Missed the three-hour Billboard Music Awards on ABC on Sunday night? Here’s everything you need to know, including Drake’s many wins, that time Celine Dion made Vanessa Hudgens cry and a Chris Cornell tribute.
Drake just performed inside the Bellagio's fountain display at the #BBMAs: https://t.co/3zuOIIA3mz pic.twitter.com/guAX1BL4lD
— E! News (@enews) May 22, 2017
And when he accepted the show’s most coveted award for Top Artist (on stage with Minaj, Lil Wayne, his father and more), he made sure that the viewing audience saw a few bottles of his brand of whisky.
2. Celine Dion.
It’s the 20th anniversary of “Titanic” this fall, and Celine Dion provided a soaring, spectacular version of “My Heart Will Go On.” Dressed like a literal angel — and performing under a gigantic chandelier while scenes from “Titanic” played in the background — Dion brought a few audience members to tears.
Absolutely stunning performance of "My Heart Will Go On" from the one and only Celine Dion 💙 https://t.co/fgXyjgInHh
— Titanic Lives On (@TitanicLivesOn) May 22, 2017
“I still cannot pull it together after watching Celine!” exclaimed co-host Vanessa Hudgens, wiping tears from her eyes when the performance was over.
“Wow. Wow. Wow. It’s gonna be hard top that,” co-host Ludacris agreed. “That was a MOMENT.”
Dion also stole the show backstage when she paused to sing along to Cher’s “Believe”:
INCREDIBLE MOMENT just now backstage at @BBMAs @celinedion stops to watch @cher perform and the press room joins in! #BBMAs pic.twitter.com/8M93HGh4fb
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 22, 2017
3. The Chris Cornell tribute
Several days after the shocking death of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons offered a tribute and a moment of silence:
“Although tonight is a time to celebrate the music and artists of the past year, it’s also a time to recall a member of our community we lost this past week,” Reynolds said. “Soundgarden and Audioslave’s Chris Cornell was a true innovator, a musical architect and a pioneer on the cutting edge of the Seattle grunge movement. He was a prolific songwriter, a legendary performer, a singer who had voice for the ages, and a philanthropist whose Chris & Vicky Cornell Foundation helped so many children around the world. Even though Chris is gone, his legacy endures. We send our respects as well as our love to Chris’s family at this time.”
4. Bruno Mars
Mars performed via video screen from a concert in Amsterdam, but his sultry rendition of “Versace on the Floor” had more energy than some Billboard performers actually singing live in Vegas.
5. Nicki Minaj
Minaj opened the show with a trio of small child dancers and then segued into a four-song medley (“No Frauds,” “Light My Body Up,” “Swalla,” “Regret In Your Tears”), joined by Lil Wayne, David Guetta, and Jason Derulo — quite the energetic way to kick off the show.
Complete list of winners:
Top Artist
Adele
Beyoncé
Justin Bieber
The Chainsmokers
Drake (winner)
Ariana Grande
Shawn Mendes
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots
The Weeknd
Top New Artist
Alessia Cara
Desiigner
Lil Uzi Vert
Lukas Graham
Zayn (winner)
Billboard Chart Achievement Award
Luke Bryan
The Chainsmokers
Nicki Minaj
Twenty One Pilots (winner)
The Weeknd
Top Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Drake (winner)
Future
Shawn Mendes
The Weeknd
Top Female Artist
Adele
Beyoncé (winner)
Ariana Grande
Rihanna
Sia
Top Duo/Group
The Chainsmokers
Coldplay
Florida Georgia Line
Guns N’ Roses
Twenty One Pilots (winner)
Top Billboard 200 Artist
Beyoncé
Drake (winner)
Prince
Twenty One Pilots
The Weeknd
Top Hot 100 Artist
The Chainsmokers
