LOS ANGELES: Taylor Swift and Chris Brown claimed the first two prizes of the night at Sunday’s iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Swift was named female artist of the year, and Brown accepted the R&B artist of the year award.

Brown thanked his fans “and everybody who supported me through all the worst times in my life and the positive times in my life.”

“I tend to not have a filter sometimes, and I go off on a lot of people,” he said. “But the music stays the same.”

Brown, who has been dogged by legal troubles since facing felony charges in 2009 for beating then-girlfriend Rihanna, is set to perform later in the ceremony.

Justin Bieber and Meghan Trainor were the first artists to take the stage during the show.

Bieber revealed his new dreadlocks as he performed a medley of “Love Yourself” and “Company.” Trainor debuted her new single, “No.”

Other performers included Pitbull, who was live on stage in Houston at an event celebrating the college basketball championship game.

The third annual iHeartRadio Music Awards, where winners are chosen by fan votes, is being broadcast live on TNT and TBS from the Forum in Inglewood, California.

R&B singer Jason DeRulo is hosting. U2 will be honored during the show, which will feature also performances by Iggy Azalea, Fetty Wap and Demi Lovato.
– AP