Mary J. Blige may have broken through a long time ago, but The Breakthrough has pushed her into the stratosphere.

Blige accepting one of her nine awards.

The hip-hop soul diva racked up a whopping nine awards at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, including a number of honors in the R&B/hip-hop category as well as R&B/hip-hop album of the year for The Breakthrough.

"I've never received this many awards at any time in my career, ever," Blige said backstage, according to Bilboard. "I remember a time when all my fans were crying and sad and going through hell. Now, we're trying to uplift each other and accept ourselves for who we are, even if nobody else does."

Blige dominated a night in which Atlanta rapper T.I. and 2005's American Idol Carrie Underwood grabbed five awards each, with Underwood winning album of the year for her debut, Some Hearts. While T.I. had the rap category on lock--winning artist and album (King) of the year, Underwood also nabbed artist of the year honors in both country and female country categories.

Teenage R&B sensation Chris Brown picked up several of the night's biggest awards, winning for artist of the year, male artist of the year, and new artist of the year. Canadian rockers Nickelback won for artist duo/group of the year, rock album of the year for All the Right Reasons, and Hot 100 artists duo/or group of the year.

Riding the buzz from the inclusion of its song "How To Save a Life" on hit TV show Gray's Anatomy, the Fray also racked up three awards, sweeping the night's digital honors with digital album of the year for How to Save a Life, digital album artist of the year, and digital songs artist of the year.

Rihanna won female artist of the year, female Hot 100 artist of the year, and Pop 100 artist of the year categories.

"I really can't feel my legs--this is phenomenal," she said while accepting the trophy for best female artist. "That was a really tough category." Nelly Furtado, Kenny Chesney, Three Days Grace, and the soundtrack to Disney's High School Musical garnered one award apiece.

Tony Bennett

Soul legend Stevie Wonder presented Tony Bennett with the Billboard Century Award, with Bennett returning the favor in accepting the award by calling Wonder "one of the best jazz singers in the world." Wonder was one of a litany of stars who performed as part of the NBC special, Tony Bennett: An American Classic last month. The 80-year-old jazz veteran earned his best charting position on The Billboard 200 earlier this year, with a No. 3 debut for Duets: An American Classic.

The night also featured performances from Janet Jackson, Fergie with Will.i.am, Ludacris and Pharrell, Young Jeezy, and Gwen Stefani, who was joined onstage by a sheep in keeping with the yodeling on her new single "Wind It Up."

Courtney Love and the Killers, who were scheduled to perform but had to back out after frontman Brendan Flowers came down with laryngitis, presented the finale, a collaboration between Nickelback, Kid Rock, and ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons on ZZ Top's "Tush."

The 2006 Billboard Award winners:

Billboard Century Award: Tony Bennett

Artist duo/group of the year: Nickelback

rtist of the year: Chris Brown

New artist of the year: Chris Brown

Album of the year: Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood

Female artist of the year: Rihanna

Male artist of the year: Chris Brown

Female Billboard 200 album artist of the year: Carrie Underwood

Hot 100 artist duo/group of the year: Nickelback

Hot 100 airplay song of the year: "Be Without You," Mary J. Blige

Female Hot 100 artist of the year: Rihanna

Pop 100 single of the year: "Promiscuous," Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland

Pop 100 artist of the year: Rihanna

Rap artist of the year: T.I.

Rap album of the year: King, T.I.

Rap album artist of the year: T.I.

Rap songs artist of the year: T.I.

Country songs artist of the year: Kenny Chesney

Country album of the year: Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood

New country artist of the year: Carrie Underwood

Female country artist of the year: Carrie Underwood

Female R&B/hip-hop artist of the year: Mary J. Blige

R&B/hip-hop artist of the year: Mary J. Blige

R&B/hip-hop songs artist of the year: Mary J. Blige

R&B/hip-hop album artist of the year: Mary J. Blige

R&B hip-hop album of the year: The Breakthrough, Mary J. Blige

R&B/hip-hop song of the year: "Be Without You," Mary J. Blige

R&B/hip-hop song airplay of the year: "Be Without You," Mary J. Blige

Rock Album of the year: All the Right Reasons, Nickelback

Rock song of the year: "Animal I Have Become," Three Days Grace

Soundtrack album of the year: High School Musical

Digital album of the year: How to Save a Life, the Fray

Digital album artist of the year: The Fray

Digital songs artist of the year: The Fray

Videoclip of the year: "Be Without You," Mary J. Blige

Videoclips artist of the year: T.I.