Geared towards mainstream pop and hip-hop, Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards were largely a showcase for high-energy performances. From Taylor Swift’s gleeful rendition of “22” to Nicki Minaj’s buzzworthy on-stage lap dance to two dance-heavy Justin Bieber numbers, this was not a show for the understated.
Prince, after all, was the headliner.
But within the mix of pop, dance and hip-hop numbers were two very low-key, strong performances from breakout country superstar Kacey Musgraves and English soft-rock sensation Ed Sheeran. Musgraves proved why “Merry Go Round” put her on everyone’s “Artists to Watch” list; Sheeran made a case that “Lego House” should succeed in America the way “The a team” did.
ABC’s photos of the key performances, including those from Musgraves, Sheeran, Swift, Minaj, Gomez, Bieber, The Band Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and more follow (click the thumbnails for the full-size photos):
