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 The annual televised awards show, a main showcase for the
music industry, honored Timberlake seven times, including top
artist, top male artist and top Billboard 200 album for last
year's "The 20/20 Experience."
Timberlake, 33, who is on tour in Europe, accepted the awards in
taped speeches with his touring band that numbers about 20
strong.
"It's not a competition, but if it was, I won. And guess what?
I'm OK with that," Timberlake said in a good-natured joke aimed
at his competition, singers Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry
and rockers Imagine Dragons.
The late King of Pop Michael Jackson made an appearance as a
hologram, performing his posthumously released song "Slave to
the Rhythm" with a slew of dancers moving around his
computer-generated image.
The performance prompted an emotional standing ovation with some
audience members shown wiping away tears.
Imagine Dragons won five awards, including top Hot 100 artist
for songs' chart performance, top rock artist and top duo/group
among others. The Grammy-winning Las Vegas band also performed
their song "Tiptoe" on the show.
R&B singers Thicke, Pharrell Williams and rapper T.I. scored
four wins on the back of their megahit "Blurred Lines,"
including awards for top Hot 100 song, digital song and radio
song and R&B song.
Seventeen-year-old pop sensation Lorde, dressed all in black
with black feather fringes, captured the award for top new
artist and top rock song for the hit "Royals," which already
landed her two Grammy Awards this year.
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The teen, who has also won fans with her thoughtfulness and upending
traditional standards of Hollywood beauty, said she was grateful to
be able to mature in the spotlight and for the "dialogue around my
work and myself."
The Billboard Music Awards - which measures honors by sales, radio
airplay, touring, streaming and other metrics - is a top venue for
artists to unveil new songs in time for the summer.
Jennifer Lopez was honored with Icon Award for lifetime achievement,
and country singer Carrie Underwood won the fan-voted Milestone
Award.
The show featured numerous performances, including from pop stars
Shakira, Lopez, country duo Florida Georgia Line with country singer
Luke Bryan, and Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande and Australian rapper
Iggy Azalea.
Perry and Cyrus recorded performances from concerts in Britain to be
shown at the awards. Cyrus performed a cover of the Beatles' 1967
song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" with Wayne Coyne, the singer of
rock group the Flaming Lips.
Rapper Pitbull kicked off the show alongside Lopez and Brazilian
singer Claudia Leitte from the MGM Grand Garden Arena with a
performance of "We Are One (Ole Ola)," the theme to next month's
soccer World Cup in Brazil.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey in Los Angeles; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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