NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift and Post Malone kicked off the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards by winning the first award of the night for best collaboration. The duo received their trophy from hip-hop legend Flavor Flav and Olympian Jordan Chiles.
In her acceptance speech Swift began by honoring those who lost their lives and loved ones in the 11SEPT tragedy marking its 23rd anniversary. She then turned her attention to Post Malone sharing a light hearted moment about their collaboration.
The night belonged to women with Chappell Roan stealing the spotlight with her captivating medieval-themed performance.
Drag queen Sasha Colby introduced Chappell Roan with the
line “your favorite drag queen’s favorite artist” a nod to Roan’s Coachellaperformance which had been inspired by Colby herself. Fans who caught the
reference surely appreciated the connection.
Roan appeared on stage in full armor firing a flaming crossbow at castle gates behind her setting them ablaze. Her dancers dressed as knights fought in an intense choreographed battle as she performed her queer pop anthem “Good Luck, Babe.”
Katy Perry was honored with the Video Vanguard Award and treated the audience to a medley of eight of her greatest hits, including “Roar” , “E.T.”, “California Gurls”, “Teenage Dream”, “I Kissed a Girl”, “Firework”, and “Lifetimes”. She joked during her acceptance speech “I did all of that on the first day of my period—can you believe it?” She also emphasized that longevity in the music industry isn’t by accident. Perry even teased a new track “I’m His, He’s Mine”, featuring Doechii which samples Crystal Waters' classic “Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee La Da Da)”.
One of the year’s breakout stars Sabrina Carpenter delivered an energetic
performance belting out her hits “Please Please Please”, “Taste”, and
“Espresso” while dancing alongside a moon man and an alien.
Eminem’s performance began with an army of Slim Shady doppelgängers as he
launched into a medley of “Houdini” and “Somebody Save Me”, with a virtual
appearance by Jelly Roll who was referenced in the latter song through his
country hit “Save Me”.
First-time host Megan Thee Stallion greeted the audience
joking that the VMAs now stand for the “Voluptuous Megan Awards”. Later Karol G
lit up the stage with her electrifying performance of “Si Antes Te Hubiera
Conocido”.
LISA from Blackpink made her solo VMA debut delivering two new singles “New
Woman” and “Rockstar”. Shawn Mendes also made a highly anticipated return
showcasing his new acoustic track “Nobody Knows”, reminiscent of John Mayer’s
style.
The 40th MTV VMAs are being held at UBS Arena in New York’s Long Island. The star-studded night promises plenty of memorable moments especially with Taylor Swift leading the nominations with 12, primarily for her “Fortnight” music video. Post Malone follows closely with 11 nominations including 10 shared with Swift and one for his country hit “I Had Some Help”, featuring Morgan Wallen.
On the red carpet Shaboozey shared his thoughts on Swift’s
endorsement saying “Just be true to yourself follow what feels right and walk
in your truth”.
MTV also paid tribute to iconic moments from the VMA's 40-year history, such as
Britney Spears' infamous albino python performance and Madonna’s rendition of
“Like A Virgin.”
Other performances throughout the night include Benson Boone, Megan Thee
Stallion, GloRilla, Halsey, Lenny Kravitz, Rauw Alejandro, LL COOL J, and
Camila Cabello.
The VMAs are being broadcast on multiple channels including
MTV, BET, Comedy Central and Univision among others.