On Sept. 7, MTV hosted their 42nd Video Music Awards. Between impressive performances from Tate Mcrae and Conan Gray, and shocking results from several categories, this year’s VMAs was an extremely entertaining watch.
Starting with performances, the first target is the rising star Sombr. Sombr is an artist whose lyricism has touched many fans, but his performance, not so much. Sombr uniquely expresses himself on stage. However, fans seemed to have reached the consensus that this performance felt like out of tune screaming and that he missed the mark.
However, Sabrina Carpenter’s performance to her song “Tears” from her new album “A Man’s Best Friend” was a phenomenal success that paid tribute to transgender rights. Carpenter’s vocals were on point and she had a mesmerizing performance. Her dancers not only represented the movement well, but also their skills were spot on.
Along with Carpenter, Tate Mcrae put her dance background to good use. She stunned fans with her mashup of popular songs “Sports Car” and “Revolving Door”. Also, Conan Gray had another raving performance featuring a familiar face that any Disney Channel fan would know. Corey Fogulmingus who played Farkle on “Girl Meets World” surprised the audience with his part in Conan’s production.
For Bruno Mars, this past year has been filled with partnerships, and his results have been worth it. His hit “Die With A Smile” with Lady Gaga is not only a Grammy winner now, but also a VMAs winner. Mars won the “Best Collaboration” award for his work with Gaga, but was also awarded “Song of the Year” for his hit song “APT” with BLACKPINK singer Rose. Mars and his hit songs definitely deserved the wins at the VMAs this year.
To anyone who had TikTok during quarantine, the name “Hype House” may ring a bell. Former Hype House member, Alex Warren, has won the award for “Best New Artist” at the VMAs. Warren has come a long way from his TikTok days and the fans who have been with him from the start got to watch his music career take off. Although Warren was a perfect candidate for the award, many fans argue Sombr or The Marias could have been more deserving of the honor.
Moving onto the real tragedy of the night, Kendrick Lamar’s diss track and five time Grammy winner song, “Not Like Us” was shunned at this year’s VMAs. While it did win the award for ”Best Cinematography,” it also lost in every other of the five categories he was nominated in. Many would believe that a hit song worthy of a Superbowl performance and a music video viewed by millions would deserve some credit, especially since he lost to a random Ariana Grande music video.
The red carpet for this year’s VMAs did not disappoint. Doja Cat not only ate with her outfit on the red carpet, but she also ate lipstick, literally. She took out her MAC lipstick and bit a chunk of it in front of the paparazzi. This was very on brand for Doja Cat, unlike others. On the other hand, Ciara’s outfit was a huge disappointment and looked like an oversized red Lululemon scuba hoodie. Latto looked like a golden goddess in her beautiful vintage Versace dress. However, Zara Larson’s look did not impress the crowd that much. If it was a day at the beach her outfit would’ve been perfect, but someone should have reminded her it was the VMAs.
Overall, this year’s VMAs was a watchworthy night filled with gasps, cheers and laughs. From questionable red carpet looks to performance disasters, it is certain the VMAs delivered another successful show.
