(Las Vegas) – Justin Timberlake, New Zealand singer Lorde and hometown alternative rock group Imagine Dragons were the early winners at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, while a computer-generated Michael Jackson danced and sang a new song.
The annual awards show, a key showcase event for the music industry, honoured Timberlake with the top Billboard 200 album for last year’s “The 20/20 Experience,” the highest prize for an album at the show. The 33-year-old pop singer, who is on tour in Europe and not in attendance, accepted the award in a taped speech with his touring band, leading them in a gospel and blues-tinged song of “Thank You.”
But the top moment of the show so far was a performance of “Slave to the Rhythm” by late pop star Michael Jackson, whose likeness and dancing was rendered by a computer-generated imaging, prompting an emotional standing ovation from the crowd.
Seventeen-year-old pop sensation Lorde, captured the award for top new artist and top rock song for the hit “Royals,” which already landed her two Grammy Awards earlier this year.