Drake (winner)
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots
The Weeknd
Top Song Sales Artist
The Chainsmokers
Drake (winner)
Prince
Justin Timberlake
Twenty One Pilots
Top Radio Songs Artist
Justin Bieber
The Chainsmokers
Drake
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots (winner)
Top Streaming Songs Artist
The Chainsmokers
Desiigner
Drake (winner)
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots
Top Social Artist
Justin Bieber
BTS (winner)
Selena Gomez
Ariana Grande
Shawn Mendes
Top Touring Artist
Justin Bieber
Beyoncé (winner)
Coldplay
Guns N’ Roses
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Top R&B Artist
Beyoncé (winner)
Bruno Mars
Frank Ocean
Rihanna
The Weeknd
Top R&B Tour
Beyoncé (winner)
Lionel Richie
Rihanna
Top Rap Artist
J. Cole
Desiigner
Drake (winner)
Future
Rae Sremmurd
Top Rap Tour
Drake (winner)
Future
Kanye West
Top Country Artist
Florida Georgia Line
Blake Shelton (winner)
Keith Urban
Chris Stapleton
Jason Aldean
Top Country Tour
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney (winner)
Dixie Chicks
Top Rock Artist
Coldplay
The Lumineers
Metallica
Twenty One Pilots (winner)
X Ambassadors
Top Rock Tour
Coldplay (winner)
Guns N’ Roses
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Top Latin Artist
J Balvin
Juan Gabriel (winner)
Los Plebes Del Rancho De Ariel Camacho
Maluma
Nicky Jam
Top Dance/Electronic Artist
The Chainsmokers (winner)
Calvin Harris
Major Lazer
DJ Snake
Lindsey Stirling
Top Christian Artist
Lauren Daigle (winner)
Hillsong Worship
Hillary Scott & The Scott Family
Skillet
Chris Tomlin
Top Gospel Artist
Jekalyn Carr
Kirk Franklin (winner)
Travis Greene
Tamela Mann
Hezekiah Walker
ALBUM AWARDS
Top Billboard 200 Album
Beyoncé “Lemonade”
Drake “Views”
Rihanna “Anti”
Twenty One Pilots “Blurryface”
The Weeknd “Starboy”
Top Soundtrack/Cast Album
“Hamilton: An American Musical” (winner)
“Moana”
“Purple Rain”
“Suicide Squad: The Album”
“Trolls”
Top R&B Album
Beyoncé “Lemonade” (winner)
Bruno Mars “24K Magic”
Frank Ocean “Blonde”
Rihanna “Anti”
The Weeknd “Starboy”
Top Rap Album
J. Cole “4 Your Eyez Only”
Drake “Views” (winner)
Kevin Gates “Islah”
DJ Khaled “Major Key”
A Tribe Called Quest “We Got It From Here … Thank You 4 Your Service”
Top Country Album
Jason Aldean “They Don’t Know”
Florida Georgia Line “Dig Your Roots”
Blake Shelton “If I’m Honest”
Chris Stapleton “Traveller” (winner)
Keith Urban “Ripcord”
Top Rock Album
The Lumineers “Cleopatra”
Metallica “Hardwired … To Self-Destruct” (winner)
Radiohead “A Moon Shaped Pool”
Red Hot Chili Peppers “The Getaway”
Twenty One Pilots “Blurryface”
Top Latin Album
J Balvin “Energia”
CNCO “Primera Cita”
Juan Gabriel “Los Dúo 2” (winner)
Juan Gabriel “Vestido De Etiqueta: Por Eduardo Magallanes”
Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho “Recuerden Mi Estilo”
Top Dance/Electronic Album
The Chainsmokers “Bouquet (EP)”
The Chainsmokers “Collage (EP)”
Flume “Skin”
Kygo “Cloud Nine”
Lindsey Stirling “Brave Enough” (winner)
Top Christian Album
Casting Crowns “The Very Next Thing”
Lauren Daigle “How Can It Be” (winner)
Joey + Rory “Hymns”
Hillary Scott & The Scott Family “Love Remains”
Skillet “Unleashed”
Top Gospel Album
Tamela Mann “One Way” (winner)
Kirk Franklin “Losing My Religion”
Travis Greene “The Hill”
Tasha Cobbs “One Place: Live”
Hezekiah Walker “Better: Azusa — The Next Generation 2”
SONG AWARDS
Top Hot 100 Song
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey “Closer” (winner)
The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake Featuring Wizkid & Kyla “One Dance”
Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop The Feeling!”
