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The Weeknd dominates Billboard Music Awards 2021: "I do not take this for granted'

Updated / Monday, 24 May 2021 07:36
The Weeknd
The Weeknd

The Weeknd dominated the Billboard Music Awards 2021 after bagging 10 awards at the Los Angeles ceremony, including the biggest prize of top artist.

The Canadian singer was honoured for his char-topping album After Hours and single Blinding Lights.

As well as top artist, The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, also won prizes including top Hot 100 song, top Hot 100 artist and top male artist.

Accepting the ceremony's biggest prize, which he won over Drake, Juice Wrld, Pop Smoke and Taylor Swift, The Weeknd delivered a brief speech for the masked, in-person audience and said: "I do not take this for granted. Thank you."

Late rapper Pop Smoke won top Billboard 200 album for his debut release Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon.

He was shot and killed in Los Angeles last year aged 20. Pop Smoke’s mother, Audrey Jackson, accepted the award on his behalf and paid tribute to a "warrior".

Drake was was named artist of the decade at the ceremony at the Microsoft Theatre, and was joined by his three-year-old son Adonis as he collected the award.

The Canadian superstar was recognised for his remarkable chart dominance since 2010, including nine number one albums in the US and six number one singles.

His parents and friends were on stage while a video looking the 34-year-old's career so far was played.

He said: "I’m really bad at taking compliments. I’m really self-conscious about my music and even if I do a good job I always wonder how I could have done it better.

"I rarely celebrate anything and just for anyone watching this wondering how this happened, that’s really the answer – it’s being so unsure of how you’re getting it done you kind of keep going in the hopes of figuring out the formula.

"Feeling so lucky and blessed that the fear of losing it keeps you up at night."

Drake added: "I know I’ve spent an incalculable amount of hours trying to analyse all the things I did wrong, but tonight for once I’m sure as hell we did something right."

He dedicated the award to his friends, family, collaborators, peers and Adonis, who was crying.

Pop star P!nk performed a medley of her biggest hits as she accepted the Billboard icon award.

The US singer took to the stage with daughter Willow Sage, nine, and performed aerial acrobatics to their song Cover Me In Sunshine.

She ended the performance with three of her biggest songs – Who Knew, Just Like A Pill and Just Give Me A Reason.

Accepting the award, P!nk said: "I love what I do and I love the people I get to do it with. And we’re pretty good at what we do but it wouldn’t matter if no-one came to see us and play with us, so all you guys out there and around the world, thank you for coming out, thank you for letting us all heal together, I cannot wait until we can do it again, until we can just sweat all over each other.

"This is an absolute honour – dream big, because what if it comes true?"

The Jonas Brothers closed the show with a performance of their songs Leave Before You Love Me, Sucker and Only Human.

Here are the main winners from the 2021 Billboard Music Awards:

Top artist – The Weeknd
Top Hot 100 artist – The Weeknd
Top male artist – The Weeknd
Top Hot 100 artist – The Weeknd
Top female artist – Taylor Swift
Top Billboard 200 artist – Taylor Swift
Top rap artist – Pop Smoke
Top duo/group – BTS
Top-selling song – BTS (Dynamite)
Top country female artist – Gabby Barrett
Top country song – Gabby Barrett (I Hope)
Top Latin artist – Bad Bunny
Top Hot 100 song – The Weeknd (Blinding Lights)
Top rap song – DaBaby and Roddy Ricch (Rockstar)
Top rock artist – Machine Gun Kelly
Top Billboard 200 album – Pop Smoke (Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon)
Artist of the decade – Drake
Billboard icon award – P!nk

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