Eminem performing “Rap God” at the YTMA
Though it suffered quite a beating from social media users (and from those who were there to see it live in New York) with some not-so-encouraging reviews, the first-ever YouTube Music Awards wraps up, handing over the night’s top honor, the award for Artist of the Year, to Eminem.
“Artist of the Year honors the biggest acts of the last year on YouTube based on total number of views, likes, shares, comments, and subscribers,” read YTMA host Jason Schwartzman before announcing the winner.
Onstage, Eminem performed “Rap God,” a cut from his recently released eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2.
Arcade Fire also performed live, opening the night with a live music video of “Afterlife” arranged by the event’s director, Spike Jonze. Lady Gaga, whose music video for “Applause” was nominated for Video of the Year, delivered an emotional piano-accompanied performance of her new single “Dope.”
Korean pop girl group Girls Generation came out on top in the Video of the Year category, beating Miley Cyrus, One Direction, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj, and even PSY, with their music video for “I Got a Boy.”
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis also lost in the Video of the Year category, but the hip-hop duo did bag the award for Breakthrough of the Year.
Taylor Swift’s pop-dubstep hit “I Knew You Were Trouble” won the YouTube Phenomenon award, while the trophy for Innovation of the Year went to DeStorm’s “See Me Standing.”
Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix’s cover of “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, meanwhile, bested other covers such as Boyce Avenue’s “Mirrors” and “Titanium/Pavane” by ThePianoGuys in the Response of the Year category.