LOS ANGELES — Kelly Rowland stood by Chris Brown at the American Music Awards on Sunday after his win elicited a mix of applause and boos from the crowd.
After presenting the award for male R&B artist at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, the “Motivation” hitmaker accepted the prize on Brown’s behalf. Brown — who released his latest album, “Breezy,” in June — was not in attendance after the AMAs allegedly removed him from the performance lineup last minute.
Brown was nominated for male R&B artist alongside Brent Faiyaz, Giveon, Lucky Daye and the Weeknd.
“Excuse me — chill out,” Rowland told the booing portion of the audience after announcing Brown’s victory.
“I want to tell Chris thank you so much for making great R&B music. And I want to tell him thank you for being an incredible performer. I’ll take this award, bring it to you. I love you. Congratulations — and congratulations to all the nominees in this category.”
On Friday, Brown claimed via Instagram that his AMA performance — a tribute to Michael Jackson — was canceled “for reasons unknown.” The “Under the Influence” singer shared footage from one of his AMA rehearsals, in which he dances along to various Jackson hits, including “Beat It,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” and “Thriller.”
“U SERIOUS?” he captioned the video on Instagram.
Representatives for the AMAs did not immediately respond Monday to The Times’ request for comment.
In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to the felony assault of his then-girlfriend, Rihanna. The recording artist, who completed his probation sentence for that case in 2015, has been accused and arrested on charges of assault multiple times since then.
Elsewhere in the AMAs broadcast, Taylor Swift broke her own record for the most wins of all time; Pink and Wayne Brady paid tribute to the late Olivia Newton-John and Takeoff, respectively; and several artists mourned the victims of a Saturday shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs.
Below is a full list of this year’s AMA winners.
Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift
New Artist of the Year: Dove Cameron
Collaboration of the Year: “Cold Heart - PNAU Remix,” by Elton John and Dua Lipa
Touring Artist: Coldplay
Music Video: “All Too Well: The Short Film” by Taylor Swift
Male Pop Artist: Harry Styles
Female Pop Artist: Taylor Swift
Pop Duo or Group: BTS
Pop Album: “Red (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift
Pop Song: “As It Was” by Harry Styles
Male Country Artist: Morgan Wallen
Female Country Artist: Taylor Swift
Country Duo or Group: Dan + Shay
Country Album: “Red (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift
Country Song: “Wasted on You” by Morgan Wallen
Male Hip-Hop Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Female Hip-Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj
Hip-Hop Album: “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” by Kendrick Lamar
Hip-Hop Song: “Wait For U” by Future featuring Drake and Tems
Male R&B Artist: Chris Brown
Female R&B Artist: Beyoncé
R&B Album: “Renaissance” by Beyoncé
R&B Song: “Essence” by Wizkid featuring Tems
Male Latin Artist: Bad Bunny
Female Latin Artist: Anitta
Latin Duo or Group: Yahritza Y Su Esencia
Latin Album: “Un Verano Sin Ti” by Bad Bunny
Latin Song: Sebastián Yatra “Dos Oruguitas” by Sebastián Yatra
Rock Artist: Machine Gun Kelly
Rock Song: “Beggin’” by Måneskin
Rock Album: “Impera” by Ghost
Inspirational Artist: For King & Country
Gospel Artist: Tamela Mann
Dance/Electronic Artist: Marshmello
Soundtrack: “Elvis”
Afrobeats Artist: Wizkid
K-Pop Artist: BTS
———
