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The MTV Video Music Awards 2023: Gossipment’s Favorite Memorable Moments!
The MTV Video Music Awards typically returned to Newark’s Prudential Center on Tuesday night.
Nicki Minaj was seen hosting an almost four-hour show which included Sean Combs receiving the honor of becoming a global icon (and letting the audience know that his career had very humble beginnings as a normal paper boy) and the ’N Sync members coming together to give Taylor Swift a Moon Person trophy (who directly gushed to the boy band, ‘I had your dolls!’)
Anitta, the Brazilian pop star, delivered one of the most solid one-liners of the event. As part of her acceptance speech, she said, “I want to thank myself because I worked so hard,” which was easily proved when she performed in collaboration with Tomorrow X Together (a K-pop group) and a solo medley as well.
Gossipment’s Favorite Memorable Moments At The MTV Video Music Awards:
The event had so many memorable moments! When the night ended, the following five moments stood out according to Gossipment!
1. Most Memorable Performance: Doja Cat
One of the most unpredictable pop-rap voices turned out to be the most high-concept and polished performance of the night, capturing the frustrating anxiety of being back at the office in an appearance best described as ‘business sexual’ while being surrounded by talented dancers in ghoulish Red paint.
The audience was initially confused and was then probably a little terrified as the talented Doja Cat was seen gliding around the VMAs’ stage, nailing all her marks – the beautiful calm in the midst of an increasingly chaotic storm.
2. Most Memorable Fake-Out: Olivia Rodrigo
The ‘vampire’ video featuring Olivia Rodrigo dramatizes an award function like the MTV Awards going all wrong. Although the video has more than 54 million views on YouTube, none of those actually came from the audience members of VMA. Members such as Selena Gomez were completely stricken when Rodrigo recreated only parts of the clip on Tuesday night.
After the first section of the song, the lights burst seemingly onstage with a curtain falling as a ‘stagehand’ to usher the singer away. The singer returned seconds later, smiling to perform a bouncy song called ‘Get Him Back,’ from her latest album known as ‘Guts!’
3. Most Memorable Return That Probably Didn’t Attract F.C.C. Attention: Megan Thee Stallion And Cardi B
Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B’s first performance on television of their popular ‘WAP’ came out during the Grammy’s in 2021. Their salacious and excellent choreography went viral with fans, and more than a thousand viewers ended up complaining to the Federal Communications Commission, as per reports from Rolling Stone.
Last week, the pair reunited with a fresh new collaboration called ‘Bongos’ – this collab was a relatively safer shot for the VMAs stage. The censors did catch most of the inappropriate language and profanities, while the audience camera saw Taylor Swift dancing along.
4. Most Memorable Ten-Minute Long Performance With Knives: Shakira
Shakira performed a mega medley that went on for ten minutes to celebrate her Video Vanguard award. TBH, the Colombian pop star did not sing much – instead, her lengthy performance comprised plenty of hair flipping, choreography, guitar playing, quick wardrobe adjustment, microphone stand tossing, crowd surfing, and going up on a lift to be high above the crowds.
However, one of the truly eye-catching moments came in the middle of her performance when Shakira was seen wielding two knives, running one knife across her torso dramatically before tossing both aside.
5. Most Memorable Flashback to MTV’s Past: Hip-Hop Anniversary Medley
The Grammy’s actually went big with an honorary tribute to fifty years of hip-hop earlier this year. However, MTV’s celebratory tribute to the anniversary of rap had some other highlights as well.
After Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Furious Five, and the Grand master Flash give the audience a beginner’s lesson on the genre’s roots, Minaj took the stage with one of her popular early mix tape tracks, ‘Itty Bitty Piggy,’ post which she was seen reuniting with Lil Wayne, her mentor for ‘A Milli.’
LL Cool J was also seen commanding the stage with two of his killer songs before going toe-to-toe with Darryl McDaniels from Run-DMC on ‘Walk This Way.’ While the performance was mostly elided in the 1990s.
It was Diddy’s 8-minute-long performance early in the night that actually covered that particular era. It was a big reminder that MTV used to be home to ‘Yo! MTV Raps,’ when plenty of time was dedicated solely to music.
MTV Video Music Awards 2023: The Winners’ Edition!
If you have already checked out stuff like ‘Taylor Swift VMA’ on Google to find out how many awards Swift managed to win at the VMAs this year, then stop! You don’t have to do so much hard work.
Instead, stick around with us and scroll down now to see the COMPLETE list of MTV 2023 Video Music Awards winners!
1. Video Of The Year:
Winner: Taylor Swift for Anti-Hero.
Nominees: Doja Cat for Attention, Miley Cyrus for Flowers, Nicky Minaj for Super Girl Freaky, Olivia Rodrigo for Vampire, SZA for Kill Bill, and Sam Smith & Kim Petras for Unholy.
2. Artist Of The Year:
Winner: Taylor Swift.
Nominees: Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Karol G, Nicki Minaj, and Shakira.
