On Wednesday, May 1st, one of the biggest nights in music took place in Las Vegas, at the MGM Garden Arena in the form of the Billboard Music Awards. It was a spectacle of musics top artists who put on vivacious, energetic stages, and displayed killer vocals.
Taylor Swift kicked off the night with a floral-colored festival equipped with a pink-dressed drum line, colorful light post, and pastel suited back-up dancers. Oh and we must not forget one of the highlights, a flying Brendon Urie ala Mary Poppins. Taylor’s stage did well to personify her newly released, jaunty tune ME! It was filled with positivity and nonstop fun.
The host of the Billboard Music Awards, for the second year in a row, was once again Kelly Clarkson. Kelly came in with a finesse to deliver powerhouse vocals reminding everyone why she’s our American Idol. Delivering a Top 40 medley of all the beloved songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, both past and present hits, Kelly ran through songs from the likes of Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up” to Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body.” Kelly also graced us with her song “Broken & Beautiful” which is featured on the soundtrack of the newly released film UglyDolls.
What makes Kelly’s performance all the more impressive is the fact that she got her appendix removed hours after the award ceremony, citing via her Twitter account, “Not gonna lie… I may or may not have broken down in tears after the show from pain—I flew home directly after the event, nailed the surgery early this morning, and feeling awesome now! Bye bye appendix.”
Making a grand comeback with their first award show appearance since getting back together, the Jonas Brother put on a fiery performance with a medley of their hits from their personal projects along with their comeback hit “Sucker.” Nick and Joe Jonas, raw vocals blared out the lyrics of Nick’s 2014 hit “Jealous, and Joe’s band DNCE’s Hot 100 chart topper “Cake By The Ocean.” The two brother joined Kevin Jonas on the main stage as they rocked out to their new release “Sucker” which is the lead single from their upcoming album Happiness Begins, due out June 7.
Arguably one of the most impactful moments of the night was global superstars BTS. The South Korean boy band was joined on stage with Halsey for a thrillingly exuberant performance of their single “Boy With Luv” which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The highest debut for a Korean song ever. The group took home two Billboard Music Awards that night, “Top Social Artists” and “Top Duo/Group” becoming the first Korean artists to take home the award. The night showcased what could be attributed as the BTS Phenomenon in full force as hundreds, maybe even thousands, of fans screamed boisterously every time BTS were shown on screen. BTS and Halsey performance had the prop movie theater as seen in the “Boy With Luv” music video, as they danced smoothly and craftily, showcasing great chemistry between the artists on stage.
Earlier in the night Halsey put on a performance of her No. 1 Hot 100 hit “Without Me” which was an emotionally-bearing performance showcasing Halsey in a red bodysuit and bare feet. Halsey did a contemporary number along with a female dancer, beautifully expressing the damage of a failed relationship. It was one of the highlights of the night.
The Billboard Music Awards saw a Number of performances from some of the industry greats, Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Paula Abdul. While Paula and Mariah charmed us with many of their greatest hits, Madonna gave us a theatrical performance of “Medellín,”a bilingual bop that was performed with multiple Madonna holograms, and latin artist Maluma.
Mariah who received the biggest honor of the night, the Billboard Icon Award, presented by Jennifer Hudson, performed a melody of hits bellowing famed songs such as “A No No,” “Always Be My Baby,” “Emotions,” and “Hero.” Another industry mogul was Paula who performed her pop classics such as “Straight Up,” “The Way You Love Me,” “Vibeology” and “Opposites Attract.”
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