Billboard Music Awards 2014 Nominations Announced - See the List!

Check out the full list of nominations for the upcoming 2014 Billboard Music Awards!

A ton of our favorite artists got nods! Miley Cyrus is set to battle it out for Top Female Artist with Lorde, who is also up for Best New Artist against Ariana Grande.

Meanwhile, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Miley, and One Direction are all going head-to-head in the Top Social Artist category.

Ellie Goulding is up for the Milestone Award too!

Tune into the 2014 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, May 18 on ABC!

2014 Billboard Music Award Nominations

Milestone Award Presented by Chevy
Luke Bryan
Ellie Goulding
Imagine Dragons
John Legend
OneRepublic
Carrie Underwood

Top Artist
Miley Cyrus
Imagine Dragons
Bruno Mars
Katy Perry
Justin Timberlake

Top New Artist
Bastille
Capital Cities
Ariana Grande
Lorde
Passenger

Top Male Artist
Luke Bryan
Drake
Eminem
Bruno Mars
Justin Timberlake

Top Female Artist
Beyonce
Miley Cyrus
Lorde
Katy Perry
Rihanna

Top Duo/Group
Florida Georgia Line
Imagine Dragons
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
One Direction
OneRepublic

Top Billboard 200 Artist
Beyonce
Luke Bryan
Eminem
One Direction
Justin Timberlake

Top Hot 100 Artist
Miley Cyrus
Imagine Dragons
Lorde
Katy Perry
Justin Timberlake

Top Digital Songs Artist
Miley Cyrus
Imagine Dragons
Lorde
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Katy Perry

Top Radio Songs Artist
Imagine Dragons
Lorde
Bruno Mars
Katy Perry
Justin Timberlake

Top Touring Artist
Beyonce
Bon Jovi
P!nk
Rihanna
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

Top Social Artist
Justin Bieber
Miley Cyrus
One Direction
Rihanna
Taylor Swift

Top Streaming Artist
Miley Cyrus
Imagine Dragons
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Katy Perry
PSY

Top R&B Artist
Beyonce
Pharrell
Rihanna
Robin Thicke
Justin Timberlake

Top Rap Artist
Drake
Eminem
Jay Z
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Pitbull

Top Country Artist
Luke Bryan
Florida Georgia Line
Darius Rucker
Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift

Top Rock Artist
Capital Cities
Fall Out Boy
Imagine Dragons
Lorde
Passenger

Top Latin Artist
Marc Anthony
Gerardo Ortiz
Jenni Rivera
Prince Royce
Romeo Santos

Top Dance/Electronic Artist
Avicii
Daft Punk
Calvin Harris
Lady Gaga
Zedd

Top Christian Artist
Mandisa
Skillet
tobyMac
Chris Tomlin
Matthew West

Top Billboard 200 Album
Beyonce, “Beyonce”
Luke Bryan, “Crash My Party”
Drake, “Nothing Was The Same”
Eminem, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2”
Justin Timberlake, “The 20/20 Experience”

Top R&B Album
Beyonce, “Beyonce”
R. Kelly, “Black Panties”
Robin Thicke, “Blurred Lines”
Justin Timberlake, “The 20/20 Experience”
Justin Timberlake, “The 20/20 Experience (2 of 2)”

Top Rap Album
J. Cole, “Born Sinner”
Drake, “Nothing Was The Same”
Eminem, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2”
Jay Z, “Magna Carta…Holy Grail”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “The Heist”

Top Country Album
Garth Brooks, “Blame It All On My Roots: Five Decades of Influences”
Luke Bryan, “Crash My Party”
Florida Georgia Line, “Here’s To The Good Times”
The Robertsons, “Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas”
Blake Shelton, “Based On A True Story”

Top Rock Album
Lana Del Rey, “Born To Die”
Fall Out Boy, “Save Rock And Roll”
Imagine Dragons, “Night Visions”
Lorde, “Pure Heroine”
Mumford & Sons, “Babel”

