LONDON: Canadian teen singer Shawn Mendes on Sunday won best artist and best song at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) in London, pipping heavyweight competitors such as Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Ed Sheeran.
The awards ceremony at Wembley Arena, the first to be staged in the British capital in 20 years, were hosted by Rita Ora and featured performances by U2 and David Guetta.
In a first for the EMAs, which were created in 1994, MTV announced categories stripped of gender in a bid to “break barriers.”
Mendes, 19, who launched his career by posting song covers to the Internet before getting signed to a record label, also scooped the “biggest fans” award.
He performed the track that won him best song — “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” — in front of an electrified crowd in London.
Eminem, who opened the show by unveiling his new single “Walk on Water” — ahead of the release on Friday of his latest album “Revival” — won for best hip hop artist.
Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello was honored with the best pop prize, while Coldplay snatched the best rock award.
French DJ David Guetta, who performed in front of the youthful crowd, won for best electronic act.
Taylor Swift, who was expected to be one of the big winners of the night with six nominations, failed to win any awards.
The majority of the winners were picked by music fans in an online vote, from 12 categories listed and a further 32 separate prizes for different countries and regions.
Louis Tomlinson, from the boy band One Direction, landed the best UK and Ireland act.
The best video, claimed by US rapper Kendrick Lamar, was one of the few awards to be chosen by the MTV team.
Other big-name winners included Ed Sheeran, for best live act, and Dua Lipa, for best new performer.
Thirty Seconds to Mars were named best alternative.
Irish band U2 collected MTV’s “Global Icon” gong, previously awarded to Queen, Whitney Houston and Eminem.
“U2’s impact on music, pop culture and social issues around the world has been tremendous,” said Bruce Gillmer, producer of the awards ceremony.
“For over four decades and counting, they’ve entertained, influenced, and inspired fans around the globe,” he added.
U2 performed in London’s Trafalgar Square the night before the MTV awards, along with DJ Guetta, to a crowd of 7,000 who won free tickets in a ballot.
This year saw the MTV Europe Music Awards return to London for the first time since 1996.
British singer and actress Rita Ora took charge of the ceremony and also turned in a popular stage performance.
The cable channel also runs the Video Music Awards which are renowned for top performances and the occasional controversy, including pop diva Lady Gaga wearing a dress made of meat to the ceremony in 2010.
The previous Video Music Awards saw hip hop artist Kanye West leap on stage to interrupt an acceptance speech by Swift and argue that Beyonce was better.
Shawn Mendes wins best artist at MTV Europe Music Awards
Shawn Mendes wins best artist at MTV Europe Music Awards
Ilia Malinin hints at ‘inevitable crash’ amid Olympic pressure and online hate in social media post
- He says Olympic pressure and online hate have weighed on him. He described negative thoughts and past trauma flooding in during his skate
- He later congratulated the surprise champion, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan
MILAN: Ilia Malinin posted a video on social media Monday juxtaposing images of his many triumphs with a black-and-white image of the US figure skater with his head buried in his hands, and a caption hinting at an “inevitable crash” amid the pressure of the Olympics while teasing that a “version of the story” is coming on Saturday.
That is when Malinin is expected to skate in the traditional exhibition gala to wrap up the Olympic figure skating program.
Malinin, who helped the US clinch the team gold medal early in the Winter Games, was the heavy favorite to add another gold in the individual event. But he fell twice and struggled throughout his free skate on Friday, ending up in eighth.
He acknowledged afterward that the pressure of the Olympics had worn him down, saying: “I didn’t really know how to handle it.”
Malinin alluded again to the weight he felt while competing in Milan in the caption to his social media video.
“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” wrote the 21-year-old Malinin. “Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise. Vile online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure. It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash.”
Malinin, who is expected to chase a third consecutive world title next month in Prague, had been unbeaten in 14 events over more than two years. Yet while Malinin always seemed to exude a preternatural calm that belied his age, the son of Olympic skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov had admitted early in the Winter Games that he was feeling the pressure.
The first time came after an uneven short program in the team event, when he finished behind Yuma Kagiyama of Japan — the eventual individual silver medalist. Malinin referenced the strain of the Olympics again after the Americans had won the team gold medal.
But he seemed to be the loose, confident Malinin that his fans had come to know after winning the individual short program. He even playfully faked that he was about to do a risky backflip on the carpeted runway during his free skate introduction.
The program got off to a good start with a quad lutz, but the problems began when he bailed out of his quad axel. He ended up falling twice later in the program, and the resulting score was his worst since the US International Classic in September 2022.
Malinin was magnanimous afterward, hugging and congratulating surprise gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan. He then answered a barrage of questions from reporters with poise and maturity that few would have had in such a situation.
“The nerves just went, so overwhelming,” he said, “and especially going into that starting pose, I just felt like all the traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head. So many negative thoughts that flooded into there and I could not handle it.”
“All I know is that it wasn’t my best skate,” Malinin added later, “and it was definitely something I wasn’t expecting. And it’s done, so I can’t go back and change it, even though I would love to.”
