Other highlights included speeches by Chappell Roan and Tyla, Katy Perry’s Vanguard performance, and Megan Thee Stallion as host and performer.
Benson Boone’s performance flips were impressive. The rising star had the performance of the night — he kicked off “Beautiful Things” on piano and worked the stage.
His screeching vocals were top-notch and he had audience members singing along to the pop-rock TikTok hit, including Sabrina Carpenter.
Carpenter had the audience at the VMAs singing along to her bops. Her performance was whimsical, sexy and fun , with aliens and astronauts involved.
She began in the air on a swing while singing a version of “Please Please Please.” That was followed by dancers dressed as aliens and astronauts performing alongside her during “Taste.” She ended with the breakthrough hit “Espresso.”
Taylor Swift has won 7 Moonperson honors, including video of the year for “Fortnight.”
Swift, who directed the seemingly sad clip, greatly enjoyed filming it. After finishing a take, she said: “I would always hear someone cheering … from across the studio where we were shooting it, and that one person was my boyfriend, Travis.”
“Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic, so I wanna thank him for adding that to our shoot,” she continued.
Swift used her first speech of the night, when she won best collaboration with Post Malone, to honor the victims of 9/11.
“Waking up this morning in New York on September 11th, I’ve just been thinking about what happened 23 years ago — everyone who lost a loved one and everyone that we lost. That is the most important thing about today. And everything that happens tonight falls behind that,” she said.
Chappell Roan was loud and proud at the VMAs, using her best new artist speech to inspire the LGBTQ community.
“I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me. And I dedicate this to queer and trans people that fuel pop all around, to the gays who dedicate my songs to someone they love or hate,” said Roan, who performed her hit “Good Luck, Babe!” earlier in the show.
“Thank you to the people who are fans, who listen to me, who hear me when I share my joy and my fears. Thank you for listening. 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.”
Tyla, who won best Afrobeats for “Water,” let the public know that while Afrobeats is exploding, African artists shouldn’t be boxed into one genre.
“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,” she said before shouting out African stars like Tems, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Rema, Wizkid and Lojay.
Katy Perry accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. The singer, who released her debut album in 2008, floated in the air, even walking over her dancers.
She performed a slew of her hits, including “California Gurls,” “Dark Horse,” “E.T.,” “Teenage Dream,” “I Kissed a Girl” and “Firework,” and songs from her upcoming album, 143.
Her beau Orlando Bloom presented her with the honor, and they kissed onstage. “I did that all on my first day of my period, too. Can you believe it?” Perry said after performing 10-song medley. “Thank you so much to MTV for believing in my weirdness from day one and for helping artists extend their worlds beyond a song.”
“There are so many things that have to align to have a long and successful career as an artist. There are no decade-long accidents,” Perry added.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion not only hosted the show, she gave a stirring performance and also won best art direction for “BOA.”
She kicked off the show in bodysuit as the audience chanted her name. “I am repping Team VMA” — calling it the Voluptuous Megan Award. “I deserve a gold medal for being a bad bitch,” she said.
During her own performance, she worked the UBS Arena with ease, moving around the venue as she rapped hits like “Hiss” and “Mamushi.”
