AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

Swift victorious as artist of year

Timberlake, Rihanna, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis also win big

Katy Perry performs on stage at the American Music Awards on Sunday at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Taylor Swift accepts the award for favorite country female artistat the American Music Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Taylor Swift’s fans have done it again, voting her the American Music Awards artist of the year for a third time.

Swift won Sunday night’s top honor, giving her a leading four trophies as fans celebrated the women of pop music.

Katy Perry performs on stage at the American Music Awards on Sunday at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

Swift didn’t perform, but she was a constant presence on stage and the camera alighted on her as she danced to stars like Kendrick Lamar and Luke Bryan. Her win came after Katy Perry dazzled with her show-opening performance, Lady Gaga found another inventive way to grab attention, Rihanna starred with her mom, and Miley Cyrus closed performances with the assistance of a giant lip-syncing CGI kitty on her song “Wrecking Ball.”

PHOTO GALLERY: 2013 American Music Awards

“I’m really out of breath,” Swift said after taking the stage in a sequined minidress. “I was really going hard with the ‘Wrecking Ball’ thing.”

The pop star, 23, also won country album of the year for Red and favorite female country and pop/​rock artist.

Justin Timberlake was next with three wins. One Direction and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis won two and Rihanna received the AMA’s first Icon Award to go with her win as favorite soul/​R&B female artist.

Rihanna and her mother took center stage midway through the show when Monica Fenty presented her pop-star daughter with the first Icon Award at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Ms. Fenty told Rihanna how proud she was of her daughter: “I know the journey in your career has not always been an easy one.”

“Just about 20 years ago is when I really started making your life a living hell with my annoying little husky man voice, you would call it,” Rihanna said. “And I mean just disrupting the entire neighborhood. Westbury Road, Barbados, they could tell you that’s the truth. I annoyed every one of my neighbors.”

She performed “Diamonds” with an orchestra.

Timberlake won soul/​R&B album, soul/​R&B male artist, and pop/​rock male artist.

Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande was named favorite new artist, Florida Georgia Line won single of the year for “Cruise,” with Nelly in something of a surprise, Bryan won favorite male country artist, and favorite rap/​hip-hop act Macklemore & Ryan Lewis used their rap/​hip-hop album acceptance speech to send a message of tolerance.

Ben Haggerty, the rapper known as Macklemore, accepted the award for favorite rap/​hip-hop album, then quoted Martin Luther King, Jr., in a live satellite feed from the rap group’s latest tour stop.

Dan Reynolds of the musical group Imagine Dragons performs during the American Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The band was named favorite alternative rock artist.

“Due to the fact that we are in Florida tonight accepting this award I want to acknowledge Trayvon Martin and the hundreds and hundreds of kids each year that are dying due to racial profiling and the violence that follows it,” he said. “This is really happening. These are our friends, our neighbors, our peers, and our fans, and it’s time that we look out for the youth and fight against racism and the laws that protect it.”

Florida became a focal point after Martin’s killer was freed under the state’s “stand your ground” law. It was the first win of the night for Macklemore & Lewis.

Katy Perry opened the show looking like a princess out of a classic Japanese painting. Dressed in a traditional Japanese dress, her performance of “Unconditionally” included dozens of colorfully clad dancers waving fans, shadow dancing in front of rice-paper screens, playing the drums.

One Direction was at times drowned out by screams during an understated performance of “Story of My Life.” The decibel level was that way from the moment the British boy band arrived on the carpet, all smiles and dapper suits. Harry Styles stopped to take a picture with three fans.

Timberlake strapped on an acoustic guitar and played a soulfully raucous version of “Drink You Away.” Jennifer Lopez nailed the elaborate dance numbers during her tribute to Salsa queen Celia Cruz.

Tyler Hubbard, left, and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line, above, perform. Katy Perry, at right, opens the show with a Japanese-inspired performance.

Lady Gaga and R. Kelly put on an elaborate production for “Do What U Want,” staging a presidential affair. Kelly played a President and Gaga a Marilyn Monroe-like mistress. Kelly gazed as Gaga table-danced on his desk, then stormed off the stage as an actor playing a reporter chased him asking about the affair.

And Cyrus shut things down with a performance not as over the top as previous appearances this year but likely to be talked about as much.

The camera stayed on Cyrus and the lip-syncing tabby throughout, and the cat ended the song by winking and sticking out its tongue — Cyrus’ signature move.