The Latest: Swift wins top honor at AMAs, breaks MJ record

November 25, 2019

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Taylor Swift accepts the award for artist of the decade at the American Music Awards on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on the American Music Awards, being presented Sunday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles (all times local):

7:55 p.m.

Taylor Swift has won artist of the year at the American Music Awards and surpassed Michael Jackson as the ceremony’s most-honored performer.

Swift tied Jackson’s 24 awards when she won favorite pop/rock album during the broadcast and then moonwalked past him with the night’s top prize. It was the singer-songwriter’s night practically from start to finish as she performed a medley of her hits before accepting the artist of the decade award.

Swift, wearing a flowing pink and gold cape, hugged Post Malone, who was also nominated for artist of the year, on her way to the stage. She said the last year had “the most amazing times and some of the hardest things I have gone through in my life,” but that she felt lucky.

She later popped up on stage with Shania Twain after Twain ended the show with a medley of her hits, including “Man! I Feel Like A Woman.”

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7:28 p.m.

Taylor Swift has gotten her chance to sing her old hits, a point of controversy leading up to the American Music Awards.

The singer-songwriter, who is locked in a public feud over ownership of her early hits, was supported by her parents in the audience, her fellow artists Halsey and Camilla Cabello who joined her on stage and songwriting legend Carole King, who presented Swift the artist of the decade honor.

King noted that for Swift “the best was yet to come.”

Swift started her performance in white button-up shirt printed with the names of her past records, which are now owned by the owner of her former record label and manager Scooter Braun, a man who Swift has been publicly feuding with. She shed the shirt after singing a few lines from “If I Was a Man,” to don a sparkling gold one piece for a long medley of several of her hit pop songs, including “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space.”

Swift said all artists want to “create something that will last” and the award celebrated a decade of hard work and art and memories. She ended by saying, “I’m so lucky to get to do this.”

Earlier in the night, Swift tied Michael Jackson’s record for most AMA Awards, and still has a chance to top it later in Sunday’s show.

— Kristin M. Hall (@kmhall on Twitter)

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5:30 p.m.

Grammy-nominee Lizzo — perhaps the most memeable artist of the year — has become the talk of the American Music Awards with her red carpet look that included a minuscule Valentino purse that could hold a single breath mint.

Dressed in a ruffled peach custom Valentino mini dress, the “Truth Hurts” singer said on the carpet on Sunday that there were only three in the world. Nominated for new artist of the year, she performed her kiss-off song “Jerome” during the awards show as fans lit up the theater.

Her tiny purse became a running joke on Twitter, with some users joking about what it could hold (their patience, hopes for 2020) and what it couldn’t hold: the number of AMA trophies fans hoped Lizzo would win.

— Kristin M. Hall (@kmhall on Twitter)

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5 p.m.

Selena Gomez has opened the American Music Awards with a colorful performance of two new songs “Lose You To Love Me” and “Look At Her Now,” backed by a group of dancers.

Gomez hasn’t released a new album since 2015’s “Revival,” but dropped these two songs ahead of the awards show performance on Sunday, which is airing live on ABC from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Taylor Swift and Halsey were shown on camera dancing and singing along in the audience.

The show was hosted by Ciara, who entered the stage from a gold hoop dropped down from the ceiling and sang her song “Melanin.”

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7:52 a.m.

All eyes will be on Taylor Swift at the 2019 American Music Awards.

The pop star, who has continued to publicly battle with the men who own her master recordings, is set to take the stage at Sunday’s show — a performance she recently said was put in jeopardy by Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun. Swift could also make history at the AMAs if she surpasses Michael Jackson’s record for most wins.

Swift, who has won 23 AMAs, is nominated for five awards and could best the King of Pop’s 24 wins. She will also receive the artist of the decade award, to be presented by Carole King, at the show, which airs live on ABC at 8 p.m. EDT.

Other performers include Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Post Malone and Selena Gomez.