She has one of the the strongest skill sets, performance chops, stage presence and raw talent among most performers. And while she embraces pop in her work, she doesn't water her brand down with the tackier elements of the pop spectacle.
Let me just say for the record that her and Beyonce are the 2 best from the last 15 years. It honesty comes down to preference on what you prefer to see in a show. Both are different and appeal to different people. It's so hard to put one above the other.
I mean hell, they showed Beyonce performance as one of the AMAs 40 years Best Moments, didn't show NOT one of the other girls performances beside Beyonce's, calling it a classic. & it was the first moment shown of the night I might add.
You really can't question her performance skills, flashy props, smoke, and light tricks are one thing but to be able to do that and give a good vocal performance, That's impressive.