The Guardian. Taylor Swift wins eight Billboard awards

Taylor Swift was the big winner at the Billboard music awards, scooping eight out of her 11 nominations, including top artist and top Billboard 200 album for Red.

She told the crowd: "You are the longest and best relationship I ever had."

Swift gave a colourful performance of her hit 22, starting backstage and working her way to the main stage on the back of a bike with help from a dozen background dancers and a flurry of red balloons.

Justin Bieber, who performed twice, won three awards, including top male artist, social artist and the fan-voted milestone award, beating Swift and Bruno Mars.

When accepting the latter to some booing, he alluded to the tumultuous weeks he's had in the public eye. "I'm 19 years old; I think I'm doing a pretty good job. And basically from my heart I really just want to say it should really be about the music, it should be about the craft that I'm making. This is not a gimmick," he said.

"I'm an artist and I should be taken seriously and all this other bull should not be spoken."