Leave it to the MTV Video Music Awards was the first major award ceremony to promise one hell of show despite the coronavirus pandemic, and it didn't disappoint. This year, the ceremony adapted to the times by adding categories like Best Quarantine Performance and Best Music Video From Home.
Lady Gaga dominated the night, with nominations for nine awards, and taking home five. After appearing in several different masks during the night, she referenced the #wearadamnmask movement in her final acceptance speech of the night. 'Just because we’re separated right now, and culture may feels less alive in some ways, I know a Renaissance is coming. Stay safe, speak your mind, and I might sound like a broken record, but wear a mask — it’s a sign of respect.'
When were the MTV Video Music Awards?
The MTV Video Music Awards aired in the US on Sunday evening, filmed live in different locations across New York, and UK viewers can watch it live provided you’re happy to tune in to MTV or MTV.com from 1am to 4am GMT.
Who hosted
Keke Palmer hosted from an outdoor location apparently near the Empire State Building and did not disappoint. The actress who stole every scene in Hustlers, has incredible comic timing and has delighted the world lately with her online depictions of a southern belle hurling insults at a poor, fictional woman named Janet, did the honours in a pitch-perfect performance that reflected the strange times we're in.
The night opened with a tribute to the actor Chadwick Boseman, who died this weekend of cancer aged just 43. Palmer described Boseman as a 'a true hero, not just on screen, but in every thing he did.'
Palmer also eloquently addressed the Black Lives Matter protests and America's response to the deaths of George Floyd and Beronna Taylor, and now the shooting of Jacob Blake. She said that the protests show how young people will “step up, take to the streets, and make sure they’re heard.”
"We must continue the fight to end systemic racism,” she added. “It’s our time to be the change we want to see.”
Who performed?
Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande performed Rain on Me, which cleaned up on the awards front (special mention goes to Lady Gaga's many, many masks . BTS sang Dynamite and Miley Cyrus gave her first-ever live performance of Midnight Sky. Chloe x Halle, Jack Harlow, Tate McRae, Lewis Capaldi and Machine Gun Kelly hall performed. Doja Cat, Maluma and Black Eyed Pears will be around too. Due to social distancing, they performed outside and without audiences.
Palmer also introduced a segment which saw frontline healthcare workers singing and dancing - another reflection of the unique circumstances this years awards finds itself in.
Who won at this year's awards?
The list is long. Buckle up.
SONG OF SUMMER
BLACKPINK - “How You Like That”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion - “WAP”
DaBaby ft Roddy Ricch - “Rockstar”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake - “Popstar”
Doja Cat - “Say So”
Dua Lipa - “Break My Heart”
Harry Styles - “Watermelon Sugar”
Jack Harlow - “Whats Poppin”
Lil Baby ft. 42 Dugg - “We Paid”
Megan Thee Stallion ft Beyoncé - “Savage” (remix)
Miley Cyrus - “Midnight Sky”
Pop Smoke ft. 50 Cent & Roddy Ricch - “The Woo”
SAINt JHN - “Roses”
Saweetie - “Tap In”
Taylor Swift - “cardigan”
The Weeknd - “Blinding Lights”
PUSH BEST NEW ARTIST presented by Chime Banking
Doja Cat WINNER
Lewis Capaldi
YUNGBLUD
BEST GROUP
5 Seconds of Summer
The 1975
BLACKPINK
BTS WINNER
Chloe x Halle
CNCO
Little Mix
MONSTA X
Now United
twenty one pilots
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Billie Eilish - “everything i wanted”
Eminem ft. Juice WRLD - “Godzilla”
Future ft. Drake - “Life Is Good”
Lady Gaga / Ariana Grande - “Rain on Me” WINNER
Taylor Swift - “The Man”
The Weeknd - “Blinding Lights” WINNER
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
DaBaby
Justin Bieber
Lady Gaga WINNER
Megan Thee Stallion
Post Malone
The Weeknd
SONG OF THE YEAR
Billie Eilish - “everything i wanted”
Doja Cat - “Say So”
Lady Gaga / Ariana Grande - “Rain on Me” WINNER
Megan Thee Stallion - “Savage”
Post Malone - “Circles”
Roddy Ricch - “The Box”
BEST COLLABORATION
Ariana Grande / Justin Bieber - “Stuck with U”
Black Eyed Peas ft. J Balvin - “RITMO (Bad Boys for Life)”
Ed Sheeran ft. Khalid - “Beautiful People”
Future ft. Drake - “Life Is Good”
KAROL G ft. Nicki Minaj - “Tusa”
Lady Gaga / Ariana Grande - “Rain on Me” WINNER
BEST POP
BTS - “ON” WINNER
Halsey - “You should be sad”
Jonas Brothers - “What a Man Gotta Do”
Justin Bieber ft. Quavo - “Intentions”
Lady Gaga / Ariana Grande - “Rain on Me”
Taylor Swift - “Lover”
BEST HIP-HOP
DaBaby - “BOP”
Eminem ft. Juice WRLD - “Godzilla”
Future ft. Drake - “Life Is Good”
Megan Thee Stallion - “Savage” WINNER
Roddy Ricch - “The Box”
Travis Scott - “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM”
BEST R&B
Alicia Keys - “Underdog”
Chloe x Halle - “Do It”
H.E.R. ft. YG - “Slide”
Khalid ft. Summer Walker - “Eleven”
Lizzo - “Cuz I Love You”
The Weeknd - “Blinding Lights” WINNER
BEST LATIN
Anuel ft. Daddy Yankee, Ozuna, KAROL G and J Balvin - “China”
Bad Bunny - “Yo Perreo Sola”
Black Eyed Peas ft. Ozuna and J. Rey Soul - “MAMACITA”
J Balvin - “Amarillo”
KAROL G ft. Nicki Minaj - “Tusa”
Maluma ft. J Balvin - “Qué Pena” WINNER
BEST ROCK
Blink-182 - “Happy Days”
Coldplay - “Orphans” WINNERS
Evanescence - “Wasted on You”
Fall Out Boy ft. Wyclef Jean - “Dear Future Self (Hands Up)”
Green Day - “Oh Yeah!”