Top Latin Album
Marc Anthony, “3.0”
Alejandro Fernandez, “Confidencias”
Jenni Rivera, “1969- Siempre: En Vivo Desde Monterrey: Parte 1?
Prince Royce, “Soy El Mismo”
Romeo Santos, “Formula: Vol. 2”

Top Dance/Electronic Album
Avicii, “True”
Daft Punk, “Random Access Memories”
Lady Gaga, “ARTPOP”
Lindsey Stirling, “Lindsey Stirling”
Zedd, “Clarity”

Top Christian Album
Alan Jackson, “Precious Memories: Volume II”
Skillet, “Rise”
Third Day, “Miracle”
Chris Tomlin, “Burning Lights”
Various Artists, “WOW Hits 2014”

Top Hot 100 Song
Miley Cyrus, “Wrecking Ball”
Imagine Dragons, “Radioactive”
Lorde, “Royals”
Katy Perry, “Roar”
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell, “Blurred Lines”

Top Digital Song
Imagine Dragons, “Radioactive”
Lorde, “Royals”
OneRepublic, “Counting Stars”
Katy Perry, “Roar”
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell, “Blurred Lines”

Top Radio Song
Avicii, “Wake Me Up”
Lorde, “Royals”
Katy Perry, “Roar”
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell, “Blurred Lines”
Justin Timberlake, “Mirrors”

Top Streaming Song (Audio)
Daft Punk Featuring Pharrell Williams, “Get Lucky”
Imagine Dragons, “Radioactive”
Lorde, “Royals”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Ray Dalton, “Can’t Hold Us”
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell, “Blurred Lines”

Top Streaming Song (Video)
Baauer, “Harlem Shake”
Miley Cyrus, “We Can’t Stop”
Miley Cyrus, “Wrecking Ball”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz, “Thrift Shop”
Katy Perry, “Roar”

Top R&B Song
Beyonce Feat. Jay Z, “Drunk In Love”
Drake Featuring Majid Jordan, “Hold On, We’re Going Home”
Pharrell, “Happy”
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell, “Blurred Lines”
Justin Timberlake Feat. Jay Z, “Suit & Tie”

Top Rap Song
Eminem Featuring Rihanna, “The Monster”
Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake, “Holy Grail”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Ray Dalton, “Can’t Hold Us”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz, “Thrift Shop”
Pitbull Featuring Ke$ha, “Timber”

Top Country Song
Luke Bryan, “Crash My Party”
Luke Bryan, “That’s My Kind Of Night”
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Nelly, “Cruise”
Darius Rucker, “Wagon Wheel”
Blake Shelton Featuring Pistol Annies & Friends, “Boys ‘Round Here”

Top Rock Song
Capital Cities, “Safe And Sound”
Imagine Dragons, “Demons”
Imagine Dragons, “Radioactive”
Lorde, “Royals”
Passenger, “Let Her Go”

Top Latin Song
Marc Anthony “Vivir Mi Vida”
Daddy Yankee “Limbo”
Enrique Iglesias Featuring Romeo Santos “Loco”
Prince Royce “Darte Un Beso”
Romeo Santos “Propuesta Indecente”

Top Dance/Electronic Song
Avicii, “Wake Me Up”
Daft Punk Featuring Pharrell Williams, “Get Lucky”
Icona Pop Featuring Charlie XCX, “I Love It”
Lady Gaga, “Applause”
Zedd Featuring Foxes, “Clarity”

Top Christian Song
Building 429, “We Won’t Be Shaken”
Mandisa, “Overcomer”
Sidewalk Prophets, “Help Me Find It”
Chris Tomlin, “Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies)”
Matthew West, “Hello, My Name Is”

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Miley Cyrus: Family Goes Viral with 'We Can't Stop' Holiday Video - Watch Now!

Do you think Miley Cyrus ever expected a holiday track to come from her hit single “We Can’t Stop“?

A family of four have gone viral after covering the 21-year-old’s song with LOTS of Christmas cheer!

The Bock Family – Kate, Sarah, Sam, and Lee – changed the lyrics to “We Can’t Stop” while using a jazz arrangement of the song originally created by Postmodern Jukebox before sending the video to friends and family in place of a Christmas card.



