music
2020 MTV VMA Winners: See The Full List
Just as 2020 has been an unprecedented year, the 2020s VMAs were destined to be a show unlike anything we’ve ever seen. And indeed it was: a star-studded, mask-centric showcase featuring all your faves that managed to cram in tons of performances and singular events into just over two hours. We saw some truly special moments. Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, both masked, unveiled “Rain on Me” to the world with its debut performance; BTS made “Dynamite” New York City memories from all the way in South Korea; The Weeknd dedicated his two awards speeches to justice for Jacob Blake and Breonna Taylor. And we’re barely even scratching the surface. Gaga and Grande, the night’s most-nominated artists, walked away with five and four wins, respectively, while B...
Chloe x Halle Are Cyborg Sphinxes In ‘Ungodly’ VMA Pre-Show Performance
Not even a global pandemic can slow the Bailey sisters down. In June, Chloe x Halle dropped their second project, Ungodly Hour, which included collaborations with noted songwriter Victoria Monét and a sign-off from Beyoncé herself. Later that same month, they delivered one of the most memorable performances of this year’s BET Awards, in which they performed a sumptuous medley of the collection’s breakout singles “Forgive Me” and “Do It” in a dance-off against themselves. The duo, who are in their early ’20s, brought that same unstoppable energy to the 2020 Video Music Awards, then added a touch of polished chrome, with a bouncy performance preceding the show. Disco seems to be a running theme at this year’s Video Music Awards — the ...
Machine Gun Kelly Recruits Blackbear And Travis Barker For A VMA Pop-Punk Explosion
Pat Benatar taught us that love is a battlefield, and to close out the 2020 VMAs pre-show, Machine Gun Kelly reminded us exactly what’s at stake with a medley performance of two of his heart-on-sleeve cuts: the chunky-riffed “My Ex’s Best Friend” and the pop-punky “Bloody Valentine.” Poised on a pinked-out rooftop and channeling so many modern-rock videos of yore, MGK’s energy traversed the cityscape that backdropped him, clutching a guitar and backed up by a spirited band. Of course, he didn’t do it alone – Blackbear, perched like a gargoyle on the roof, brought his signature panache to the tune as well. But things were just getting started. To smash into “Bloody Valentine,” MGK’s pal and frequent collaborator Travis Barker...
Josh Boone Developing Biopic on The Replacements
Here’s something left of the dial: Josh Boone is working on a biopic about The Replacements. In a new interview with Games Radar, The New Mutants and The Stand writer-director confirmed he’s moving from Mid-World to Minneapolis. “When we were shooting The New Mutants, I started working on, with [co-writer] Knate [Lee], we started working on an adaptation of Bob Mehr’s New York Times bestseller Trouble Boys, about the band The Replacements,” Boone shared. Hey, say what you will about the idea, but at least Boone is working from the right source material. Mehr’s 2016 novel is not only a bible for self-respecting ‘Mats fans, but one of the greatest rock and roll biographies of all time. Seriously. Give it a read. Based on Boone’s comments, it sounds like the project is pretty far along. He go...
Toots and the Maytals Singer Toots Hibbert Hospitalized in Intensive Care Unit
Toots Hibbert, leader of Toots and the Maytals, is in the intensive care unit at a Jamaican hospital. Hibbert’s family confirmed his hospitalization in a statement, noting that he is awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test. Fortunately, they say Hibbert “is making positive progress” and “is showing signs of improvement by the hour.” While reports of Mr. Hibbert being in an intensive care unit at a private facility in the Corporate Area are true, the family would like to assure those concerned that he is making positive progress and is receiving the best possible treatment, while he awaits the results on his COVID-19 test. He is resting and in good spirits, and is showing signs of improvement by the hour. His family has asked everyone to hold him in their prayers, and would like to thank th...
Miley Cyrus Rides A Glittering Disco Ball In Feverish ‘Midnight Sky’ VMA Debut
By Lauren Rearick For one brief moment, Miley Cyrus took the audience of the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards on a trip through time. Performing her latest track, “Midnight Sky,” live for the first time, Cyrus took a cue from the single’s vintage-inspired visuals, incorporating elements of disco and dance into her VMAs return. In the feverish performance, Cyrus wore a shimming black dress with a slit up the thigh and accessorized with a huge chain holding a silver cross pendant. She stood in front of a circle of white light that flashed in time with her music. Throughout the delivery, the cherry-red circle below Cyrus grew bigger and brighter, rising in intensity with the track. Just as the song started to conclude, Cyrus climbed a set of stars, floating away on a disco wrecking ball, whic...
