By Lake DiStefano
Staff Writer
Between stellar performances, the decade-long wait for the reunion of NSYNC and Taylor Swift tying the record for most wins in one night with nine out of her 11 nominations, the 2023 VMA’s has proven to be one for the history books.
The awards of the night were as follows:
Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop, Best Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects all went to Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero.” Artist of the Year and Show of the Summer also both went to Swift. Lastly, Album of the Year went to Swift's “Midnights.”
BLACKPINK won both Best Choreography and Group of the Year.
Best New Artist went to Ice Spice, an up-and-coming rapper. The Push Performance of the Year went to the April 2023 performance of “Sugar Rush Ride '' by K-pop group Tomorrow X Together. Best Collaboration went to Shakira and Karol G for “TQG.” Best Hip-Hop went to Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl.” Best R&B went to “Shirt” by SZA. Best Alternative went to Lana Del Rey and John Bastitse for their collaboration “Candy Necklace.” Best Rock went to Maneskin for “The Loneliset.” Best Latin went to Anita for “Funk Rave.” Best K-Pop went to Stray Kids’ “S-Class.” Best Afrobeats went to Rema and Selena Gomez for their collaboration “Calm Down.”
Video for Good went to Dove Cameron’s “Breakfast,” with effects done by Parliament. Best Art Direction went to Doja Cat’s “Attention,” with art direction done by Spencer Greaves. Best Editing went to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” which was edited by Sofia Kerpan and David Checel. Song of the Summer went to Jung Kook’s “Seven” featuring Latto.
As for the show itself, there were more than a few memorable performances given by the many artists in attendance.
The show started with a performance by hip-hop legend Lil Wayne. He performed three songs, “Back That Azz Up,” “Uproar” and “Kat Food.” A short but sweet set to begin the night.
Second, Olivia Rodrgio performed the lead single from her sophomore album, “Vampire.” The powerful piano ballad known for crescendoing multiple times throughout the duration of the track was sung among a backdrop reminiscent of its music video. The stage then glitched and led into a second performance of “get him back!”. This decision is not a surprise to any following her, as she announced its music video a few hours before the show.
Nicki Minaj then gave a short speech, before NSYNC came out together for the first time in a decade to present the award for Best Pop to Taylor Swift. No surprise given the imperialistic reign “Anti-Hero” had over the charts late last year, with eight weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The song won Swift most of her awards last night.
Demi Lovato performed soon after. They performed a medley of their hits including “Heart Attack,” “Sorry Not Sorry” and “Cool For The Summer,”all of which were rock versions of the original songs. With guitar solos, impassioned vocals, heavy drums and of course flames, the performance cemented itself as one of the most memorable from the night.
Later in the night, Shakira accepted the Video Vanguard Award, becoming the first South American to do so. She then performed a career-spanning mashup of all of her hits to celebrate.
Towards the end of the show, hip-hop star Sean “Diddy '' Combs accepted the 2023 MTV Global Icon award from Mary J. Blige and his daughter, Chance Combs.
“...I thank God for this choice that he made for me to be able to touch you with my music, give you a good time, make you dance, make you feel good,” he said. “That's the only intention.”
After announcing that his new album will be dropping Friday, he performed a medley of some of his greatest hits.
The show’s finale was what one can only describe as explosive–a 50-year anniversary celebration of Hip-Hop. The 10-minute spectacle was spear-headed by acts such as Darryl “D.M.C” McDaniels, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Doug E. Fresh, LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne. Many recognizable songs were performed by their respective artists such as “The Message,” “The Show,” “Itty Bitty Piggy,” “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” “A Milli,” “I’m Bad” and “Walk This Way.”
The 2023 VMAs marks a vast improvement from the past few years. With relevant acts and engaging performances, it is a new standard for which the show should hope to maintain.
