Fact: The ladies brought the house down at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards Sunday evening. Held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the annual ceremony featured performances by Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj and The Chainsmokers, but the following moments were, by far, the best of the night. Here, everything you missed.
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As much as we adore Vanessa Hudgens, she should probably stick to singing. The High School Musical-star, who served as the night’s co-host, was challenged by fellow co-host Ludacris to rap a Nicki Minaj verse. It was questionable, to say the least. She then followed up with a brief rendition of Céline Dion’s “Power of Love”—a karaoke favourite, she explained—which she nailed.
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As he accepted the award for Top 200 Billboard Artist award, the Canadian took a few to shout out some people, because, well, YOLO. “It’s crazy that we’re all here on Earth for a limited amount of time and we gotta show love while we’re here,” the 30-year-old rapper explained. “Vanessa Hudgens you look incredible tonight,” he said, as the camera panned to Nicki Minaj mouthing, “What about me?!" Of course, Drake didn’t forget about the “Anaconda” singer. “I want to say Nicki Minaj, I’m so glad we found our way back because I love you and I could never, ever see it any other way.” He also gave shout outs to Ludacris ("...I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I’ve always been a big fan of yours,”) and Lil Wayne (“If it wasn’t for the risk you took, none of us would be here tonight.”)
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“For the first time in years, with pants on!" These were the very words uttered by Noah Cyrus, as she introduced her big sister, Miley, to the stage. The new-and-improved 24-year-old performed her single “Malibu” in a Lady Gaga Joanne-esque ensemble. It was a triumphant return for Cyrus, who in the past few years, had been highly-scrutinized by the media.
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To honour the 20th anniversary of James Cameron’s Titanic, Canada’s very own Céline Dion took to the stage to perform the 1997 film’s title song, “My Heart Will Go On.” The 49-year-old songstress looked stunning in a white Stéphane Rolland Couture gown, while nostalgic clips of the Academy Award-winning epic played in the background (read: Fabrizio and Jack running to catch their ride on the Ship of Dreams). By the end of the performance, there was hardly a dry eye in the house: After all, the film defined the very last fragments of the innocence that were the ‘90s. Tear.
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The crowd went crazy upon hearing the familiar echoes of Cher’s “Believe” blaring through the venue. The 71-year-old singer/actress, who was honoured with Billboard’s prestigious Icon Award, proved she’s still got it. “I’ve wanted to do what I do since I was 4 years old, and I’ve been doing it for 53 years,” she told the audience during her speech, adding that she can do a 5-minute plank. “Just saying.”
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