This year, the MTV Video Music Awards celebrated their 40th birthday with notable artists, exciting wins and memorable moments.
To honor past VMA entertainment, previous pop culture icons Eminem, Lenny Kravitz, LL Cool J and Cyndi Lauper were in attendance to remind the younger generation of MTV’s pop history.
Hosted by Megan Thee Stallion, she gave her own nod to the past by recreating Britney Spears’ iconic 2001 VMAs look in her performance of “I’m a Slave 4 U.” She was fully decked out, including a live snake that didn’t last long, when she immediately called out to production to take it off her.
The VMAs opened with Eminem and an army of Slim Shady look-alikes as his latest single, “Houdini,” blasted through the arena. Though an underwhelming end to his kickoff, he segued into “Somebody Save Me,” a song about his divided relationship with his daughter.
The 2024 VMAs emphasized the domination of female artists.
To no surprise, Taylor Swift made MTV history. She is now the VMAs most-awarded artist with 30 awards.
She took seven Moon Men home, including Best Collaboration with Post Malone for their song “Fortnight.” Walking onstage as seasoned VMA champions, their genuine appreciation for each other’s craft was a refreshing and wholesome way to set off the night.
In her speech, Swift thanked her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, “everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic,” Swift said.
She wrapped up with a reminder, urging everyone to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
From one pop icon to another, the VMAs highlighted Katy Perry, who was awarded the Video Vanguard award, essentially MTV’s lifetime achievement award. In the past, it has been given to influential artists from Beyonce to Madonna and Michael Jackson.
She put her all in her performance. A combination of all her best hits, including “Teenage Dream,” “I Kissed a Girl” and “Firework,” Perry reminded the world who she is. A fun, messy and a bit campy, but impactful performer.
I did not expect Katy Perry’s renaissance, but I am here for it and excited about her upcoming album, “143,” which is set for release on Sept. 20.
Midwestern princess Chappell Roan made her debut performance at the VMAs, channeling her inner medieval warrior with a fiery performance. She performed “Good Luck, Babe” in full body armor alongside dancing knights and a blazing castle.
On the red carpet, Roan continued to set boundaries between unwarranted fan behavior. Roan had no trouble confronting a photographer who told her to “shut up” as Roan was getting ready to pose. “You shut the fuck up,” she retaliated.
Roan later won the award for Best New Artist. She read from her diary and honored the drag artists who inspire her and the LGBTQIA+ community that fuels pop music.
“For all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now. I see you. I understand you because I’m one of you. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t be exactly who you want to be bitch,” Roan said.
Every year, more and more categories are added to recognize the global impact of diverse music. The VMAs had good intentions when adding the Afrobeats category in 2022 but received some pushback from singer-songwriter Tyla.
Tyla won the Best Afrobeats Award, and in her acceptance speech, she emphasized the diversity of African music, calling for more recognition beyond Afrobeats.
“I know there’s a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats. It’s a thing, and even though Afrobeats has run things and has opened so many doors for us, African music is so diverse. It’s more than just Afrobeats,” Tyla said.
Her worldwide hit “Water” had an amapiano beat originating in South Africa.
“I come from South Africa. I represent Amapiano. I represent my culture.” She graciously accepted her award, but her point was clear.
Another standout moment was Sabrina Carpenter’s performance, where she had no trouble leaning into the Moon Man aesthetic and embracing the extraterrestrial.
Carpenter was introduced by Cyndi Lauper, who, 40 years ago at the first VMAs, won the award for best female video for “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
Lauper praised Carpenter for her spirit and success. “She definitely knows how to have some fun, right?”
Carpenter’s performance was a mash-up between “Taste” and “Espresso,” some hits from her newest album, “Short n’ Sweet.” She kissed an alien, danced with astronauts, led a celestial play and later took her first Moon Man home when “Espresso” won song of the year.
The VMAs were heavy on the performances this year. With 16 shows in three hours, there was barely a moment to pause as the VMAs presented 26 awards in total.
While I love seeing the number of performances from various artists, the show could have been more evenly distributed.
It felt rushed. The performances shifted away from the VMAs’ original purpose of recognizing music videos and artists.
Some of the bigger awards weren’t even presented, such as Artist of the Year and Best Pop. Prioritizing live entertainment ultimately takes away from the awards and artists who won them.
While the VMAs celebrated a significant milestone by launching new stars and acknowledging the show’s history, there is speculation over whether it should be classified as an award show or a concert.
Even as more of a concert, the VMAs 40th anniversary did accomplish the purpose of this show: celebrating music and representing the power of pop culture.
