Taylor Swift continued her string of award show victories, winning artist of the year in the fan-voted 2013 American Music Awards, while Miley Cyrus sang with a lip-synching computer-generated cat.
Swift, 23, who also won awards for favorite female country artist and best country album, thanked fans for their support.
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"I cannot believe what you've done in the last year," Swift said. "This album came out almost exactly a year ago and the fact that six million of you went out and bought it is crazy. Thank you, you are everything to me. I really appreciate this."
Ariana Grande upped her profile with a strong performance of her song "Tattooed Heart," while walking away with the night's best new artist award.
"Armed with just a mic and slinky red sequined gown, Grande channeled Motown in what quickly became the most talked about AMAs moment,"
wrote E! News' Lily Harrison. "Grande's powerhouse voice even wowed Lady Gaga and Ciara, who both applauded the singer and gave a standing ovation."
Florida Georgia Line and Nelly won single of the year for "Cruise," edging out Robin Thicke's summer smash "Blurred Lines."
The show was not without its controversial moments. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis took home the favorite rap/hip-hop album award via live satellite from Miami, touching on racial profiling and Trayvon Martin in their acceptance speech.
"Due to the fact that we are in Florida tonight accepting this award 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," said Ben Haggerty, also known as Macklemore in the group.
Cyrus had the most talked about performance, closing out the show with her hit song "Wrecking Ball," with an image of a large cat appearing on the screen lip-syncing.
American Music Awards viewers wasted little time responding to the performance.
Winners of the 2013 American Music Awards, according to The Associated Press:
Artist of the year: Taylor Swift
New artist of the year: Ariana Grande
Single of the year: "Cruise," Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly
Pop/rock female artist: Taylor Swift
Pop/rock male artist: Justin Timberlake
Pop/rock band, duo or group: One Direction
Pop/rock album: "Take Me Home," One Direction
Country female artist: Taylor Swift
Country male artist: Luke Bryan
Country band, duo or group: Lady Antebellum
Country album: "Red," Taylor Swift
Rap/hip-hop artist: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Rap/hip-hop album: "The Heist," Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Soul/R&B female artist: Rihanna
Soul/R&B male artist: Justin Timberlake
Soul/R&B album: "The 20/20 Experience," Justin Timberlake
Alternative rock artist: Imagine Dragons
Latin artist: Marc Anthony
Adult Contemporary: Maroon 5
Electronic dance music artist: Avicii
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