And he didn't give himself any chance to beat Swift, the undeniable pop star who has reshaped the genre and used a legion of fans to rule the ACMs the last two years.
Justin Bieber may have lost out at the Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Pop Album but he beat (almost) all comers at the box office.
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Combining archive footage with new interviews with band members Michael Bradley, Billy Doherty and brothers John O'Neill and Damian O'Neill, the documentary tells how a group of teenagers beat the odds to become an improbable pop phenomenon whose hits still resonate today.
If the message is more of a pop message, and if it's beat- and club-driven, then the sky's the limit.
Then that afternoon, my heart missed a beat when I saw the much awaited email from my cousin pop up on my computer screen.
The fictional TV pop star Hannah Montana, played by Miley Cyrus, beat out the Rolling Stones in popularity by a generous margin.
Subsequently picked up by an indie label for 2005's Easy Beat, the group won raves for its fascinating combination of psychedelic pop hooks and Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies.
The pop legend - whose baby daughter was born last month - beat off stiff competition from James Bond star Pierce Brosnan and Oscar nominee Jude Law.
Boeing beat estimates on more deliveries and raised its outlook, leading to a big pop in its stock price.
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There's a crop of young American acts approaching the genre less as ethnomusicology and more like pop, from the hip-hop collage approach of New York's Balkan Beat Box to the emigre garage rock of Los Angeles' Dengue Fever, who headlined the festival's final night.
It is the title track - also bearing Young's name - which is a jaunty, breezy slice of pop that would suit rival idol Darius Danesh down to the ground, with a skipping beat which breaks the album's slow tenor.
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