ROME, Italy (MTV Press) -
Outkast triumphed at the 11th annual MTV
Europe Music Awards, broadcast from Rome to a potential worldwide audience of more than one billion people. The groundbreaking hip-hop duo won in three categories: Best Group, and Best Song and Best Video - both for Hey Ya!
The other big winners were R&B superstar
Usher with two awards: Best Male and Best Album for Confessions, and emotive rock trio Muse who won in the Best Alternative Act and Best UK & Ireland Act categories.
The MTV Europe Music Awards 2004 was hosted by hip-hop sensation Xzibit, who brought his trademark wild personality and style to the job of Master of Ceremonies. The glittering event, often described as the music 'Oscars', featured 24 separate awards - including 11 regional awards - celebrating the diversity of European music taste.
The show featured incredible live performances from across the international music spectrum, including appearances by Alicia Keys with Usher, Anastacia, Beastie Boys, Eminem, Franz Ferdinand, Gwen Stefani, Maroon 5, Nelly, The Hives and Tiziano Ferro.
The winners of the MTV Europe Music Awards 2004 are:
Best Group: Outkast
Best Song: Outkast - Hey Ya!
Best Female: Britney Spears
Best Male: Usher
Best Hip Hop: D12
Best New Act: Maroon 5
Best R&B: Alicia Keys
Best Album: Usher - Confessions
Best Rock: Linkin Park
Best Alternative Act: Muse
Best Pop: The Black Eyed Peas
Best Video: Outkast - Hey Ya! - Director: Bryan Barber
Best French Act: Jenifer
Best Dutch & Belgian Act: Kane
Best Italian Act: Tiziano Ferro
Best Spanish Act: Bunbury
Best Polish Act: Sistars
Best German Act: Beatsteaks
Best Portuguese Act: Da Weasel
Best Russian Act: Zveri
Best Romanian Act: Ombladon featuring Raku
Best Nordic Act: The Hives
Best MTV UK & Ireland Act: Muse
Free Your Mind Award: La Strada
Highlights of the MTV Europe Music Awards 2004 included: rap superstar Eminem arriving on stage in a tank, flanked by 68 under 10 year olds, to perform a medley which included upcoming single Like Toy Soldiers (Eminem's highly topical view on conflict and hip-hop 'beefs') and current smash Just Lose It.
Britney Spears' video acceptance of her Best Female Award - the first time the pop superstar has been seen in public since her recent wedding, Anastacia's breathtaking performance at the Coliseum beamed live to the main show, special guest star Sarah Michelle Gellar speeding live through the streets of Rome with a police escort and Gwen Stefani descending on to the stage on a giant watch to perform What You Waiting For? in eight inch high heels.
The show also featured Pharrell Williams from N*E*R*D performing a surprise duet with R&B megastar Nelly, hip-hop pioneers Beastie Boys arriving on stage on bicycles and a skateboard and Alicia Keys giving an impassioned speech on behalf of Free Your Mind Award winners La Strada.
The evening also saw MTV At The Coliseum - a free public show held simultaneously with the MTV Europe Music Awards at Rome's ancient amphitheatre, with an audience of over 500,000. The stunning live show featured performances from Elisa, Carmen Consoli, Hoobastank, The Cure and Anastacia - whose energetic performance was beamed live into the Awards.
The 2004 MTV Europe 'Free Your Mind' Award was presented to La Strada, an organisation dedicated to the fight against trafficking of women for sexual exploitation in Europe.
Guest presenters at the star-studded ceremony included special guest star Sarah Michelle Gellar, Evanescence's Amy Lee, Andre 3000 from Outkast, AJ McLean and Nick Carter from Backstreet Boys, The Black Eyed Peas, Brian McFadden, Duran Duran, Placebo's Brian Molko, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and DJ Joseph Hahn, football icon Alessandro del Piero, Eamon, Elisha Cuthbert, Jamelia, Kanye West, Kid Rock, Kylie, Naomi Campbell, Natasha Bedingfield, N*E*R*D, Paolo Di Canio, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, The Cure's Robert Smith and skateboarding superstar Tony Hawk.
The MTV Europe Music Awards 2004 is sponsored by Replay Blue Jeans, L'Oreal Paris Studio Line, Hewlett Packard and Foot Locker.
