Singer Lorde accepts the top new artist award onstage at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada May 18, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

2014 Billboard Music Awards

Justin Timberlake, hometown rockers Imagine Dragons and Robin Thicke were big winners at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday in Las Vegas where a computer-generated Michael Jackson danced and sang a newly released song.

The annual televised awards show, a main showcase for the music industry, honored Timberlake seven times, including top artist, top male artist and top Billboard 200 album for last year's "The 20/20 Experience."

Timberlake, 33, who is on tour in Europe, accepted the awards in taped speeches with his touring band that numbers about 20 strong.

"It's not a competition, but if it was, I won. And guess what? I'm OK with that," Timberlake said in a good-natured joke aimed at his competition, singers Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and rockers Imagine Dragons.

The late King of Pop Michael Jackson made an appearance as a hologram, performing his posthumously released song "Slave to the Rhythm" with a slew of dancers moving around his computer-generated image.

The performance prompted an emotional standing ovation with some audience members shown wiping away tears.