Mary J. Blige dominates Billboard Awards

Soul singer Mary J. Blige has claimed nine trophies at the Billboard Music Awards – but illness stopped The Killers from performing at the ceremony in their native Las Vegas last night (December 4).

Blige, whose latest album ‘The Breakthrough’ topped the US charts, was among the performers at the ceremony held in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas last night (December 4). But The Killers pulled out because frontman Brandon Flowers has layringitis.

Although she won many of the main categories, including R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the year, Blige lost out to Rihanna in the female singer of the year category. Other winners included Nelly Furtado and Nickelback.

Other performers at the event included Janet Jackson and Gwen Stefani.

The awards are presented to the year's chart-topping artists, with winners determined by Billboard magazine's year-end chart listings, based on record sales and airplay.

The full list of winners is:

Billboard Century Award: Tony Bennett
Artist duo/group of the year: Nickelback
Artist of the year: Chris Brown
New artist of the year: Chris Brown
Album of the year: ‘Some Hearts’, Carrie Underwood
Female artist of the year: Rihanna
Male artist of the year: Chris Brown
Female Billboard 200 album artist of the year: Carrie Underwood
Hot 100 artist duo/group of the year: Nickelback
Hot 100 airplay song of the year: ‘Be Without You’, Mary J. Blige
Female Hot 100 artist of the year: Rihanna
Pop 100 single of the year: ‘Promiscuous’, Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland
Pop 100 artist of the year: Rihanna
Rap artist of the year: T.I.
Rap album of the year: ‘King’, T.I.
Rap album artist of the year: T.I.
Rap songs artist of the year: T.I.
Country songs artist of the year: Kenny Chesney
Country album of the year: ‘Some Hearts’, Carrie Underwood
New country artist of the year: Carrie Underwood
Female country artist of the year: Carrie Underwood
Female R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the year: Mary J. Blige
R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the year: Mary J. Blige
R&B/Hip-Hop songs artist of the year: Mary J. Blige
R&B/Hip-Hop album artist of the year: Mary J. Blige
R&B Hip-Hop album of the year: ‘The Breakthrough’, Mary J. Blige
R&B/Hip-Hop song of the year: ‘Be Without You’, Mary J. Blige
R&B/Hip-Hop song airplay of the year: ‘Be Without You’, Mary J. Blige
Rock Album of the year: ‘All the Right Reasons’, Nickelback
Rock song of the year: ‘Animal I Have Become’, Three Days Grace
Soundtrack album of the year: ‘High School Musical’
Digital album of the year: ‘How To Save A Life’, The Fray
Digital album artist of the year: The Fray
Digital songs artist of the year: The Fray
Videoclip of the year: ‘Be Without You’, Mary J. Blige
Videoclips artist of the year: T.I.