Madonna and Taylor Swift Win Top Honors at MTV Video Music Awards
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Jasmin Rosemberg (via Los Angeles Magazine)
Last held in Los Angeles in 2015, MTV’s Video Music Awards returned to the Peacock Theater (previously the Microsoft Theater) on Sunday, Sept. 27 with Snoop Dogg as host.
“When they first asked me to host this award show, I said, ‘Is it going to be in L.A.? No? Well I’m busy,'” he said. “They called me back and said, ‘Hold on, Mr. Dogg. It’s in L.A.'”
Madonna opened the show for the fifth time — and the first time since her epic number with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in 2003. This time, she sang alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX, performing “Bring Your Love” and “Danceteria Afterhours.”
The pop icon, who led the pack with 13 nominations, proceeded to win three on-screen awards (and seven altogether), for Best Collaboration (for “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter), Best Dance (for Confessions II — The Film) and Artist of the Year.
In accepting the first award with Carpenter, she described how the collaboration came about. “Everybody who knows me knows how impatient I am,” Madonna said. “And when five days passed and I still didn’t get connected with Sabrina and didn’t hear back from her about whether she wanted to do a song with me, I DMed her. This is a true story: She answered me back, and within weeks we were in the studio together.”
To Carpenter, Madonna added: “I love working with you because you are so professional, and in this day and age, it’s really hard to find professional people to work with. … And she has OCD and so do I. We write our lyrics down on pieces of paper, like they did in the 1800s. And it’s been wonderful working with you. And if you think it’s a love song, you’re wrong. It’s a song about people who they think they know you better than you know yourself.”
Carpenter noted that her team does respond to people — “but I respond faster,” she said, “so direct line to me is always the best way to get in contact.”
Upon winning Best Dance, Madonna noted, “I came to New York to be a dancer, and dance is where everything happened for me in my life.”
And when she won Artist of the Year, she said, “I performed at the first MTV awards 43 years ago.” She recalled a wardrobe malfunction, after which her manager told her that her career was over, then added, “I want you to know that I spent the last year and half finding myself, believing in myself and really making the music that I wanted to make.”
Swift, who’d received 11 nominations, first took the stage when receiving the inaugural Artist Director Honors from Dakota Johnson — who stars in Swift’s new music video for “Patient Zero.” “She isn’t just one of the most decorated artists in the history of the VMAs — she is the single most recognized video director in this show’s history,” Johnson said of Swift before the video premiered.
“I got to start making music videos and being a part of music videos 20 years ago,” Swift said, when accepting the award. “And since then, I’ve gotten to be a part of making 60 music videos. Eighteen of those, I wrote and directed.”
Swift closed the night by winning the night’s big prize, the Video of the Year award, for “The Fate of Ophelia,” dedicating it to “the ultimate showgirl” Dolly Parton.
Nirvana’s Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear accepted the Video Vanguard Award; Lisa (Blackpink) won Best Pop; and Sienna Spiro received the title of Best New Artist. Lisa and Spiro both performed, as did Shaboozey and Gunna, GENER8ION and Yung Lean and more.
RAYE, Sombr and Teddy Swims — plus Adam Lambert — sang a tribute to George Michael, while Kacey Musgraves belted “I Will Always Love You” in honor of Dolly Parton.
