music
Olivia Rodrigo Performs “good 4 u” at 2021 MTV VMAs: Watch
Olivia Rodrigo got her driver’s license and drove all the way to the 2021 MTV VMAs. Still riding the high of her acclaimed debut album, SOUR, the 18-year-old Disney star-turned-pop phenom made her debut at the awards show by ripping through her pop-punk breakup anthem, “good 4 u.” Rodrigo descended to the stage decked out in a frilly miniskirt, Dr. Martens, and lace-up gloves, rocking out among her backup dancers as confetti poured over Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. She brought plenty of fury and spunk, too, ending the track on a bang by punching the “camera” in front of her, shattering the “lens.” Check out Rodrigo’s performance on the VMAs stage below. “good 4 u” was up for a VMA as well, earning a nod in the Best Pop Song category alongside Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, BTS, Harry Styles,...
Kacey Musgraves Debuts “star-crossed” Live at the 2021 MTV VMAs: Watch
Fresh off the release of her fifth studio album, star-crossed, Kacey Musgraves made her long-awaited debut at the 2021 MTV VMAs and brought plenty of her country-pop charm with her. The singer gave the world-premiere performance of the album’s title track. Considering the song’s obvious reference to Romeo and Juliet — as well as Musgraves’ recent divorce, which inspired her new album — the live rendition of “star-crossed” was destined to conjure tears. Musgraves turned the Barclays Center stage into her own witchy boudoir, evoking the campy, fiery aesthetic of Baz Luhrman’s 1996 adaptation of the classic fateful love tale. That is literally fiery, as a heart behind her ignited during the closing refrain. Replay the full performance below, and see all of tonight’s VMAs performances here. Ad...
Lil Nas X Performs “Industry Baby” and “Montero” with Jack Harlow at the 2021 MTV VMAs: Watch
Numerous accounts of petty backlash can’t keep Lil Nas X away from awards shows. In anticipation for this week’s release of his long-awaited debut album, Montero, the rapper graced the stage at the 2021 MTV VMAs with his pal Jack Harlow to perform their recent single, “Industry Baby.” Lil Nas X stormed the stage in a hot pink drum major uniform with a full marching band behind him. However, it wasn’t long before his jacket and pants came off, allowing him to properly bust a move with Harlow and their crew of choreographed inmates at “Montero Prison.” Thankfully, the performance wasn’t a repeat of Lil Nas X’s Saturday Night Live debut back in May, where he powered through an untimely pants-ripping. He capped off his VMAs performance with a brief mash-up of “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” ...
Normani Tributes Janet Jackson By Twerking On Teyana Taylor
Normani brought the audience to the “Wild Side” during Sunday night’s VMAs. The former Fifth Harmony member returned to the VMAs stage for the first time since she dribbled and dunked during “Motivation” on the 2019 awards show. Normani took to the stage this year and brought her new single, “Wild Side,” to life as she showed off her moves, dancing around a white stage against a solid backdrop, with an army of dancers behind her. But it was toward the end of her performance when Normani really reached her pleasure principle. Just when Normani did a literal mic drop, signaling the live act was over, was when Teyana Taylor was wheeled out, tied and bound to a structure. Normani then climbed up the structure and grinded and twerked against Taylor, bef...
Alicia Keys Honors New York City In Stirring VMAs Performance
Alicia Keys truly has the range. During the 2021 Video Music Awards on Sunday (September 12), the R&B legend took the stage with rapper Swae Lee at New York’s Liberty State Park for a performance of their recent collaboration, “Lala.” Lee stepped out first amid a sea of cobalt blue-clad dancers, and Keys followed suit in a glistening, form-fitting sequined gown. Kevin Mazur/MTV VMAs 2021/Getty Images for MTV/ ViacomCBS They moved and grooved to the soulful track until it was finished. Keys then sashayed over to a chandelier-lit piano for a solo rendition of “Empire State of Mind,” her hit collab with Jay-Z from 2009. She performed the iconic song to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the devastating September 11 attacks on New York’s ...
Ozuna’s ‘La Funka’ VMA Performance Takes You To The Moon
By Deepa Lakshmin On the heels of premiering his new music video for “La Funka,” Ozuna brought his talent to the 2021 VMAs on Sunday night (September 12). His big moment at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center opened with a giant claw machine in the shadow of a spinning carousel and a crowd of teddy bears. It wouldn’t be an Ozuna performance without them, right? But this isn’t your average carnival. Ozuna and his crew crossed the stage to greet the MTV Moonperson glowing bright over the stage, Puerto Rican flag in hand — a nod to the ENOC singer’s roots. Then you see it: Earth rising in the background. This is an out-of-this-world carnival on the moon, complete with breakdancing teddies and neon palm trees. (The bears prepared for traveling the galaxy by donning spacesuits, as one does.) Ozuna previ...
