Image Credit: Joseph LlanesLuke Bryan won two awards, including top country artist, Sunday at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Luke also won top country album for Crash My Party.
Florida Georgia Line took home the Billboard trophy for top country song for their hit “Cruise.”
Luke and Florida Georgia Line teamed up for a rendition of “This Is How We Roll.” Luke later performed “Play It Again.”
Carrie Underwood received the fan-voted Milestone Award. Backstage, Carrie told reporters, “It’s always a wonderful surprise when my name is called, and I know my fans love to vote and they’re so supportive.”
Carrie and Miranda Lambert debuted their new collaboration “Somethin’ Bad” on the show, and Carrie said backstage, “It was so much fun…I felt like we got to be strong women onstage and feed off each other, and it was just a great performance in my head! I hope I go back and watch it and think that still!”
Carrie also said work on her new album was looking “really good.”
Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard said backstage the duo enjoyed the show’s mix of different genres. “For us, growing up listening to country radio, pop, rock, Christian, everything, all across the map, it’s the coolest thing to see so many amazing people gather for one common goal and one common love and that’s music.” The duo also said they were expecting to release a new album in October.
Backstage, Luke was asked about the fact that he appeared to be drinking while sitting in the audience. He copped to it. “I’ve learned that the right amount of drinks chills you out for award shows so, there’s a perfect little threshold. Yeah, we keep it a little ‘under the chair!'”
He also spoke about bringing his kids with him to Las Vegas and attempting to explain Sin City’s appeal to them. “I was like, ‘You know how y’all love Disney World? Well, Vegas is mommy and daddy’s Disney World. So they kinda understood after that!”
Michael Jackson was brought back to life — sort of — on Sunday night. A hologram of the King of Pop, surrounded by real-life backup dancers, performed “Slave to the Rhythm,” off the recently-released posthumous album Xscape. Wearing red pants and a golden jacket, the hologram showed off many of MJ’s patented moves — the spins, the gyrations, the kicks into the air.
Justin Timberlake was the night’s biggest winner, collecting seven awards, including top artist.
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