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Belfast hosts pop royalty for MTV awards

BELFAST - Belfast has had its first taste of “Biebermania” with the arrival of Canadian singing sensation Justin Bieber, in the city for the annual MTV Europe Music Awards staged later on Sunday.

Hundreds of screaming girls crowded outside the Merchant Hotel to catch a glimpse of the 17-year-old hit machine late on Saturday, and thousands more are expected at the main show at the Odyssey Arena nearby.

The hype, which some have likened to “Beatlemania” in the 1960s, could even overshadow that surrounding Lady Gaga, another global superstar who is in Belfast for the show.

“He’s beautiful, he’s like an angel,” said Aya Lawlor, a 14-year-old from Belfast who stood for hours in the cold just to see Bieber. “He’s proven that anyone can do it.”

She said she was not put off by recent allegations made by a young woman that Bieber fathered her child when he was 16.

The singer has addressed the issue on his Twitter account, which has more than 14 million followers, and denied the claims on the U.S. Today show.

“I’d just like to say basically that none of those allegations are true,” said Bieber. “I know that I’m going to be a target, but I’m never going to be a victim.”

Adding to media interest in the MTV show in Belfast is the fact that Bieber’s girlfriend Selena Gomez, an actress and singer, is hosting the event.

When she met the press on Saturday, journalists did not have the opportunity to ask her questions.

COLDPLAY, HOT CHILI PEPPERS

The celebrity couple will joined in Belfast by Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga among others at what is billed as the biggest night in music outside the United States.

Northern Irish rockers Snow Patrol, whose 2006 album “Eyes Open” sold over five million copies worldwide, also make an appearance as do the surviving members of Queen, who will pick up the Global Icon accolade.

“Very often Northern Ireland in the past has been in the news for other reasons and this is a really, really amazingly positive reason to be in the news,” said Gary Lightbody, Snowpatrol lead singer.

Thousands of people are expected to watch the main concert at Odyssey Arena and other performances in the open and in smaller venues around Belfast.

The awards tend to be dominated by U.S. acts even though they are held in a different European city each year and are mostly decided by fans from the region.

Last year it was Gaga who dominated the winners, picking up prizes for best female, best pop act and best song for “Bad Romance”. This year she leads the way again with six nominations.

In four categories — best song (“Born This Way”), best pop and live act and best female artist — she is up against rival chart-topping diva Katy Perry.

Lady Gaga’s other two nominations are best video (“Born This Way”) and biggest fans, a new category introduced this year.

Bruno Mars joins Perry with four nominations — best new, best male, best “push” or up and coming act, and best song for “Grenade.”

Adele, Britain’s own international chart queen, is short-listed three times — best female act and best song and best video for “Rolling in the Deep.”

Bieber competes for best pop, best male and biggest fans, while Thirty Seconds to Mars is up for best alternative, best world stage and biggest fans.

Bieber, who launched his new album “Under the Mistletoe” this week, has also been named the inaugural winner of the MTV Voices award in recognition of his charity work.