Entertainment

Billboard Awards through the years: The top winners, from 1989 to today

The 2015 Billboard Music Awards have taken place in Las Vegas each year since 1989 — save for a brief hiatus from 2007 to 2010 — to honor the best-selling artists with shiny statues to put alongside their platinum records. The finalists for the 40 chart-specific categories are chosen based on album and digital song sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social media interactions.

This year, we're expecting many famous faces as well as the debut of Taylor Swift's Bad Blood music video.

But first, let's take a look back at the previous Billboard winners for Top Arist as you make predictions for Sunday's big event.

George Michael, 1989

George Michael performs in concert in 1989.

IMAGE: JIM STEINFELDT/MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES
M. C. Hammer, 1990

M.C. Hammer performs at the Summit, Aug. 11, 1990.

IMAGE: HOWARD CASTLEBERRY/HOUSTON CHRONICLE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michael Jackson, 1991

Michael Jackson leaving the Ivy restaurant in LA after dining with Madonna on March 17, 1991.

IMAGE: MARK J. TERRILL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Garth Brooks, 1992

Garth Brooks accepts one of the seven awards he won at the Billboard Music Awards in LA on Dec. 9, 1992.

IMAGE: REED SAXON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Whitney Houston, 1993

Whitney Houston sings at a concert at Deutschlandhalle in Berlin, Germany on Oct. 13, 1993.

IMAGE: PETER KNEFFEL/DPA/CORBIS
Ace of Base, 1994

Swedish pop group Ace of Base poses for a portrait in 1994 in New York.

IMAGE: CATHERINE MCGANN/GETTY IMAGES
TLC, 1995

Chilli and Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes pose with cardboard cutout of T-Boz in New York on Dec. 6, 1995.

IMAGE: ADAM NADEL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Alanis Morissette, 1996

Alanis Morissette at the Phoenix Festival in the UK on July 19, 1996.

IMAGE: MICK HUTSON/REDFERNS/GETTY IMAGES
LeAnn Rimes, 1997

LeAnn Rimes with two of her four trophies on Dec. 8, 1997 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

IMAGE: LENNOX MCLENDON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Usher, 1998

Usher poses backstage with his Artist of the Year award at the Billboard Music Awards on Dec. 7, 1998, in Las Vegas.

IMAGE: JOEY TERRILL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Backstreet Boys, 1999

The Backstreet Boys at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 1999.

IMAGE: LAURA RAUCH/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Destiny's Child, 2000

Destiny's Child at the awards on Dec. 5, 2000, in Las Vegas.

IMAGE: LAURA RAUCH/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Destiny's Child, 2001

Destiny's Child at the awards on Dec. 4, 2001, in Las Vegas. The group received five awards, including Artist of the Year.

IMAGE: ERIC JAMISON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Celine Dion, 2002

Celine Dion at the Molson Center in Montreal on April 3, 2002.

IMAGE: RYAN REMIORZ/ASSOCIATED PRESS
50 Cent, 2003

50 Cent during a stop on the Roc the Mic tour at the Mark of the Quad-Cities in Moline, Illinois, on July 15, 2003.

IMAGE: SEAN GALLAGHER/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Usher, 2004

Usher performs on Dec. 8, 2004, during the awards in Las Vegas.

IMAGE: JOE CAVARETTA/ASSOCIATED PRESS
50 Cent, 2005

50 Cent performs with G-Unit at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, on Aug. 22, 2005.

IMAGE: ROBERT E. KLEIN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chris Brown, 2006

Chris Brown at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on Dec. 4, 2006.

IMAGE: CHRIS CARLSON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Eminem, 2011

Eminem and Rihanna at a concert in LA on Feb. 13, 2011.

IMAGE: MATT SAYLES/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Adele, 2012

Adele at The O2 Arena in London on Feb. 21, 2012.

IMAGE: PA WIRE/PRESS ASSOCIATION IMAGES/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Taylor Swift, 2013

Taylor Swift at the Billboard Music Awards on May 19, 2013, in Las Vegas.

IMAGE: CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Justin Timberlake, 2014

Justin Timberlake at the Hammerstein Ballroom on July 10, 2014 in New York City.

IMAGE: EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP