And the Moon Man went to… well the coveted Moon Mans for the 2024 VMAs went to some interesting choices this year. While I personally can’t say I’m pleased with what I watched unfold at Madison Square Garden, I can at least appreciate some of the lookbacks we saw throughout the night.
Tate Mcrae, though not winning in either of her two nominated categories, still stunned us with an homage to Britney Spears with a black lace Cavalli design. Sabrina Carpenter also wowed us, keeping with her vintage look in a strapless Bob Mackie gown.
Megan Thee Stallion was our host for the evening, which was a change from our usual M.C., Nicki Minaj, currently on her Pink Friday 2 tour. While it was Megan’s first time hosting an awards show, she brought a ton of energy and had a great performance herself.
Chapell Roan made her award show debut, winning best new artist and performing her hit song “Good Luck Babe.”
Britney Spears seemed to be on a few artists mind throughout the evening. Megan Thee Stallion also paid homage to her 2001 VMAs performance of “I’m a Slave 4 U” look with a green bra top and a live yellow snake. Sabrina Carpenter had the spoken interlude from “Oops I Did It Again” during her transition from “Please Please Please” into “Taste.”
As for performances, I enjoyed how Chappel Roan brought us into a Medieval castle as she sang “Good Luck Babe.” It felt like she was trying to capture the original sensation of the Y2K VMAs, which I appreciated.
I wished other performances had been extravagant like what we’re used to seeing rather than these seemingly small budget ones. Maybe the genres highlighted, specifically in alternative, were just not my cup of tea.
I had hoped they would bring theatrics back into their work, like when Lady Gage bled on stage for “Paparazzi.”
I’ve always viewed the VMAs as music’s biggest party—MTV has always made sure the show is iconic, but it felt as if the presenters of the evening were doing too much.
If we look back at the VMAs from the 1980s through the 2010s, all of these artists were incorporating new ideas into their role as a performer. I feel pop culture doesn’t have the same camp style to its name anymore.
I miss when we used to have to guess what Gaga would wear to the Grammy’s or when we’d see Britney dancing with a live snake on stage. Artists used to create these worlds for us to escape to, but now it feels like they just want to throw some repetitive words together, twerk and call it a day.
On the topic of repetition, my biggest disappointment from the night comes from the main category, video of the year. In my opinion, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” by Ariana Grande should’ve won.
Video of the Year is an award for the artist who has exceeded the limits of what a music video should be. Throughout the “Eternal Sunshine” era, Grande has continued to make movie-like videos for her heartfelt songs.
I’m honestly disappointed with how the video for “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift came out, finding it basic and boring. I am someone who enjoys Swift’s music and have many friends who are Swifties, but we all agreed that it shouldn’t have won.
These award shows are meant to bring our favorite celebrities together but also have competition for those who truly worked the hardest and produced a great era for us, especially for the VMA’s.
How can there be competition when the same person is always winning? It takes the fun out of the whole show. I’m not blaming the artist for this reaction, since the VMA’s are fan voted, but that’s the issue. The fans essentially turn this hard-working industry into a monarchy.
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