LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Pop singer Taylor Swift won big by nabbing four honors at the 2018 American Music Awards (AMAs) ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Swift, who kicked off the show with a performance of "I Did Something Bad," took home awards for Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop/Rock Album, Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Tour of the Year. She has so far won 23 AMAs awards, breaking the previous record of 21 wins for a female artist, held by the late American singer Whitney Houston.

"Thank you for this incredible symbol of encouragement," she said while accepting her award for Artist of the Year, the biggest prize of the night, noting that every single award given out at the ceremony were voted on by the people.

The superstar called for live and television audiences to head to the polls in the upcoming midterm elections on November 6.

"You know what else is voted on by the people," she added, "Get out and vote!"

Unlike the Grammys, which are awarded on the basis of votes by members of the Recording Academy, the winners of AMAs are determined by a poll of the public and viewers.

The nominees of the awards are based on key fan interactions as reflected in Billboard Magazine and on Billboard.com, including album and digital song sales, radio airplay, streaming, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound.

Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello was another big winner of the night with four awards, including Favorite Music Video, Favorite Pop/Rock Song, Collaboration of the Year and New Artist of the Year. The 21-year-old singer performed an orchestral version of "Consequences" on the stage.

Cardi B and Kane Brown each nabbed three trophies at the awards ceremony. Cardi B won the awards for Favorite Rap/Hip-hop Artist, Favorite Rap/Hip-hop Song and Favorite Soul/R&B Song. Kane Brown, the most nominated artist in the country music category, took home awards for Favorite Country Song, Favorite Country Album and Favorite Country Male Artist.

South Korean boy band, BTS, won the award for Favorite Social Artist. Shawn Mendes accepted the award for favorite adult contemporary artist and Carrie Underwood won the award for favorite female country artist.

Disney and Marvel Studios' superhero film "Black Panther" won the award for Favorite Soundtrack.

Other winners included Khalid for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Rihanna for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist and XXXTentacion for Favorite Soul/R&B Album.

First established in 1973, the American Music Awards is one of the most important music award shows in the United States. It's reportedly the world's largest fan-voted awards show.