Drake, Cline Dion shine at 2017 Billboard Music Awards - Action News
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Drake, Cline Dion shine at 2017 Billboard Music Awards

Cline Dion performed her classic My Heart Will Go On at the Billboard Music Awards 20 years after the song was a chart topper, while fellow Canadian Drake cleaned up in Las Vegas.

Toronto rapper sets record for most wins with 13, including for top artist

Cline Dion performed her classic My Heart Will Go On at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday in Las Vegas, 20 years after the song was a chart topper. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Toronto rapper Drake becamethe Billboard Music Awards'biggest winner ever, but it was QuebecchanteuseClineDionwho stole the show Sunday night with her 20th-anniversary performance of her signature song,My Heart Will Go On.

Dion stunned the Las Vegas crowd while performing the iconic theme tune for the blockbuster film Titanic. It also won an Academy Award for best original song.

Fresh from her Met Gala appearance, Dion sangunder a giant sparkling chandelier and was resplendent in white with giant puffy sleeves; her voice was praisedas being as strong as ever.

"It was not supposed to be part of the movie, period," she told Billboard backstageabout My Heart Will Go On."James Cameron didn't want to have any song in his movie." She said being a part of a classic wasa "very big, big honour."

Drake accepts the award for top Billboard 200 album for Views at the Billboard Music Awards. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

For his part, Drake set the record for most Billboard wins with 13, surpassing the 12 by Adelein 2012. He was nominated for a total of 22 awards. He also performed outside, in the middle of the Bellagio'sfamed fountain, alongside fireworks and flames.

Some of Drake's wins were:

  • Top Billboard 200 album forViews.
  • Top male artist.
  • Top rap artist.
  • Top artist.

Drake and Dionmet for the first time,backstage. The rapper called Dion "iconic" and joked about getting a tattoo of her on his rib cage.

Drake couldn't even hold all the trophies he won Sunday night at the Billboard Music Awards. (Steve Marcus/Reuters)

Miley Cyrus, NickiMinaj perform

Drake andBeyoncwere among the early winners. He had earned 10 awards in early winners announced Sunday morning and picked up an11thfor top male artist in the first minutes of the show.Beyonc earned five in the early winners.

Nicki Minaj opened the Billboard Music Awards with an explosive nine-minute set of her top songs including No Frauds,a response to a diss track from Remy Ma.

At various points, she was joined by Lil Wayne, DJ David Guetta and Jason Derulo.

Vanessa Hudgens, host of the show on ABC with Ludacris, imitated Minaj's rap onstage and earned applause from the crowd. Hudgens also sang some ofDion's I'm Your Lady.

Another veteran diva,Cher, was feted with the Icon Award. The 71-year-old struttedthe stage while performing her hit If I Could Turn Back Time, wearinga black leather get-up with sheer panels, and a matching black curly wig an outfit reminiscent of the one she wore in her original 1989 music video.

Miley Cyrus introduced a new version of her persona, the low-key, in love Miley, when she performed her new song Malibu.

Cyrus performs Malibu at the Billboard Music Awards. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

The new Miley is a far cry from the Disney child star who later consistently shocked audiences for years with her twerking and singing nude atop a giant wrecking ball.

Her sister, Noah Cyrus, noted in the intro that her sister, who is engaged to Liam Hemsworth, was "the happiest she had ever been." The singer didn't dance, but performed the acoustic driven slow-burning song in front of giant images of the beach and ocean and ended the song with teary eyes.

Chris Cornell remembered

A moment of silence was observed for Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, who was found dead Thursday in his hotel room in Detroit.

Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons said in the tribute that Cornell, who also sang lead in the band Audioslave, had "a voice for the ages."

A leader of the grunge movement spreading out of Seattle, the 52-year-old will be buried Friday in Los Angeles.

With files from CBC News