2010 is the year of Bieber

This is the sort of piece I should be writing as a year-ender. But I have no choice but to do it in advance because 2010 is really turning out to be the year of Bieber. That means it is the year of the cute 16-year-old singing heartthrob Justin Bieber, if you are among the still uninitiated few. I say this because the kid with the soup bowl haircut from a small town in Ontario, Canada just swept the recent American Music Awards with hardly an effort. I thought he looked like a little engine who went chug chug a chug passing all those other nominees to become the evening’s top winner.

Bieber won in all of the four categories he was nominated in. These are Breakthrough Artist over B.o.B, Taio Cruz, Jason Derulo, Ke$ha, Lady Antebellum, Travis McCoy and Mike Posner; Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist over his idol Eminem and his mentor Usher; Favorite Pop/Rock Album, his My World 2.0 over Recovery by Eminem and Teenage Dream by Katy Perry; and the biggest plum of them all, Favorite Artist of The Year over Eminem, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. The 2009 winner in this category was Taylor Swift. these kids are really raking it in nowadays. 

Bieber’s new trophies would make welcome additions to… take a deep breath now… this is a long list and all only from 2010. Two from the recent MTV European Music Awards as Best Male Artist and Best Push Act; two more from the People’s Choice Awards where he was named Breakout Artist and his Baby was Favorite Music Video; four trophies from the Teen Choice Awards, Favorite Male, Breakout Artist, Music Star of the Summer and Favorite Rap Album for My World 2.0; and the Best New Artist Moonman from the MTV Video Music Awards.

I do not know how Bieber will fare at the Grammy Awards or if he will even be nominated. We will know when we get the Grammy 2011 nominations next month. Take note, he is set to perform in the Grammy Nomination TV Special, so his chances are good. Now while fans choose the winners at the AMA, it is members of the American Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences who vote for the Grammy winners. Making it to the list of nominees is not easy. Winning, doubly so. But no matter what happens, four wins out of four nominations at the American Music Awards on his first time out at the age of 16 is already phenomenal. By the way he is the youngest to bag the Favorite Artist of the Year trophy in AMA history.

Bieber still has to record his second full-length album but his producers are keeping his fans happy by recycling stuff from his EP debut and the My World 2.0 CD. The latest spin is My Worlds: The Collection, a two-disc set which contains all the original 18 cuts of his album and 13 acoustic tracks and remixes of his hits, plus a new single titled Pray. This means you can now listen to Bieber singing One Less Lonely Girl, U Smile or Baby in a mellow, acoustic style. No raised eyebrows please. It turns out that he is not only cute and delivers the hits, Bieber can also play the guitar. This gives him the cred to go acoustic. 

So just in case you find it difficult getting the Bieber doll or nail polish or book for the diehard fan in your Christmas list, the collection should make a very good substitute. Keep tabs too on Bieber’s film debut. His Never Say Never movie, which I heard will be in 3D, think of that hair leaping out of the screen, is set for release before the year ends.  

The American Music Awards 2010 ceremonies were held last Sunday evening, Nov. 21 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. It was a star-studded event that included notable performances by Taylor Swift looking like a young Charlize Theron in black; Pink, a careful mama-to-be with flat shoes and no acrobatics; a box-trapped Black Eyed Peas; a buffed Enrique Iglesias; a crimson-haired Rihanna; a fireworks laden Katy Perry; an alien-looking Ke$ha; Kid Rock in fine-vocal form plus many others. Lady Gaga was a no-show.

The other winners were:

Favorite Pop/Rock

Female Artist: Lady Gaga

Band, Duo or Group: The Black Eyed Peas

Favorite Country.

Male Artist: Brad Paisley.

Female Artist: Taylor Swift

Band, Duo or Group: Lady Antebellum

Album: Play On by Carrie Underwood.

Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop.

Male Artist: Eminem.

Album: Recovery by Eminem.

Favorite Soul/R&B

Male Artist: Usher.

Female Artist: Rihanna

Album: Raymond v. Raymond by Usher.

Favorite Alternative Rock Artist: Muse

Favorite Soundtrack Album: The Music Volume 3 Showstoppers, Glee by the cast of Various Artists.

Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist: Michael Bublé

Favorite Latin Artist: Shakira.

Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist: Mercy Me