Justin Bieber revealed he has “pulled through” and dismissed recent allegations surrounding him at the 2011 MTV European Music Awards in Belfast.
The 17-year-old pop star – who won two prizes at the ceremony – addressed claims that he fathered a child with a young fan as he picked up his trophy for Best Pop at the Odyssey Arena. “Yo, two awards in the past 60 minutes,” he said.
“There’s been a lot of talk about me on the internet lately, but I’ve pulled through.”
His girlfriend Selena Gomez, who hosted the evening, later commented to singer Katy Perry: “He’s cute, isn’t he?”
Coldplay kicked off the star-studded ceremony with a rousing rendition of Every Teardrop isa Waterfall, while Queen – who were crowned the Global Icon – closed the ceremony with American Idol winner Adam Lambert, performing a medley of their rock anthems We Will Rock You and We are the Champions.
Chart-topping superstar Lady Gaga, who led the nominations with six nods, triumphed with four prizes, including Best Female and the new Biggest Fan category.
Her track Born This Way scooped Best Song and Best Video. In a variety of outlandish outfits, she dedicated her wins to her videographer Nick Knight, her fans – who she dubbed little monsters – and her sister.
Other winners included Adele, who had been nominated in four categories and was named the Best UK and Ireland Act.
Jessie J introduced a videomontage about the late Amy Winehouse, featuring fans recalling their memories of the singer, who died in July.
“I never got to thank Amy Winehouse for breaking boundaries,” she said. “She set a new standard for British female artists.”
The Price Tag singer, who later performed U2’s With Or Without You with David Guetta and Taio Cruz, fought back tears as she revealed she would not have achieved the same level of success without Winehouse.
The music channel took over Belfast for its annual ceremony, which was held in three different locations for the first time, with performances in the Ulster Hall and City Hall as well as the main arena.
Writing on his blog, the Lord Mayor of Belfast councillor Niall O Donnghaile said the city was “in full party mode”.
He said: “What an amazing opportunity for us to put our wee part of the world under a global spotlight.”
Queen’s Brian May paid tribute to the Northern Irish city, saying: “How wonderful for us to be here 40 years later. And how wonderful it is to be in Belfast, who is setting an example in the growth for true peace.”
Here is a list of the winners:
Best Female – Lady Gaga
Best Song – Born This Way, Lady Gaga
Best Video – Born This Way, Lady Gaga
Biggest Fans – Lady Gaga
Best Pop – Justin Bieber
Best Male – Justin Bieber
Best Alternative – Thirty Seconds To Mars
Best World Stage – Thirty Seconds To Mars
Best New – Bruno Mars
Best Push – Bruno Mars
Global Icon – Queen
Eminem – Best Hip Hop
Best Live – Katy Perry
Best Rock – Linkin Park
Best Worldwide – BIGBANG
Best UK and Ireland act – Adele