Chapter 238: American Music Awards

"Who were you talking to? Why did you hang up when you saw us coming down?"

Taylor and Selena came down the stairs one after the other.

The two had just changed into new outfits upstairs, preparing to attend the American Music Awards ceremony that night.

Taylor was wearing a long black dress with a small suit jacket and black high heels, which made her figure look even taller and slender.

Selena was wearing a black leather jacket with a red dress underneath and white sneakers, looking fresh and cute.

Their outfits were casual and had a cool vibe.

"It was Ivanka. My new movie role has been getting good reviews, and she asked if I wanted to do PR for awards."

Link didn't hide anything from Taylor about this.

"Really?"

Taylor smiled slightly and blinked, asking, "She's your partner in music, how did she think of helping you with PR for film awards? She's really nice to you."

"Don't misunderstand. Winning film awards can also help promote the album. Ivanka has more experience in this area than Catherine and Mandy, so she called to ask me."

"Okay, whatever. I won't be surprised if I see you two in bed one day."

Taylor bumped his shoulder and walked into the dressing room.

Selena followed Taylor for a few steps, then suddenly retreated to Link's side and whispered in his ear, "Brother, listen to me, stop it. With a girlfriend like Taylor, you should cut ties with other women quickly. Taylor is very powerful, be careful of getting caught in bed by her."

"Don't talk nonsense. When have you ever seen me with other women?"

Link flicked her forehead.

"Last year, you told me you had many girlfriends. Don't try to deny it."

"I was just teasing you."

"You better not have any. On this matter, I'm on Taylor's side."

Selena sniffed and followed into the dressing room.

Link shook his head and waited outside for over half an hour. It was past six in the afternoon when Taylor and Selena, two beauties, one tall and sexy, the other cute and pretty, came out of the dressing room with exquisite makeup and smelling fragrant.

They stood together, one tall and sexy, the other cute and pretty, both with their chins raised, looking unapproachable.

Link didn't care what kind of game they were playing and urged them to get in the car quickly, as the American Music Awards ceremony was about to start.

This year's American Music Awards was held at the Nokia Center in Los Angeles.

The American Music Awards is one of the three major music awards in the United States, with the ceremony held annually at the end of November.

The American Music Awards are primarily based on the artist's album sales and clicks during the year.

The data is collected from Billboard magazine and website, including album and digital single sales, radio airplay, online traffic, social media activity, and tour box office.

Voting starts in mid-November each year, and fans can vote once for all awards through one platform.

In short, whoever has the highest album sales in the United States and the most fans has a higher chance of winning. It's a winner-takes-all situation, unlike the Grammys and MTV Video Music Awards, where the cake is divided.

As of November, the 2009 Billboard album sales chart results were gradually released.

Three albums sold over 3 million copies in the United States, a better result than in 2008/2007 and on par with 2006.

Sales champion: Taylor Swift's second studio album "Fearless," released last December, has sold a total of 3.32 million copies in the United States.

Runner-up: Susan Boyle, also known as Susan Boyle, who debuted on "Britain's Got Talent" earlier this year, sold 3.15 million copies of her debut album "I Dreamed A Dream" in the United States.

Third place: Link's second album "Fearless," released for 21 weeks, has sold a total of 3.12 million copies in the United States.

Fourth place is MJ's greatest hits album "Number Ones," which sold 2.48 million copies in the United States.

Fifth place is Lady Gaga's "The Fame," which has currently sold 2.38 million copies in the United States.

Sixth place is Andrea Bocelli's "My Christmas," which sold 2.21 million copies.

Seventh place is Link's "The Fighter," which has been released for nearly a year and sold 2.19 million copies in the United States, ranking seventh on the annual sales chart.

Eighth place is the "Hannah Montana" TV series soundtrack, which sold 1.83 million copies.

Ninth place is the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D.," which sold 1.78 million copies.

Tenth place is Eminem's "Relapse," which sold 1.73 million copies.

Eleventh place is Jay-Z's "The Blueprint 3," which sold 1.71 million copies.

Since the American Music Awards mainly focus on American artists, Susan Boyle does not participate in the selection. As Lady Gaga's sales cannot surpass Taylor's, Taylor has the opportunity to sweep the female singer awards.

However, the situation for male singers is more complicated.

Although Link's second album sold more than MJ's "Number Ones," the combined sales of his two albums reached 5.31 million copies.

But MJ's sudden death in June made his early albums hot commodities in the record market.

This includes "This Is It," which ranked 13th with 1.29 million sales, "Thriller," which ranked 15th with 1.27 million sales, and the compilation album "The Essential Michael Jackson," which ranked 21st with 1.15 million sales.

As of now, MJ's total album sales for the year have reached 8.2 million, higher than the combined sales of Link's two albums.

According to the winner-takes-all rule and in memory of MJ, MJ has a higher chance of winning, which is why Ivanka reminded him on the phone.

In fact, Ivanka didn't need to remind him. MJ was also one of his idols, and having just passed away, he wasn't willing to compete for awards with a deceased person.

The American Music Awards that night confirmed his guess.

Taylor won five awards, including the most prestigious Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Artist - Pop/Rock, Favorite Female Artist - Country, Favorite Album - Country, and Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

MJ won four awards, Favorite Male Artist - Pop/Rock, Favorite Male Artist - Soul/R&B, Favorite Album - Soul/R&B, and Artist of the Decade, becoming the artist with the most wins in the history of the American Music Awards.

Link won two awards, Favorite Album - Pop/Rock for "Fearless" and Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year.

Jay-Z won Favorite Artist - Rap/Hip-Hop and Favorite Album - Rap/Hip-Hop.

The Black Eyed Peas, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, and others also won awards.

However, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, who were very popular this year, didn't win any awards, and Eminem also went home empty-handed.

In this sense, winning an American Music Award is more difficult than winning a Grammy or MTV Award. To win this award, both album quality and sales are essential.

"Mr. Baker, based on your achievements this year, you would have had a chance to win Artist of the Year and Favorite Male Artist - Pop/Rock, but you didn't. Many fans feel sorry for you. Do you feel any regret?"

A Billboard magazine reporter asked in an interview after the awards ceremony.

"Of course not."

Link stood on the round platform, holding two pyramid-shaped crystal trophies, and said, "Taylor is my girlfriend and my music teacher. MJ is my idol and the goal I strive for. They deserve the awards more than I do. I also owe them credit for winning these two awards."

"Mr. Baker, it's said that both you and Taylor will release your third albums next year. Many people think that next year's album chart competition will be between you and Taylor. Who do you think will win next year, you or Taylor?"

A Vanity Fair editor asked in an interview.

Link thought for a moment and said, "Taylor and I have an agreement to collaborate on 1-2 songs on our next albums, so no matter who wins, we both win."

"Mr. Baker, you are currently very popular in the European and American pop music scene and are the most popular male singer in pop music. Many media call you the new king of pop music. What do you think of this title?"

The Vanity Fair editor asked.

Link smiled slightly and said to the camera, "It's my honor, and I'm working towards that goal, trying not to disappoint my fans and supporters."

(End of Chapter)