Taylor Swift strikes gold with quadruple win at American Music Awards

Taylor Swift was the golden girl at the 2013 American Music Awards on Sunday (24Nov13) as she took home four top honors, including Artist of the Year.

The I Knew You Were Trouble hitmaker, who wowed in a shimmering gold Julien Macdonald mini dress, earned Favorite Female Artist accolades in both the Pop/Rock and Country categories, while the blonde beauty also scored best album for Red in the latter genre.

Justin Timberlake enjoyed a stellar night too, claiming a trio of trophies, while British boyband One Direction celebrated their first ever AMAs for Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Pop/Rock and Favorite Album - Pop/Rock for their second release Take Me Home.

Rihanna was feted with the inaugural Icon Award in recognition of her massive global success and she received a standing ovation from the celebrity-packed audience at the Nokia Theater L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

Her mentor and Roc Nation label boss Jay Z paid tribute to his charge in a pre-taped video message, while Rihanna's mother, Monica Fenty, was on hand to play the proud parent as she presented the honor.

In her acceptance speech, Rihanna recalled terrorising her mom with her "annoying little man voice" as a child, before going on to express her gratitude to her devotees and her team, saying, "My fans, you have no idea. You keep me driven, you keep this thing special and right now I can't believe that at 25 years old I'm holding an Icon award, that is weird to even say out loud...

"I can't thank everybody but if you know me, you know that I love you and that I thank you and that I'm grateful. You all play such an important part and I'm only as good as my team so I love you guys so much, thank you."

Katy Perry kicked off the event by performing her new single Unconditionally dressed as a geisha in a set made to look like a Japanese cherry blossom garden, while One Direction, Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Arianna Grande and the surviving members of TLC also hit the stage, as did show host Pitbull, who teamed up with Timber collaborator Ke$ha.

Other performance highlights came from Jennifer Lopez, who dazzled in a special tribute to late Latin music icon Celia Cruz; Lady Gaga, who played a receptionist as she seduced R. Kelly as president for Do What U Want, and birthday girl Miley Cyrus, who donned a pink leotard adored with cats to close the show with a powerful and emotional rendition of Wrecking Ball.

The full list of winners for the 41st Annual American Music Awards, which are voted for by fans, is as follows:

Artist of the Year - Taylor Swift

New Artist of the Year - Arianna Grande

Single of the Year - Cruise, Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly

Favorite Male Artist - Pop/Rock - Justin Timberlake

Favorite Female Artist - Pop/Rock - Taylor Swift

Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Pop/Rock - One Direction

Favorite Album - Pop/Rock - Take Me Home, One Direction

Favorite Male Artist - Country - Luke Bryan

Favorite Female Artist - Country - Taylor Swift

Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Country - Lady Antebellum

Favorite Album - Country - Red, Taylor Swift

Favorite Artist - Rap/Hip-Hop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Favorite Album - Rap/Hip-Hop - The Heist, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Favorite Male Artist - Soul/R&B - Justin Timberlake

Favorite Female Artist - Soul/R&B - Rihanna

Favorite Album - Soul/R&B - The 20/20 Experience, Justin Timberlake

Favorite Artist - Alternative Rock - Imagine Dragons

Favorite Artist - Adult Contemporary - Maroon 5

Favorite Artist - Latin - Marc Anthony

Favorite Artist - Contemporary Inspirational - Matthew West

Favorite Artist - Electronic Dance Music (EDM) - Avicii

Top Soundtrack - Pitch Perfect

Icon Award - Rihanna.