Justin Bieber booed at Billboard Awards, says he’s no ‘gimmick’

Justin Bieber was booed big time at Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas.

The “Beauty and the Beat” singer took the stage Sunday to accept the first-ever Milestone Award, presented to him for being the first 19-year-old with five No. 1 singles on the Billboard 200. He beat out the night’s big winner, Taylor Swift, for the fan honor, as well as Bruno Mars, who went home empty-handed. Bieber had already been on stage twice to perform his “Take You” and “#thatPOWER” with will.i.am, as young audience members let out yelps and screams.

However, as Bieber went to accept the award, he was greeted with a chorus of boos as well as screams. It took him a while to collect himself. (It was hard to read his facial expression under dark shades despite Madonna’s reference to “pretentious sunglasses.”) Appearing dumbfounded, the Canadian-born singer finally took the mike, then stood mute for a very long pause to let the audience pipe down before he made his case.

MORE: Justin Bieber polls unfavorably across party lines — ouch!

“I’m 19 years old. I think I’m doing a pretty good job. And basically, from my heart, I really just want to say it should really be about the music. It should be about the craft, the craft that I’m making,” he said as presenter Cee Lo Green nervously fanned himself with the envelope behind the Biebs.

“This is not a gimmick. I’m an artist and I should be taken seriously and all this other bull should not be spoken of. I want to thank my manager, Scooter Braun. I want to thank my family at home. I want to thank my mother, my father. I want to thank Jesus Christ.”

The teenager then removed his glasses and cracked a small smile. “Mom, I love you so much. Dad, I love you. Little brother and sister, I love you so much. Thank you guys so much. Fans, you’re incredible.”

PHOTOS: Billboard Music Awards 2013 | Arrivals

The Ministry believes the audience was rejecting Bieber’s ridiculous low-crotch leather pants.

The show’s host, Tracy Morgan, returned later in the show to scold the audience after Swift took home her audience of the year award.

“Hey don’t be booing nobody in here. This ain’t the Apollo,” he said.

But the discordant reception didn’t leave Bieber nonplussed for long.

“2 performances and 2 awards. Grateful to my #Beliebers . Our awards. Love u,” he wrote after the show, adding, “I love music, my fans, my family, my friends.. And I love The Lord.”

And wil.i.am gave him a shout-out, tweeting: “the army we had was sick ... we rocked it ... @justinbieber: @iamwill we killed it bro. Love u man. #thatpower.”

Bieber, who also took home the Billboard Music Award for top male artist and top social artist, was snubbed early this year at the behemoth Grammy Awards. He’s been booed recently at a New York Knicks game, at a football game in his native Canada and by his own fans for keeping them waiting too long at a concert during his “Believe” world tour.

He apparently polls unfavorably across party lines too.

Do you think the Biebs deserved to be booed? Tell us in comments.

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