Justin Bieber booed at Billboard Music Awards, but 'should be taken seriously'

"This is not a gimmick," said Justin Bieber. "I'm an artist and I should be taken seriously."

Despite two separate wins and performances at the Billboard Music Awards Sunday evening, the 19-year-old artist, who accepted the first-ever Milestone Award, was greeted by the unharmonious sounds of booing.

Mildly confused and disoriented by the crowd's reaction, Bieber said, "Basically from my heart I really just want to say it really should be about the music. It should be about the craft that I'm making." He added that "none of the other bull" mattered, though it remains unclear what the "other bull" entails.

Could he be referring to his relationship with Selena Gomez, whose row opted to remain seated while the majority of the room gave Bieber a standing ovation when he received the Top Male Artist award? Or is it over the hullabaloo caused by Bieber leaving his pet monkey in a German airport?

Aside from what he was implying with his verbal use of "bull," the crowd's reaction of boos was quickly dismissed by host Tracy Morgan, who came to Bieber's defense and said, "Don't be booin' nobody, this ain't 'Showtime at the Apollo!'"

Watch below.