Lil Nas X Tops The 2021 VMAs With Video Of The Year Win
You can call Lil Nas X by your name, or you can call him your 2021 Video of the Year winner. The “power bottom rapper” took home the top honor at the 2021 Video Music Awards on Sunday (September 12) for his fiery, unapologetically queer “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” visuals. He beat out some stiff competition to do so, including Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion (“WAP”), Doja Cat and SZA (“Kiss Me Me”), The Weeknd (“Save Your Tears”), Drake and DJ Khaled (“Popstar”), and Ed Sheeran (“Bad Habits”). “First, I want to say thank you to the gay agenda,” Nas X said in his acceptance speech after dancing his way to the podium. “Let’s go, gay agenda! … I love ...
Camila Cabello Performs “Don’t Go Yet” at 2021 MTV VMAs: Watch
Camila Cabello was able to take some time away from her LA traffic flash mobs to make an appearance at the 2021 MTV VMAs. The pop star took the stage to perform “Don’t Go Yet,” the Latin-influenced lead single from her forthcoming album, Familia. Cabello’s colorful stage design recalled classic architecture from her Cuban homeland, with her band and backup dancers creating their own block party. Those who watched the show from home got a bit more retro flair, as the first portion of the performance was shot in black-and-white, which Cabello whipped away to reveal the bright set design. While the singer isn’t up for any VMAs herself this year, it marks her return as a performer: Who could forget her steamy rendition of “Señorita” with her now-boyfriend Shawn Mendes in 2019? If you missed it...
Doja Cat Performs “Been Like This” and “You Right” at 2021 MTV VMAs: Watch
Doja Cat wasn’t only the host of the 2021 MTV VMAs, she was also a performer. The rapper/singer gave a spectacularly out-of-this-world performance that mashed up “Been Like This” and “You Right,” tracks from her recent album Planet Her. Gymnast Simone Biles might’ve introduced the performance, but for once, she wasn’t the one flipping through the air; Doja Cat descended from the Barclays Center ceiling, spinning above the crowd as a giant ring of light twisted around her. She sang “Been Like This” from the sky before touching down on the stage to do a contemporary dance routine to “You Right.” Check out footage from the performance below, and replay all of tonight’s performances here. Advertisement Related Video This isn’t Doja’s first awards show performance this year: Back in May, s...
Machine Gun Kelly and UFC Champ Conor McGregor Fight on 2021 MTV VMAs Red Carpet: Report
Machine Gun Kelly doesn’t shy away from other people’s blood, so maybe this was bound to happen. In the midst of all the glitz and glamour that was going down at the 2021 MTV VMAs, the rapper-turned-pop-punk torchbearer reportedly got into an altercation with UFC champ Conor McGregor. According to Page Six, MGK and McGregor had to be separated on the red carpet at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Sunday night. People reports that the tiff all started when McGregor asked for a photo with MGK, but was denied by his team. He then apparently started swinging his cane in the artist’s direction, and Page Six says sources saw the UFC fighter throw a drink at MGK. “[McGregor] was ready to throw fists,” one source said. “Security was having trouble holding him back.” Apparently, red carpet phot...
Machine Gun Kelly Lays Flowers On A Fiery Grave At The VMAs
At last year’s MTV VMAs, Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker turned the pre-show into a pink-hued pop-punk battlefield. This year, the pink is back, the battle is internal, and the whole thing has been moved to the main stage — or in this case, the main grave. As the pair tore through the more downbeat, melancholy “Papercuts,” a decidedly wounded MGK literally clawed his way through a bed of dirt — a fitting physicalization of the lyrics, which find the artist dancing on his own grave. 2020 was the conflict. 2021 is the recovery. Jamie McCarthy/MTV VMAs 2021/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS It’s become custom for Barker to muscle up MGK’s sound, and on the kit, he brought his patented powerful (but in this case, restrained) energy that complemented the raw emoti...
BTS Thanks The ‘Best People In The World,’ Their Fans, After VMAs Win
It’s safe to say that BTS’s leader RM is having a pretty historic birthday. In addition to having people around the globe celebrating “Namjoon Day” on social media, the 27-year-old artist took home two Moonpeople with his fellow BTS members at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday (September 12) — and the night is far from over. Introduced by boy-band royalty Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees, AJ McLean of The Backstreet Boys, and Lance Bass of NSYNC, BTS won in the Best K-pop category with their snappy single “Butter.” Since its release in May, the feel-good track has been a shining jewel atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 10 weeks. In a true testament to their strength, BTS has won the Best K-pop category three years in a row since its inception in 2019 — first w...
