The MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) brings together some of the biggest names in pop culture each year and leaves audiences buzzing. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the award show was held at the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, on Wednesday, Sep. 11 and hosted by rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The fan-voted award show highlights artist accomplishments and celebrates those that have had the most significant cultural impact within the year. Artists were welcomed to the red carpet, the stage and the podium to accept their awards with honor.
Taylor Swift dominated this year’s show, taking home seven awards, including Artist of the Year and Video of the Year for “Fortnite,” her collaboration with Post Malone. With Swift winning Artist of the Year for the second year in a row, she has become the first artist to receive this award twice.
First-time winners included Sabrina Carpenter for Song of The Year with “Espresso,” and Chappell Roan took home Best New Artist. In addition, Katy Perry was in attendance as an honoree for the Video Vanguard Award. There was a bit of discourse surrounding artists that individuals believe were snubbed or deserve more recognition, including Charli xcx, Olivia Rodrigo and some other popular artists in attendance.
In typical VMA fashion, many of the artists up for awards that evening took to the stage for powerful performances. Viewers saw performances from many artists, including Chappell Roan, Eminem, Camila Cabello, Sabrina Carpenter and Katy Perry, who performed a medley of her most popular songs to celebrate her award. These stars filled performances with creative costumes, props, and electric vocals. Camila Cabello took a futuristic approach to her performance, utilizing computer projection and a glass cage. Halsey sported a bright pixie cut and a grunge-inspired outfit to perform “Ego,” and Chappell Roan took to the stage in a full knight costume.
Discussion of any award show is incomplete without looking at who made appearances on the red carpet and what fashions they brought with them. Chappell Roan arrived with a sword and a medieval ensemble to match her performance theme. Sabrina Carpenter went for more of an old Hollywood vibe, arriving in a 1991 Bob Mackie dress initially worn by Madonna. Katy Perry went for a piece reminiscent of a deep-sea mermaid and Lil Nas X took inspiration from car racing suits (putting his own unique spin on it, of course).
As with most pop culture events, it can be challenging to come out unscathed without any source of controversy. Chappell Roan made it clear to viewers why she carries a sword with her at events like these when a photographer yelled “shut the f**k up” in her direction, and she snapped back, later explaining that she felt the need to defend herself. In the weeks leading up to the VMAs, social media has heard directly from Chappell Roan about the issues she’s faced in the public eye and her feelings towards being in the spotlight. In August, Roan took to TikTok to address these issues, saying, “I don’t care that abuse and harassment, stalking, whatever, is a normal thing to do to people who are famous or a little famous,” further explaining that her fame does not mean she owes anything to people in public, especially those who make her uncomfortable.
The 2024 MTV VMAs were ultimately a successful and creatively diverse award show. Various artists spanning multiple categories and genres were honored for their craft and were given the opportunity to share their live entertainment skills with viewers. This year’s awards brought new faces and old favorites, new records set and, as always, an evening packed with music and entertainment.
