2015 Billboard Music Awards recap

2015 Billboard Music Awards recap

ABC held its annual Billboard Music Awards May 17, featuring performances from Chris Brown to Hozier. Model Chrissy Teigen and rapper Ludacris hosted the event.

One singer in particular stole the show, winning eight of her 14 nominations: Taylor Swift. The most decorated Billboard artist to-date left the awards as Top Artist, Top Billboard 200 artist, Top 100 Artist, Top Digital Songs Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album, Top Streaming Song and Billboard Chart Achievement Award Winner.

Swift also premiered her new celebrity-packed music video “Bad Blood” at the show. Pop singers Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding, supermodels Cindy Crawford and Karlie Kloss, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star Mariska Hargitay, “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo and other celebrities make cameos throughout the video.

“[Swift]’s video was really entertaining and I love how she incorporated all of her friends into the production. Her awards were well deserved,” junior Malika Khamidova said.

Just 24 hours after her video premiered, “Bad Blood” crushed Vevo’s records with a whopping 20.1 million views.

“I find it pretty impressive that she has such a big fan base and others who support her and her career,” junior Lauren Bernstein said. “You cannot deny those numbers. They prove exactly how powerful her influence is on our generation.”

Other artists claimed titles that night. Calvin Harris took Top Dance/Electronic Artist, while Pharrell Williams beat Beyoncé for Top R&B Artist and Album.

“Pharrell’s win is clearly a sign of jealousy and contempt for Beyonce’s success. They’re just trying to throw Pharrell a bone because maybe, if he won, he’d stop wearing those hats to compensate,” senior Jasmine Flora said.

Hozier, an up-and-coming rock artist who stormed the charts this year with his single “Take Me to Church,” won Top Rock Artist of the Year.

“I love his style of music. It’s off the beaten path from the mainstream music of today, but in a good way,” junior Julia Jones said.

Iggy Azalea represented the world of female rap as Top Streaming and Top Rap Artist, beating fellow female rapper Nicki Minaj. British soul singer Sam Smith, who gained fame in the United States with his single “Stay with Me,” won Top New Artist — one of the most unique awards of the night that artists can only win once.

However, the show was controversial at times.

When Kendall and Kylie Jenner presented Kanye West’s performances, the crowd began to jeer.

“[The booing] may have not been necessarily directed towards them,” senior Giselle Langley said. “However, some of the stuff they’ve done in the past may deserve it.”

Chrissy Teigen’s raunchy commentary throughout the show also drew controversy.

“I thought she wasn’t even that funny and shouldn’t act like that, knowing that kids were watching,” sophomore Will Carter said.

Nevertheless, with its memorable moments, performances and award winners, this year’s Billboard Music Awards has continued to spark discussion among the student body.