Nicki Minaj catching up with Bruno Mars and soul legend Chaka Khan. Katy Perry blowing bubblegum with her fellow pink-haired diva. Selena Gomez cuddling up to Justin Bieber and John Legend getting cozy with girlfriend Christine Teigen. 50 Cent posing backstage before making a quit exit after introducing Chris Brown. Motown Records founder Berry Gordy beaming while hugging his son RedFoo of LMFAO. These were just some of the candid moments that you didn’t see on television at the 2011 American Music Awards.

Check out the gallery of 24 backstage and audience photos, with appearances from Jennifer Lopez, Robin Thicke, Ludacris, Mary J. Blige, will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, and more.

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Will.i.am teamed with Jennifer Lopez and a digital Mick Jagger to debut his new single “T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)” at Sunday’s AMAs. The Black Eyed Peas frontman appeared in silhouette for most of the song, with performance group Fighting Gravity showing off their gravity-defying stunts with black lights. J.Lo was glowing while the Rolling Stones rocker delivered his part via a pre-taped video. No need to go home.

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Taylor Swift was crowned Artist of the Year and an emotional Nicki Minaj went home with two awards at the 2011 American Music Awards on Sunday night at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

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Maroon 5 showed off their fancy footwork while performing “Moves Like Jagger” at the AMAs. Following an introduction from Bruno Mars, Adam Levine and the rest of the band dueted with a curvy Christina Aguilera on the chart-topping duet. Levine broke from the group to lend his voice to Gym Class Heroes’ single “Stereo Hearts” as their sounds emanated from the giant boombox onstage.

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Drake brought some swagger to the American Music Awards. The Toronto rapper, introduced by John Legend, fronted a live band during “Headlines,” the lead single from his hot-selling album Take Care. Clad in a black hoodie and biker gloves, Drizzy delivered a clean version of the hit as red lights flashed behind him. Some of his famous fans including Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, and Selena Gomez were seen rapping along in the front row.

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Mary J. Blige bared her soul during the AMAs, gracing the stage following an introduction from Alanis Morissette. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul looked ravishing in a white pantsuit, belting her Drake-assisted single “Mr. Wrong” without the Young Money rapper. She closed with a tribute to the late Heavy D. “Rest in peace to my dear friend, my loved one, my brother, the lovable and great Heavy D. I miss you so much brother. God bless,” said MJB.

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Pitbull, Lil Jon, and Marc Anthony took it to Planet Pit at the American Music Awards. The King of Crunk opened the medley with “Give Me Everything,” tossing it to a black suit-wearing Anthony, who joined Pit for “Rain Over Me.” Looking sharp in a red sports coat, Mr. 305 ran through his verse from the song as rain poured down. Grab an umbrella.

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Jennifer Lopez spread her wings and flew during her show-stopping AMA performance. Sporting a leopard print dress, the newly single star put the pedal to the metal with “Papi,” promoting the Fiat 500 that also appears in her music video. She stripped down do a barely-there glitter suit, joined briefly by Pitbull for “On the Floor,” where she held court between men on stilts and shirtless backup dancers. She earned a standing ovation from the crowd and picked up the award for Favorite Latin Artist.

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Enrique Iglesias took the American Music Awards to church with his gospel-inspired performance of “I Like How It Feels.” Clad in a leather jacket over a V-neck tee and dirty blue jeans, the Latin heartthrob was backed by the Crenshaw High School Elite Choir before taking it to the club with Ludacris on their sexy collaboration “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You).”

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