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Miley Cyrus’ Vevo Views Came in Like a Wrecking Ball

It’s no surprise: Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” was Vevo’s most-viewed music video of 2013. The video drew 19.3 million views on the music video website just in its first day in September. Since then, it has racked up over 371 million views worldwide.

It’s a good song, but we doubt that’s the reason so many people watched the video, which features the singer straddling a wrecking ball in the nude. Well, almost nude. She’s wearing shoes, as one does in a dangerous construction zone. And then there’s that part where she’s making out with a hammer…

But maybe it’s not all about nudity. The other risqué video of the summer, “Blurred Lines,” came only in seventh. Here’s the full top 10 list (as of Dec. 1):

1. “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus

2. “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus

3. “Scream and Shout” by will.i.am ft. Britney Spears

4. “Diamonds” by Rihanna

5. “Roar” by Katy Perry

6. “Just Give Me a Reason” by P!nk ft. Nate Ruess

7. “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke ft. T.I., Pharrell

8. “Stay” by Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko

9. “La La La” by Naughty Boy ft. Sam Smith

10. “Kiss You” by One Direction

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Justin Bieber, Macklemore dominate YouTube nominees

Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, One Direction, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Miley Cyrus and One Direction will tussle for top honors at the first-ever YouTube Music Awards show, which plays out Nov. 3 on the video-sharing site.

Avicii, M.I.A., Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler the Creator and Walk Off the Earth have been added to the lineup, joining previously announced performers Eminem, Lady Gaga and Arcade Fire.

Nominees are drawn from YouTube's most watched, shared, liked and subscribed-to artists of the past 12 months. Winners will be chosen by fan voting, which opens today at youtube.com/musicawards.

The nominees are:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney, Epic Rap Battles of History

Demi Lovato, Heart Attack

Girls' Generation, I Got A Boy

Justin Bieber (featuring Nicki Minaj), Beauty and A Beat

Lady Gaga, Applause

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (featuring Mary Lambert), Same Love

Miley Cyrus, We Can't Stop

One Direction, Best Song Ever

Psy, Gentleman

Selena Gomez, Come & Get It

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Eminem

ERB

Justin Bieber

Katy Perry

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Nicki Minaj

One Direction

Psy

Rihanna

Taylor Swift

RESPONSE OF THE YEAR

Boyce Avenue (featuring Fifth Harmony), Mirrors

Jayesslee, Gangnam Style

Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix, Radioactive

The Piano Guys, Titanium/Pavane

Walk Off the Earth (featuring KRNFX), I Knew You Were Trouble

YouTUBE PHENOMENON

Diamonds

Gangnam Style

Harlem Shake

I Knew You Were Trouble

Thrift Shop

YouTUBE BREAKTHROUGH

Kendrick Lamar

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Naughty Boy

Passenger

Rudimental

INNOVATION OF THE YEAR

Anamanaguchi, Endless Fantasy

Atoms for Peace, Ingenue

Bat for Lashes, Lilies

DeStorm, See Me Standing

Toro Y Moi, Say That

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Miley Cyrus: 'We Can't Stop' Acapella on 'Jimmy Fallon'!

Miley Cyrus gets colorful with an acapella version of her hit “We Can’t Stop” during her appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday (October 8) in New York City.

The 20-year-old entertainer was joined by The Roots and Jimmy himself!

Miley also participated in a “Real People, Fake Arms” sketch for the show where they work together on the fake Canadian soap opera Jacob’s Patience.

Watch her performance of “We Can’t Stop” below!



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Miley Cyrus Performs Acoustic Version of "We Can't Stop" on 'Saturday Night Live'

Miley Cyrus performed double duty as host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live this week.

Of course, the controversial singer wasn't afraid to address some of her headline-grabbing behavior and performed a couple of funny skits about exactly that.

However, when it came time for Miley to perform the song that kicked off all the controversy, she kept it surprisingly somber.



Check out the video above to see Miley perform a surprisingly raw version of "We Can't Stop."

While this was nothing like her VMA performance, her outfit did remind us a little bit of the all-white ensemble Lady Gaga wore when she first took the stage during the awards show!

