The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) were held on September 12 in Newark, New Jersey. Even though the awards were hosted on a Tuesday night, they received 3.9 million viewers across all networks and the highest MTV rating since 2019 in the 18-49 demographic.
The show started with performances from Sabrina Carpenter and NLE Choppa, with other performances throughout the night including Olivia Rodrigo performing “Vampire” from her new album “GUTS”, Shakira performing “Hips Don’t Lie” and a performance of “Paint the Town Red” from Doja Cat who didn’t hesitate to show off her new aesthetic as she took with stage with backup dancers soaked in fake blood.
Throughout the night many different artists were honored with awards, but the artist who left with the most awards of the night was Taylor Swift. Swift led the pack with 11 nominations and 9 wins, including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop, Show of the Summer, Album of the Year, Best Direction, Best Cinemetogrophy, Best Visual Effects, and most importantly Video of the Year. However, her feature didn’t end at the awards, Swift was seen many times on camera dancing and enjoying the performances with her fellow artists. One of the most notable moments being Swift savoring a performance from young singer Olivia Rodrigo with rapper Ice Spice, confirming the singer-songwriters friendship.
Other winning artists were Dove Cameron for Video for Good, SZA for Best R&B, Lana Del Rey (Ft. Jon Batiste) for Best Alternative, Ice Spice for Best New Artist and Brazilian artist Annita who beat popular names such as Bad Bunny and Shakira for Best Latin.
Outside of the ceremony the VMAs didn’t hesitate to bring out the drama and surprises. One of the most surprising moments being a reunion of popular 90s boy band NYSNC, who came out at the beginning of the ceremony to present the first award of the night to Taylor Swift.
Overall, the VMAs was a packed night filled with incredible performances and tons of content for the gossip collum’s.
