In the most highly anticipated moment of the Billboard Awards, held last night, Sunday, May 22, and after much controversy, Madonna paid, what many thought was a disappointing tribute to legendary musician Prince who died a few weeks ago.
Reports indicated that amidst the controversy that a white female singer would be paying tribute to the music legend, the “Material Girl” decided to ask Questlove for his help to write the heartfelt tribute, which included two major Prince hits: “Nothing Compares 2 U” and “Purple Rain.”
The tribute kicked off with a moving speech by The Roots drummer before the whole auditorium was lit in purple during a moment of silence. Then, the silence came to an end when Prince’s voice could be heard saying, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.”
In an all-purple stage, Madonna began singing "Nothing Compares 2 U," only to have the teary audience seemingly waiting for the moment when the show would burst into something spectacular. A special appearance by music icon Stevie Wonder was the only thing that helped liven the performance.
Other talked-about performances of the night included Kesha’s, because of the controvery she is facing against Dr. Luke, whose team allegedly blocked her from attending the award show. In the end, she was able to sing and chose to pay tribute to her lifelong idol, Bob Dylan, with his song “It Ain’t Me.”
Demi Lovato also took the stage by storm, and, as a fierce advocate for the LGBT community, decided to make a statement with a t-shirt that had a sign on it representing mixed bathroom rights for trans people. As usual, Lovato’s vocals were loud and clear while she sang her hit tune “Cool for the Summer.”
Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, P!nk, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton and Nick Jonas were also part of the list of the night’s performances.
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