Twenty One Pilots “Heathens”
Top Selling Song
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey “Closer”
The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake Featuring Wizkid & Kyla “One Dance”
Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” (winner)
Twenty One Pilots “Heathens”
Top Radio Song
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey “Closer”
The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake Featuring Wizkid & Kyla “One Dance”
Sia Featuring Sean Paul “Cheap Thrills”
Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” (winner)
Top Streaming Song (Audio)
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey “Closer”
Drake Featuring Wizkid & Kyla “One Dance” (winner)
D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty “Broccoli”
Rihanna “Needed Me”
The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk “Starboy”
Top Streaming Song (Video)
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey “Closer”
Desiigner “Panda” (winner)
Zay Hilfigerrr & Zayion McCall “JuJu On That Beat (TZ Anthem)”
Rae Sremmurd Featuring Gucci Mane “Black Beatles”
Twenty One Pilots “Heathens”
Top Collaboration
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey “Closer” (winner)
The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake Featuring Wizkid & Kyla “One Dance”
Sia Featuring Sean Paul “Cheap Thrills”
The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk “Starboy”
Top R&B Song
Drake Featuring Wizkid & Kyla “One Dance” (winner)
Bruno Mars “24K Magic”
Rihanna “Needed Me”
Rihanna Featuring Drake “Work”
The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk “Starboy”
Top R&B Collaboration
Drake Featuring Wizkid & Kyla “One Dance” (winner)
PARTYNEXTDOOR Featuring Drake “Come And See Me”
Rihanna Featuring Drake “Work”
The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk “I Feel It Coming”
The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk “Starboy”
Top Rap Song
Desiigner “Panda” (winner)
Drake “Fake Love”
D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty “Broccoli”
Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert “Bad And Boujee”
Rae Sremmurd Featuring Gucci Mane “Black Beatles”
Top Rap Collaboration
D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty “Broccoli”
Zay Hilfigerrr & Zayion McCall “JuJu On That Beat (TZ Anthem)”
Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello “Bad Things”
Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert “Bad and Boujee”
Rae Sremmurd Featuring Gucci Mane “Black Beatles” (winner)
Top Country Collaboration
Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King “Different For Girls”
Kenny Chesney Featuring P!NK “Setting The World On Fire” (winner)
Eric Church Featuring Rhiannon Giddens “Kill A Word”
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Tim McGraw “May We All”
Chris Young Featuring Vince Gill “Sober Saturday Night”
Top Rock Song
Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons with Logic & Ty Dolla $ign Feat. X Ambassadors “Sucker For Pain”
Twenty One Pilots “Heathens” (winner)
Twenty One Pilots “Ride”
Twenty One Pilots “Stressed Out”
X Ambassadors “Unsteady”
Top Country Song
Kenny Chesney Featuring P!NK “Setting The World On Fire”
Florida Georgia Line “H.O.L.Y.” (winner)
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Tim McGraw “May We All”
Little Big Town “Better Man”
Keith Urban “Blue Ain’t Your Color”
Top Latin Song:
Daddy Yankee “Shaky Shaky”
Enrique Iglesias Featuring Wisin “Duele El Corazon”
Nicky Jam “Hasta El Amanecer” (winner)
Shakira Featuring Maluma “Chantaje”
Carlos Vives & Shakira “La Bicicleta”
Top Dance/Electronic Song
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey “Closer” (winner)
The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya “Don’t Let Me Down”
Calvin Harris Featuring Rihanna “This Is What You Came For”
Major Lazer Featuring Justin Bieber & MØ “Cold Water”
DJ Snake Featuring Justin Bieber “Let Me Love You”
Top Christian Song
Lauren Daigle “Trust In You”
Hillary Scott & The Scott Family “Thy Will” (winner)
Skillet “Feel Invincible”
Ryan Stevenson Featuring GabeReal “Eye Of The Storm”
Zach Williams “Chain Breaker”
Top Gospel Song
Jekalyn Carr “You’re Bigger”
Tasha Cobbs Featuring Kierra Sheard “Put A Praise On It”
Kirk Franklin “Wanna Be Happy?”
Travis Greene “Made A Way” (winner)
Hezekiah Walker “Better”
Highlights from the 2017 Billboard Music Awards
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A look at the red carpet fashion, the performances and the awards.