The Killers - “Caution”
BEST K-POP
(G)I-DLE - “Oh My God”
BTS - “ON” WINNER
EXO - “Obsession”
Monsta X - “SOMEONE’S SOMEONE”
Tomorrow X Together - “9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)”
Red Velvet - “Psycho”
BEST ALTERNATIVE
The 1975 - “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”
All Time Low - “Some Kind of Disaster”
FINNEAS - “Let’s Fall in Love for the Night”
Lana Del Rey - “Doin’ time”
Machine Gun Kelly - “Bloody Valentine” WINNER
twenty one pilots - “Level of Concern”
BEST MUSIC VIDEO FROM HOME
5 Seconds of Summer - “Wildflower”
Ariana Grande / Justin Bieber - “Stuck with U” WINNER
Blink-182 - “Happy Days”
Drake - “Toosie Slide”
John Legend - “Bigger Love”
twenty one pilots - “Level of Concern”
BEST QUARANTINE PERFORMANCE
Chloe & Halle - “Do It” from MTV’s Prom-athon
CNCO - Unplugged at Home WINNER
DJ D-Nice - Club MTV presents #DanceTogether
John Legend - #togetherathome Concert Series
Lady Gaga - “Smile” from One World: Together at Home
Post Malone - Nirvana Tribute
VIDEO FOR GOOD
Anderson .Paak - “Lockdown”
Billie Eilish - “all the good girls go to hell”
Demi Lovato - “I Love Me”
H.E.R. - “I Can’t Breathe” WINNER
Lil Baby - “The Bigger Picture”
Taylor Swift - “The Man”
EVERYDAY HEROES: FRONTLINE MEDICAL WORKERS
Dr. Nate Wood - Lean On Me
Dr. Elvis Francois and Dr. William Robinson - Imagine
Jason “Tik Tok Doc” Campbell
Jefferson University Hospital’s Swab Squad - Level Up
Lori Marie Key - Amazing Grace
BEST DIRECTION
Billie Eilish - “xanny” (dir. Billie Eilish)
Doja Cat -“Say So” (dir. Hannah Lux Davis)
Dua Lipa - “Don’t Start Now” (dir. Nabil)
Harry Styles - “Adore You” (dir. Dave Meyers)
Taylor Swift - “The Man” (dir. Taylor Swift) WINNER
The Weeknd - “Blinding Lights” (dir. Anton Tammi)
BEST ART DIRECTION
A$AP Rocky - “Babushka Boi” (art direction: A$AP Rocky and Nadia Lee Cohen)
Dua Lipa - “Physical” (art direction: Anna Colomer Nogué)
Harry Styles - “Adore You” (art direction: Laura Ellis Cricks)
Miley Cyrus - “Mother’s Daughter” (art direction: Christian Stone) WINNER
Selena Gomez - “Boyfriend” (art direction: Tatiana Bianca van Sauter)
Taylor Swift - “Lover” (art direction: Ethan Tobman)
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
BTS - “ON” (choreography: Son Sung Deuk, Lee Ga Hun and Lee Byung Eun) WINNER
CNCO / Natti Natasha - “Honey Boo” (choreography: Kyle Hanagami)
DaBaby - “BOP” (choreography: Dani Leigh and Cherry)
Dua Lipa - “Physical” (choreography: Charm La’Donna)
Lady Gaga / Ariana Grande - “Rain on Me” (choreography: Richy Jackson)
Normani - “Motivation” (choreography: Sean Bankhead)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
5 Seconds of Summer - “Old Me” (cinematography: Kieran Fowler)
Camila Cabello - “My Oh My” [ft. DaBaby] (cinematography: Dave Meyers)
Billie Eilish - “all the good girls go to hell” (cinematography: Christopher Probst)
Katy Perry - “Harleys in Hawaii” (cinematography: Arnau Valls)
Lady Gaga / Ariana Grande - “Rain on Me” (cinematography: Thomas Kloss) WINNER
The Weeknd - “Blinding Lights” (cinematography: Oliver Millar)
BEST EDITING
Halsey - “Graveyard” (editing: Emilie Aubry, Janne Vartia and Tim Montana)
James Blake - “Can’t Believe the Way We Flow” (editing: Frank Lebon)
Lizzo - “Good as Hell” (editing: Russell Santos and Sofia Kerpan)
Miley Cyrus - “Mother’s Daughter” (editing: Alexandre Moors and Nuno Xico) WINNER
Rosalía - “A Palé” (editing: Andre Jones)
The Weeknd - “Blinding Lights” (editing: Janne Vartia and Tim Montana)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Billie Eilish - “all the good girls go to hell” (visual effects: Drive Studios)
Demi Lovato - “I Love Me” (visual effects: Hoody FX)
Dua Lipa - “Physical” (visual effects: EIGHTY4) WINNER
Harry Styles - “Adore You” (visual effects: Mathematic)
Lady Gaga / Ariana Grande - “Rain on Me” (visual effects: Ingenuity Studios)
Travis Scott - “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM” (visual effects: Artjail, Scissor Films and Freenjoy).
