Taylor Swift sweeps top prize at American Music Awards

Country-pop star Taylor Swift scored big at the American Music Awards on Sunday as some of pop music’s biggest names came together for the fan-voted awards ceremony.

Swift came away with four wins including the night’s top prize for artist of the year.

Swift, 23, beat out Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Bruno Mars and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis to win artist of the year for the third time, the most times an artist has won the category. She also won favorite female pop/rock artist, female country artist and country album for her 2012 record Red, which featured songs about love and heartbreak.

“This validates that if you voted for this that we are heartbroken the same way, and we fall in love the same way, and we’re happy the same way, and the fact that you would listen to my music means that we’re on the same page, and I’m 23 and I have no idea what’s going to happen to me in my life, but I figure if you decided on something as wonderful as this, then we’re pretty much in it together aren’t we?” Swift said breathlessly as she accepted the final award.

Timberlake, 32, who returned to the musical spotlight this year after a five-year hiatus with The 20/20 Experience, was nominated in five categories and won three, including favorite male pop/rock artist.

Newcomer hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who led the nominees on Sunday with six nods and came away with two wins including best rap/hip-hop artist, used their acceptance speech to address a social issue.

“I want to acknowledge Trayvon Martin, and the hundreds and hundreds of kids each year that are dying due to racial profiling and the violence that follows it. This is really happening, these are our friends, our neighbors, our peers, and our fans, and it’s time that we look out for the youth, and fight against racism and the laws that protect it,” Macklemore said. Martin, an unarmed black teenager, was shot dead in Florida in 2012. A jury this year cleared the shooter, George Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, of second-degree murder.

British boy band One Direction, whose fans were lined up outside the red carpet to get a glimpse of them, beat Swift and Timberlake for the best pop/rock album for Take Me Home and also won favorite pop/rock group. Other winners included Luke Bryan for favorite male country artist and singer Marc Anthony for favorite Latin artist.

R&B singer Rihanna, 25, was given the first ever Icon accolade at the American Music Awards, introduced by political satirist Bill Maher as “the voice of the 21st Century.”

Rihanna, dressed in a plunging black dress, was given the Icon award by her mother Monica Fenty, who praised the singer in an emotional speech.

“I know the journey and your career has not always been an easy one but tonight I applaud and admire you for being so strong and so positive and so humble and so focused. It’s amazing how you always manage to take the good from your experiences,” Fenty said.

Rihanna, who has sold 50 million albums across the world and is the best-selling digital artist in history, also picked up the favorite female soul/R&B award.

The American Music Awards nominees and winners are chosen by the public, who vote online and via Twitter, and the awards are given out during a live three-hour ceremony held at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles and broadcast on ABC.  This year’s show was hosted by Miami rapper Pitbull.