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party) in tribute to the late Adam 'MCA' Yauch.

CHECK OUT PICS FROM THE BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS 2012 HERE!

SEE SNAPS FROM THE BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS 2012 RED CARPET HERE!

ARTIST AWARDS:

Top Artist:
Adele