The Weeknd Kicked Off The VMAs With A Literal, Actual Bang
By Harron Walker The Weekend kicked off the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards with a live performance of “Blinding Lights” from a staggering stage overlooking New York City, and, well, you didn’t think he was going to give us “Blinding Lights” without literally trying to blind us with some lights, did you? Performing the chart-topping After Hours track before a live audience for the first time since taping Saturday Night Live in March, the Canadian hitmaker began his set lying on the floor, bloodied and bruised, as if waking up from a particularly debaucherous night—much like the song’s deeply chaotic Anton Tammi-directed video. After stumbling his way through flashing blue and orange light fixtures, Abel found his way to the edge of the Edge, a 100-story-high sky deck atop one of Manhatta...
DaBaby Made A Powerful Statement About Police Brutality In VMA Debut
DaBaby‘s “Rockstar,” featuring Roddy Ricch, just racked up its 11th week at the top spot on Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart, and the Charlotte-based rapper brought his hit to the 2020 Video Music Awards. DaBaby is up for four awards this year, including Artist of the Year, but this marked his first time on the awards-show stage. “Get your popcorn because you’re dealin’ with Baby,” teased the Charlotte-based rapper on the VMAs Pre-Show when asked about his main show performance. As the show’s hostess Keke Palmer noted, DaBaby’s powerful performance spoke to the cultural moment, particularly in the wake of national uprisings in response to the deaths of unarmed Black citizens George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others. The ...
Taylor Swift Just Won A VMA For The First Video She Ever Directed
The 2020 VMAs voters proved they are Lover lovers. Before Taylor Swift was walking in the woods wearing a cardigan, the pop star was donning shockingly good drag in her music video, “The Man,” for her track off her 2019 album, Lover. The video, which doubled as Swift’s directorial debut, saw the singer dressed as a man, showing how much easier life would be without the inescapable weight of systemic misogyny. At this year’s awards show, Swift won Best Direction for her directorial debut in a category ruled by women, with three of the six nominees being female. Swift was up against Billie Eilish for “Xanny,” and Hannah Lux Davis for Doja Cat’s “Say So.” The first woman to be nominated for best direction was Mary Lambert in 1985, and it wasn’t until 2016 when Melina M...
Harry Belafonte Slams White House for Doctoring Fake Video of Joe Biden Sleeping
As the 2020 presidential election draws nearer, Donald Trump and his lackeys have becoming increasingly desperate in their attempts to resuscitate his foundering campaign. Trump himself is attempting to make Americans forget about the still ongoing pandemic that has cost 180,000 lives by starting a race war. His Republican operatives, meanwhile, have been circulating manipulated interview clips involving Joe Biden. Yesterday, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise posted a doctored clip of an interview between Biden and an ALS activist, while White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino uploaded a fake clip in which Biden falls asleep during a television interview. The latter clip is actually of a 2011 interview featuring actor/singer Harry Belafonte, who was then 86 years old. Scavino removed...
New Set of Collectible Metallica Statues on the Way
Metallica’s steady journey to immortalization will continue with a set of statues honoring the metal legends. High-end collectible maker KnuckleBonz has announced a new series of Metallica figurines slated for release in early 2021. KnuckleBonz has been a go-to company for creating life-like mini statues of notable rock and metal acts, having released a set of Pantera figures last year. Other previous artists represented as part of KnuckleBonz’s “Rock Iconz” series include Marilyn Manson, Lemmy Kilmister, AC/DC’s Angus Young, and more. The Metallica figures are modeled after the band’s latest look, beginning with their 2016 album Hardwired … To Self-Destruct and including their massively successful “WorldWired Tour” in support of the LP. Frontman James Hetfield is depicted singing into a m...
BTS Light Up New York In VMA Debut — All The Way From South Korea
The path to the 2020 Video Music Awards for the South Korean band BTS has been paved with gold. By the time the septet released their first English single, “Dynamite,” they had already topped the Billboard 200 album chart four times, while their 2018 album Love Yourself: Tear was the first Korean-language album to hit No. 1 stateside. Last year, they even took home two VMAs. The plain fact is, BTS is a global force, capturing the adoration of fans worldwide with their catchy charisma and cinematic concepts, which have even verged on mythological. Their debut VMA performance solidified that. The seven Bangtan Boys — Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook — appeared dancing in suits of various before a number of iconic New York locations. Film via green scre...
