Before handing the awards to Swift, Minaj and Riri, the 2011 American Music Awards announces Maroon 5 as the first winner of the night by giving them Favorite Pop Rock Band/Duo/Group title.
- Nov 21, 2011
AceShowbiz - The star-studded ceremony of 2011 American Music Awards has kicked off live from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 20 with a robot-themed performance by Nicki Minaj. The Young Money first lady teamed up with David Guetta to sing "Turn Me On" before switching into "Super Bass".
The first award of the Sunday evening went to Maroon 5 as a winner for Favorite Pop Rock Band/Duo/Group. This became the first AMA win for Adam Levine and his bandmates. In winning the kudo, the "Moves Like Jagger" hitmaker beat LMFAO and OneRepublic. Levine said, "I'd also like to thank our incredible fans for making this happen."
Next, Taylor Swift was announced by her tour opening act, Hot Chelle Rae, as a recipient for Favorite Country Female Artist title. It marked her victory in the category for four years in a row, but the "Mean" singer still said in her acceptance speech that the win was shocking for her. This time around, she won over Sara Evans and Miranda Lambert.
After Justin Bieber, The Band Perry and Chris Brown performed, Minaj was invited to be back to the stage to collect an award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist. Being the only female nominee in the category, she pushed aside her male seniors Kanye West and Lil Wayne. Like Maroon 5, this also her first AMA win.
It took a while for the "Moment 4 Life" raptress to reach the mic due to her outfit, which consisted of long green skirt and a pair of towering heels. When she finally arrived at the podium, she gushed, "Oh my god, you guys, there's so much love in this room." She additionally gave a shout-out to Swift for being a fan of "Super Bass".
2011 AMAs proceeded by handing another coveted kudo. This time around, Rihanna was called by Selena Gomez as a winner for Favorite Soul/R&B Album, thanks to her 2010 "Loud". She beat Breezy's "F.A.M.E." and Beyonce Knowles's "4". Unfortunately, the Barbados beauty was absent at the prize-giving event.
