The biggest names in current music came together once again on Sunday night for the annual VMA ceremony, this time celebrating MTV’s 40th Birthday. We saw performances from the likes of Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, Ed Sheeran, Olivia Rodrigo and many more. And of course, it wouldn’t be an American awards show without a little controversy.
Controversy number one is apparently nothing other than Madonna’s butt. Branded by Piers Morgan as ‘cringe’, the icon wore a leather bodysuit with a matching hat and fishnets. We don’t subscribe to Morgan’s hate ’round here! Madonna, you can pull off anything.
Lil Nas X’s “Montero” picked up its fair share of nominations, ending in him taking home the award for ‘Best Video’.
“First I wanna say thank you to the gay agenda” Lil Nas X shouted during his acceptance speech. “Let’s go gay agenda!”. The remarks came after the Southern rapper faced widespread backlash for depicting himself sliding down a stripper pole from Heaven to Hell, going on to give Satan a sensational lap dance. Now I don’t know about you guys but it frankly made my knees hurt just watching.
Legendary pop singer who brought us the hit “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”, Cyndi Lauper, reminded us that she in fact won a Moon Person at the very first VMAs, saying “girls still want to have fun, but we also want to have funds, equal pay and control over our bodies. You know, fundamental rights”. Spread the message Cyndi!
Disney star turned global pop sensation, Olivia Rodrigo cleaned up countless nominations, taking home the awards for ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Song Of The Year’ for her certified triple platinum hit, “Drivers License”. Accepting the award for song of the year, the 18 year old star gushed “this has been the most magical year of my life and it is all because of you guys,” then dedicating the award to “all of the other girls who write songs on their bedroom floor. There are a lot of people who will try to dim your light, but speaking your mind and sharing your heart are the most beautiful things in the world.” *cries*
Justin Beiber made a triumphant return to the VMA’s for the first time since 2015, dropping from the ceiling of the Barclaycard centre to perform song “Stay” with The Kid Laroi. Beiber was nominated across multiple categories and took home the award of the night for ‘Artist of the Year’ as well as ‘Best Pop Act’ for “Peaches” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon. Accepting ‘Best Pop Act’, the young star stated “as we know, there’s so much going on in the world as we speak, I know you guys have probably heard it a lot. We are in unprecedented times with this COVID thing that’s happening right now. It’s a big deal. Music is such an amazing outlet to be able to reach people and bring us all together. That’s why we are here right now. We’re all here together.”
While most supported Beibers win, especially considering his 2015 emotional breakdown was the last time he attended the event, some were not so supportive. Some fans questioned whether his female counterparts were in fact more deserving. “Justin Bieber winning artist of the year is a shame. Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion etc. are the real artists of the year.” and “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man” were just some of the tweets. While it does seem strange to us that Olivia Rodrigo in particular missed out on the award, given how incredible her year has been, we could never deny Beiber’s deserving with the hits he’s delivered us this year!
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Winner
Lil Nas X – “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
Nominees
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “Popstar” (starring Justin Bieber)
Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits”
The Weeknd – “Save Your Tears”
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Winner
Justin Bieber
Nominees
Ariana Grande
Doja Cat
Megan Thee Stallion
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift
SONG OF THE YEAR
Winner
Olivia Rodrigo – “Drivers License”
Nominees
24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior – “Mood”
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave the Door Open”
BTS – “Dynamite”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Dua Lipa – “Levitating”
BEST NEW ARTIST
Winner
Olivia Rodrigo
Nominees
24kGoldn
Giveon
The Kid LAROI
Polo G
Saweetie
PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Winner
May 2021: Olivia Rodrigo – “drivers license”
Nominees
September 2020: Wallows – “Are You Bored Yet?”
October 2020: Ashnikko – “Daisy”
November 2020: SAINt JHN – “Gorgeous”
December 2020: 24kGoldn – “Coco”
January 2021: JC Stewart – “Break My Heart”
February 2021: Latto – “Sex Lies”
March 2021: Madison Beer – “Selfish”
April 2021: The Kid LAROI – “Without You”
June 2021: girl in red “Serotonin”
July 2021: Fousheé – “my slime”
August 2021: jxdn – “Think About Me”
BEST COLLABORATION
Winner
Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
Nominees
24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior – “Mood”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Drake ft. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches”
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa – “Prisoner”
BEST POP
Ariana Grande – “Positions”
Billie Eilish – “Therefore I Am”
BTS – “Butter”
Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches” — WINNER
Olivia Rodrigo – “Good 4 U”
Shawn Mendes – “Wonder”
Taylor Swift – “Willow”
BEST HIP-HOP
Winner
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A. – “Franchise”
Nominees
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Drake ft. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Lil Baby ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “On Me (remix)”
Moneybagg Yo – “Said Sum”
Polo G – “RAPSTAR”
BEST ROCK
Winner
John Mayer – “Last Train Home”
Nominees
Evanescence – “Use My Voice”
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame”
The Killers – “My Own Soul’s Warning”
Kings Of Leon – “The Bandit”
Lenny Kravitz – “Raise Vibration”
BEST ALTERNATIVE
Winner
Machine Gun Kelly ft. Blackbear – “My Ex’s Best Friend”
Nominees
Bleachers – “Stop Making This Hurt”
Glass Animals – “Heat Waves”
Imagine Dragons – “Follow You”
Twenty One Pilots – “Shy Away”
Willow ft. Travis Barker – “Transparent Soul”
BEST LATIN
Winner
Billie Eilish & ROSALÃA – “Lo Vas A Olvidar”
Nominees
Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez – “Dákiti”
Black Eyed Peas and Shakira – “Girl Like Me”
J. Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy – “Un Dia (One Day)”
Karol G – “Bichota”
Maluma – “Hawái”
BEST R&B
Winner
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave the Door Open”
Nominees
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “Brown Skin Girl”
Chris Brown and Young Thug – “Go Crazy”
Giveon – “Heartbreak Anniversary”
H.E.R. ft. Chris Brown – “Come Through”
SZA – “Good Days”
BEST K-POP
Winner
BTS – “Butter”
Nominees
(G)I-DLE – “DUMDi DUMDi”
BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez – “Ice Cream”
Monsta X – “Gambler”
SEVENTEEN – “Ready to love”
TWICE – “Alcohol-Free”
VIDEO FOR GOOD
Winner
Billie Eilish – “Your Power”
Nominees
Demi Lovato – “Dancing With the Devil”
H.E.R. – “Fight For You”
Kane Brown – “Worldwide Beautiful”
Lil Nas X – “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
Pharrell Williams ft. Jay-Z – “Entrepreneur”
BEST DIRECTION
Winner
Lil Nas X – “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino
Nominees
Billie Eilish – “Your Power” – Directed by: Billie Eilish
DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “Popstar” (starring Justin Bieber) – Directed by: Julien Christian Lutz aka Director X
Taylor Swift – “Willow” – Directed by: Taylor Swift
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A – “Franchise” – Directed by: Travis Scott
Tyler, The Creator – “Lumberjack” – Directed by: Wolf Haley
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “Brown Skin Girl” – Cinematography by: Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, Mohammed Atta Ahmed, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant
Nominees
Billie Eilish – “Therefore I Am” – Cinematography by: Rob Witt
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame” – Cinematography by: Santiago Gonzalez
Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper – “Holy” –Cinematography by: Elias Talbot
Lady Gaga – “911” – Cinematography by: Jeff Cronenweth
Lorde – “Solar Power” – Cinematography by: Andrew Stroud