What do you think of Miley's toned-down version of "We Can't Stop"?

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Miley Cyrus Performs 'Wrecking Ball' & 'We Can't Stop' on 'SNL'!

Miley Cyrus shows off her sick nails while performing during her appearance on Saturday Night Live on Saturday (October 5) in New York City.

The 20-year-old entertainer, who was the host for the evening, wowed the crowd while singing her recent singles “Wrecking Ball” and “We Can’t Stop,” from her latest album Bangerz. Watch the videos below!

In case you didn’t know, Miley‘s upcoming album Bangerz dropped on Friday (October 4)!





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One Direction Diss Miley Cyrus? Watch "We Can't Stop," "Wrecking Ball" in Concert

Uh-oh. Are the One Direction guys going to get in trouble for dissing Miley Cyrus?

Well, maybe not so much of a diss as having a laugh with some of Miley's material.

Watch this recent concert footage, where Niall Horan gives his 1D concert speech, only to break into song: a little bit of Miley's "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" (complete with twerking and tongue stuck out, of course).

Niall gets a little help from Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne (plus they also take a stab at a Backstreet Boys classic).

Ah, all in good fun, right?



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Miley Cyrus and Little People Rock German TV with "We Can't Stop"

Miley Cyrus went big for the VMAs, but she decided to go small on the German TV show, Schlagg Den Raab. Literally.

After her controversial Video Music Awards performance complete with giant teddy bears and Robin Thicke twerkout, the singer takes things down a notch or two for a live performance of "We Can't Stop"—backed up by a band of little people!

Now some may see having a air-guitaring band of dwarves as borderline politically incorrect, but you know Miley doesn't listen to the haters.

And everybody involved seems to be having a great time, so it's hard to harp about it. As she stomps through the onstage fog in an uber-bedazzled top, cutoffs and thigh-high stockings, she takes time to playfully slap the backside of a tiny, shiny dancer and mug with the other musicians while one giant teddy bear lounges eerily in the background.

Cyrus is clearly having a gas. She even playfully scolds the bass player for sticking his tongue out in the Miley manner. And then does the same, natch.

Oh, Miley!

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What Miley Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop' Video Would Have Looked Like In The '50s

Regardless of any controversy surrounding Miley Cyrus and her summer hit, "We Can't Stop," it's hard to deny that the song is incredibly catchy. Well, multiply that catchiness factor by a cajillion, and you get Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox's 1950's twerk-free cover, sung by Robyn Adele Anderson and featuring The Tee-Tones. Doo-wop can pretty much make anything sound wholesome, but this rendition goes beyond just a clean-up, and translates "We Can't Stop" into something classic.

Naturally, there are those who are loyal to the original, but others argue that the amazing vocals and unique arrangement of this cover blow Miley out of the water. Let us know in the comments which version of "We Can't Stop" you prefer.

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Rihanna, One Direction Are Not Impressed With Miley Cyrus' VMAs Performance

Miley Cyrus' MTV Video Music Awards performance Sunday night likely left many shocked and even puzzled, but no reaction was better than that of Rihanna and the boys of One Direction.

Cyrus performed her summer hit, "We Can't Stop," and then stayed on stage to perform "Blurred Lines" with Robin Thicke. The act included giant teddy bears, wild twerking, some latex underwear and lots of tongue. She also took some time to grind on Thicke (who is a 36-year-old husband and father) and pretend to lick his chest, before running off with her foam finger.

While the 20-year-old pop singer was performing, the camera panned to the crowd and landed on Rihanna and One Direction, who were sitting near each other inside the Barclays Center. The R&B superstar, her posse and the boys of 1D were not impressed.

Rihanna's blank expression spoke volumes, while Harry Styles and his furrowed brow seemed very perplexed. Needless to say, they probably weren't the only ones. It's not everyday you see a former Disney darling running around on stage in pigtails and a onesie slapping butts and twerking.


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Miley Cyrus: MTV VMAs 2013 Performance of 'We Can't Stop' - WATCH NOW!

Miley Cyrus wears a bear swimsuit on stage at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Barclays Center on Sunday (August 25) in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The 20-year-old singer hit the stage to perform her new song “We Can’t Stop” before teaming up with Robin Thicke on “Blurred Lines”.

FYI: Miley wore a bear costume and custom made shoes by Simone Harouche and a latex bra and briefs by Atsuko Kudo. She was joined on stage by Amazon Ashley and the little people in the Teddy Bear outfits, all from Beachers Madhouse in LA.



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Miley Cyrus tops British singles chart for the first time with ‘We Can’t Stop’

American singer and actress Miley Cyrus notched up her first number one hit in the British singles chart on Sunday with "We Can't Stop", a new entry, the Official Charts Company said.

Cyrus, the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, sold 128,000 copies of the track in the last seven days scoring what was also her first top ten single in Britain, it said.

Her success ended Swedish DJ and producer Avicii's three-week spell at the top of the British singles charts with "Wake Me Up", which slipped to second place.

In the albums chart, Welsh classical singers Richard and Adam Johnson held onto the number one slot for a second week with their debut release, "The Impossible Dream".

A new entry from Civil Wars, their closest competitors, entitled "The Civil Wars", went straight in at number two, unseating English singer Jahmene Douglas whose "Love Never Fails" fell to fifth.


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Miley Cyrus Grabs First U.K. No. 1 With 'We Can’t Stop'

Miley Cyrus has landed not only her first U.K. No. 1 single but her first top ten hit in the territory. “We Can’t Stop” (RCA/Sony) debuted at the summit yesterday (Aug. 12) with first-week sales of 128,000.

“Britain’s Got Talent” duo Richard & Adam’s “The Impossible Dream” (Sony Music CG) started a second week atop the artist album chart, while “Now That’s What I Call Music! 85” (Sony Music CG/Virgin EMI/Universal) leads the compilation survey for a third week.

Cyrus had three times before reached No. 11 on the U.K. singles bestsellers, with “See You Again” in 2008 and twice the following year with “The Climb” and “Party In The U.S.A.” Her new hit ended Avicii’s three-week run at No. 1 with “Wake Me Up” (Positiva/PRMD).

There was a No. 3 debut for “Trampoline” (Parlophone/Warner Music) by British rapper Tinie Tempah featuring U.S. hip-hop artist 2 Chainz, from Tempah’s upcoming second album “Demonstration.” It’s the British artist’s fourth top 10 single as a lead artist, but he has been the featured act on five more.

There were top climbers in the top ten of the Official Charts Company’s new singles list, with “Holy Grail” (Roc Nation/Universal) by Jay Z featuring Justin Timberlake up 11-7 and Calvin Harris’ “Thinking About You” (Columbia/Sony), featuring Ayah Marar, moving 9-8. Timberlake’s own “Take Back The Night” (RCA/Sony) jumped 59-29.

Richard & Adam Johnson’s continuing success on the album chart prevented the Civll Wars from making a triumphant start with their self-titled sophomore album for Columbia/Sony. The Rick Rubin-produced set finished some 15,000 sales adrift of “The Impossible Dream,” but that debut easily outstripped the No. 13 peak of the American duo’s “Barton Hollow” debut in 2011.

Imagine Dragons’ “Night Visions” (Interscope/Universal), which previously reached No. 2 in the U.K., bounced back 10-3, while Example’s “Hits” collection (Ministry of Sound) came in at No. 11. Midlands-based indie rock outfit Swim Deep took their chart bow with “Where The Heaven Are We” (RCA/Sony) at No. 20.

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Miley Cyrus Set For First UK Number 1 As 'We Can't Stop' Storms iTunes

Miley Cyrus looks to be on course to score her first Number One single in the UK, as her new tune 'We Can't Stop' strides to the top of the iTunes listings after just a few hours on sale.

The track had been gathering strong momentum as a pre-order over recent weeks, and was made officially available to download in Britain at midnight last night.

The song quickly ascended to the top of the online store's live rankings, giving a good hint that it willl be the UK's official chart-topper next weekend.