So there you have it. The 2020 MTV VMAs. We’ll see you there! Virtually, of course.
The Most Iconic VMA Moments Ever
1 of 12Fifth Harmony Lose Their Fifth Member
When Camila Cabello left Fifth Harmony, the quartet remained pretty dignified in discussing her departure, but they couldn't resist acknowledging their bandmate's absence in their rain-soaked 2017 VMA set. When they appeared onstage in silver coats, a fifth member - clearly meant to represent Camila - fell back and disappeared into the shadows. Loved it. Imagine if the Spice Girls had done that in 1997.
2 of 12Ariana Returns In Resplendence
Ariana Grande gave a memorable performance of her sensual hit God Is A Woman, recreating Da Vince's depiction of The Last Supper and making it all the more notable by bringing her mother, grandmother and cousin Lani onstage.
3 of 12The mother of all reveals...
Beyoncé always impresses at the VMAs - she pops up on this list a few times - but she also has been known to use it as a launch pad for big announcements. In 2011, the icon performed Love On Top in a purple sequin blazer, then opened it up to reveal a prominent baby bump, thereby announcing that the legend that was Blue Ivy was on the way. Actually iconic behaviour.
4 of 12Pukker up...
Britney always makes her mark. She made VMA history again in 2003 by performing Like A Virgin with Madonna and Christina Aguilera. Their resulting kiss caused a huge stir, although the camera cut to Justin Timberlake in the audience, thereby denying those at home from seeing Christina kiss Madonna. Bad editing, in our opinion.
5 of 12World, meat Gaga
Lady Gaga had already made an impression on the world stage with her accent grade outfits, but the meat dress she wore in 2010 goes down in history. Somehow, she looked amazing in raw steak.
6 of 12Miley Twerks it
So, this is a controversial choice. Miley's participation in a graphic set, to a song that seems to suggest that glorify sexual assault, was heavily criticised. But it was an iconic performance in Miley's personal history, solidifying her post-Disney star status and hinting at the anarchic artist that she would soon become. Robin Thicke can continue to proceed to the bin, though.
7 of 12Miley, what's good?
When Anaconda and Feeling Myself weren't acknowledged in the 2015 Video Of The Year category, Nicki Minaj complained of inherent racism and misogyny in the music industry. Taylor Swift ended up embroiled in the row somehow, and Miley Cyrus waded in to criticise Nicki as impolite. So, when Nicki ended up taking the stage at the 2015 ceremony to collect an award after all, she couldn't resist dropping three, perfect little words dripping with venom: 'Miley, what's good?' The world shuddered.
8 of 12Taylor's old as time...
Of course Kanye West features on this list for an iconic, misguided moment. When Taylor Swift took to the stage to take her Best Female Video prize in 2009, Kanye jumped up to argue that it was not deserved. It was a cruel stunt that kicked off a long showbiz feud. Taylor's sad shock is horrible to watch. But, of course, Beyoncé did the classy thing and invited Taylor back up to give her speech in full later.
9 of 12Rihanna, just generally
Rihanna always delivers a memorable performance, but in 2016 she brought the house down. As winner of the Video Vanguard award, she delivered four amazing sets throughout the evening, reminding everyone that no one does it like she does.
10 of 12Squad assemble
The concept of a girl squad has existed for a long time but was truly solidified by Taylor Swift, who recruited several showbiz friends for her Bad Blood video and then brought several of them along to that year's VMAs. From left to right, Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, Hailee Steinfeld, Cara Delevingne, Selena Gomez, Serayah, Mariska Hargitay, Lily Aldridge, and Karlie Kloss. I mean, that must have been a really big limo.
11 of 12Snake in the grass...
It just isn't the VMAs without Britney. This performance of Slave 4 U in 2011 was provocative, evocative and very sexy. Britney, we love you.
12 of 12Beyonce, 2016
Beyonce took the Video Vanguard award in 2014 and treated the world to 15 minutes of heaven, with offerings from her self-titled album. It was electrifying.