The star has not even appeared in the top 10 over here before, but peaked at No11 three times - with 'See You Again' in 2008, and 'The Climb' and 'Party In The USA' in 2009. She hit No13 with 'Can't Be Tamed' in 2010 - her last appearance in the chart.

Her three albums all made the Top 10, however - with Meet Miley Cyrus and Can't Be Tamed both hitting No8, and Breakout making it to No10.

'We Can't Stop' has already made it to the Top 5 in the US, but it looks set to dethrone Avicii's 'Wake Me Up' and go all the way over here.

The performance of the track also betters that of her nearest Disney companions - Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato - whose new singles 'Come And Get It' and 'Heart Attack' peaked at Nos 6 and 3 respectively.

Miley's new album is out later this year.

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Miley Cyrus: 'We Can't Stop' Director's Cut Video - Watch Now!

Miley Cyrus sings poolside in the director’s cut of her “We Can’t Stop” video.

The 20-year-old singer released the new version of the video after her original video broke the Vevo record for getting 100 million views the fastest! It reached the “certified” status in just 37 days.

“Just sent my girls @RobertsEmma & @ChloeGMoretz my #protecttheskinyourein tee. Can’t wait to see my naked body on you. Is that weird?” she tweeted. In case you missed it, check out Miley going nude on the shirt.

WHAT DO YOU THINK of the director’s cut video?



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Miley Cyrus' New Music Video Without Music Is Creepy! (WATCH!)

Miley Cyrus' video for "We Can't Stop" might be awesome but it's also creepy too!

There's a new video floating around online that shows the "We Can't Stop" vid without music and the result is well...it's super strange.

With the music gone, you hear the obnoxious sound effects the video would make in real life and they're all a bit disturbing!

Check out the entire thing below and let us know what you thought of it!

CollegeHumor's Favorite Funny Videos

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Demi Lovato Feels 'Protective' Of Partying Miley Cyrus

Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus met on the set of "Hannah Montana" six years ago, long before they became two of the biggest names in pop music. Now, they're competitors at the 2013 Video Music Awards, and despite their very different lifestyles (Demi isn't much of a twerker), Lovato thinks their friendship will last.

"She knows how I feel about the whole partying thing," Lovato told MTV News. "I love her to death and I'm always like, 'Just be careful' and she's like, 'Dude, I'm chilling. It's fine.' But I care for her so much that I'm so protective, but she's good. She's got a good head on her shoulders."

Lovato and Cyrus are facing off in the Best Female Video category at the VMAs. Demi is nominated for her emotional power-pop hit "Heart Attack," while Miley is up for her laid-back party anthem "We Can't Stop."

"I think it's great," Demi said about her friend's latest hit. "I think it's a good song... It's a song a lot of people have fun to and if people are enjoying it, then great."

Just last year, Lovato told MTV News that she steers clear of the partying scene, saying, "I'm crazy with my hair... it's my only form of rebellion, I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't party." Cyrus, meanwhile, has been open about her "party animal" image.

Despite their differences, Lovato said she would "absolutely" be down for a collaboration, only if there isn't any twerking involved.

"She's twerking and she looks amazing doing it," Lovato said of Cyrus. "I don't want to do it in public. One, because people are going to be like, 'Oh, who twerks better?' And two, I'm really tired of the word 'twerking.' It's like 'swag', it's like, 'OK, just stop.' Or 'YOLO;' just don't."

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Miley Cyrus has gone hip-hop. What's the problem?

Miley Cyrus's recent escapades into hip-hop culture have provoked outrage in circles that you might not expect to have been following the Hannah Montana star's pop career. It's not only the music, but how she has represented herself in her new video for We Can't Stop, which broke Vevo's record for most video views in 24 hours.

Critics have argued that her use of imagery and colloquialisms normally associated with African American culture – like the gold grills and extravagant chains – is a crass example of cultural appropriation. Her fans might say that Miley's artistic expression and the video bridges the proverbial gap between white artists and modern black music culture, which – whether you like it or not – has become ubiquitously mainstream.

For those in full support of this change in Miley's output, thumbs up to you. She's gone from Disney teenybopper to a twerking (shaking your ass in a vigorously sexual manner) tight-fitted-jean-wearing-half-naked-for-majority-of-her-video pop star singing on hip-hop induced instrumentals and it is garnering the desired attention. Also, Miley is no stranger to hip-hop culture – she rolls deep with rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Juicy J and Odd Future's Tyler, the Creator – and she's known to be quite partial to the old cannabis plant. So she surrounds herself in the culture and then produces music of the same ilk – a natural chain of events, no?

Or maybe it's a premeditated, well-executed marketing strategy? Could be, but if this is her version of the Good Girl Gone Bad image that Rihanna so famously pioneered, then it has started well. Ri-ri has shown us how successful this formula can be if executed well and I can bet my last Rolo that Miley's record label had no objections to her sudden reincarnation, especially as the song in question was originally meant for Rihanna. Even hip-hop mogul Jay-Z recently name-dropped the former teen idol on the track Somewhereinamerica, which features on his new album Magna Carta Holy Grail. He raps: When I was talking Instagram/ Last thing you wanted was your picture snapped/ Feds still lurking/ They see I'm still putting work in/ Cause somewhereinamerica/ Miley Cyrus is still twerkin'," before chuckling to himself. So if it's a marketing ploy, it's working – although it may point to how seriously hip-hop is taking Miley's newfound musical persona.

While parents whose daughters grew up on Hannah Montana might think that Miley no longer deserves role model status, a bit of provocative rump shaking in front of a video camera is a far cry from the antics of fellow ex-teen idols such as Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes.

I do understand the criticism – Miley has never been this sexually explicit in previous videos, so why does the hip-hop influenced track suddenly bring out the freak in her? That's easy, you only have to sit down and watch a music video playlist of Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne, or better yet dig out the video to iconic Sir Mix-a-Lot record Baby Got Back to see why. Miley is imitating what's popular in hip-hop, but there's a fine line between doing it, doing it well and overdoing it – and that's what people are getting their knickers in a twist about.

Music has no colour, real hip-hop artists do not make music for any specific type of person. It's a form of expression that anyone can relate to. There's no problem with channelling a culture – as long as you have respect for it. The likes of Eminem, Jessie J and Iggy Azalea all musically evoke hip-hop but are still quintessentially themselves. It's the impression that Miley may be trying to be or emulate something that she's totally not that, for some, creates an uncomfortable mood when watching the video. Love it or hate it, hip-hop music and culture are here to stay, and true hip-hop fans will know how far it has come and praise the fact it's now a worldwide platform for music artists of all denominations.

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Rebecca Black Records Acoustic Cover of Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop"—Watch Now!

Is Rebecca Black the new cover queen?

The infamous singer who has engraved in our brains that we "gotta get down on Friday" has come back with yet another musical creation (well, kinda).

Black teamed up with fellow singer Jon D. for an acoustic cover of Miley Cyrus' latest single "We Can't Stop" which she dropped on—yep, you guessed it—Friday.

Being only 16 years old, Black decided to modify some of Cyrus' lyrics (specifically the parts talking about strip clubs and cocaine) to make the cover more of a G-rated pop hit.

But what might surprise you is that it doesn't suck. Seriously.

Rebecca has come a long way from her "Friday" days, and the harmonizing between her and Jon D. is quite exquisite (yeah, we didn't think we'd use that word in this type of article either).

However, it's not a complete shock for those who have followed Black's recent work.

In April, she released a cover of Rihanna's "Stay," along with fellow YouTuber Dave Days, which debuted Black's new (and much better) sound.

Nearly two years ago, Black opened up to ABC's Primetime Nightline about her decision to drop out of school because of constant bullying following her first viral YouTube video.

Black explained that classmates would taunt her by asking what day it was or by singing the tune "in a nasally voice."

Home-schooling didn't end the massive number of death threats and horrible comments Rebecca received each day, but the she didn't let that get the best of her.

"I've had a lot of experience with not being liked and all that," she said. "I think if I hadn't had to deal with that in the past then I totally would have handled this differently and I would have gone down in burning flames. But I've learned that you just can't let it get to you."

Smart cookie.




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