3. Song Of The Year:
Winner: Taylor Swift for Anti-Hero.
Nominees: Miley Cyrus for Flowers, Olivia Rodrigo for Vampires, Sam Smith & Kim Petras for Unholy, Steve Lacy for Bad Habit, SZA for Kill Bill, and Rema & Selena Gomez for Calm Down.
4. Best New Artist:
Winner: Ice Spice.
Nominees: GloRilla, Kaliii, Peso Pluma, PinkPantherness, and Renee Rapp.
5. PUSH Performance Of The Year:
Winner: Tomorrow X Together for Sugar Rush Side.
Nominees: Saucy Santana for Booty, Stephen Sanchez for Until I Found You, JVKE for Golden Hour, Flo Milli for Conceited, Renee Rapp for Colorado, Sam Ryder for All The Way Over, Armani White for GOATED, Fletcher for Becky’s So Hot, Ice Spice for Princess Diana, FLO for Losing You, and Lauren Spencer Smith for that Part.
6. Best Collaboration:
Winner: Shakira and Karol G for TQG.
Nominees: David Guetta & Bebe Rexha for I’m Good (Blue), Diddy ft. Ashanti, Bryson Tiller, Yung Miami for Gotta Move On (Queens Remix), Metro Boomin with 21 Savage, Diddy, & The Weeknd for Creepin’ (remix), Post Malone with Doja Cat for I Like You (a happier song), and Rema & Selena Gomez for Calm Down.
7. Best Pop:
Winner: Taylor Swift for Anti-Hero.
Nominees: Demi Lovato for Swine, Dua Lipa for Dance the Night, Ed Sheeran for Eyes Closed, P!nk for Trustfall, Olivia Rodrigo for Vampire, and Miley Cyrus for Flowers.
8. Best Hip-Hop:
Winner: Nicky Minaj for Super Girl Freaky.
Nominees: Diddy ft. Ashanti, Bryson Tiller, Yung Miami for Gotta Move On (Queens Remix), D.J. Khaled ft. Lil Baby & Drake for Staying Alive, GloRilla & Cardi B for Tomorrow 2, Lil Uzi Vert for Just Wanna Rock, Metro Boomin ft. Future, and Lil Wayne ft. DMX & Swizz Beatz for Kent Nobody.
9. Best R&B:
Winner: SZA for Shirt.
Nominees: Alicia Keys ft. Lucky Daye for Stay, Toosii for Favorite Song, Metro Boomin with 21 Savage, Diddy, & The Weeknd for Creepin’ (remix), Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj for Love In The Way, and Chloe & Chris Brown for How Does It Feel.
10. Best Alternative:
Winner: Lana Del Rey ft. John Batiste for Candy Necklace.
Nominees: Blink-182 for Edging, Bodygenius for The Film, Paramore for This Is Why, Fall Out Boy for Hold Me Like A Grudge, and 30 Seconds To Mars for Stuck.
11. Best Rock:
Winner: Maneskin for The Loneliest.
Nominees: Foo Fighters for The Teacher, Linkin Park for Lost, Metallica for Lux Æterna, Muse for You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers for Tippa My Tongue.
12. Best Latin:
Winner: Anitta for Funk Rave.
Nominees: Bad Bunny for Where She Goes, Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma for Ella Baila Sola, Grupo Frontera & Bad Bunny for un x100to, Karol G 7 Shakira for TQG, Rosalia for Despecha, and Shakira for Acrostico.
13. Best K-Pop:
Winner: Stray Kids for S-Class.
Nominees: Aespa for Girls, Blackpink for Pink Venom, Fifty Fifty for Cupid, Seventeen for Super, and Tomorrow X Together for Sugar Rush Side.
14. Best Afro beats:
Winner: Rema & Selena Gomez for Calm Down.
Nominees: Ayra Starr for Rush, Burna Boy for It’s Plenty, Libianca for People, Davido ft. Musa Keys for Unavailable, Fireboy DML & Asake for Bandana, and Wizkid ft. Ayra Starr for 2 Sugar.
15. Video For Good:
Winner: Dove Cameron for Breakfast.
Nominees: Alicia Keys for If I Ain’t Got You (Orchestral), Demi Lovato for Swine, Imagine Dragons for Crushed, Maluma for La Reina, and Bad Bunny for El Apagón.
16. Show Of The Summer:
Winner: Taylor Swift.
Nominees: Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Karol G, Drake, and Blackpink.
17. Group Of The Year:
Winner: Blackpink.
Nominees: Fifty Fifty, Flo, Jonas Brothers, Maneskin, Seventeen, New Jeans, and Tomorrow X Together.
18. Song Of The Summer:
Winner: Jung Kook ft. Latto for Seven.
Nominees: Beyoncé for Cuff It, Billie Eilish for What Was I Made For, Doechii ft. Kodak Black for What It Is (Block Boy), Doja Cat for Paint The Town Red, Dua Lipa for Dance The Night, Fifty Fifty for Cupid, Gunna for Fukemean, Luke Combs for Fast Car, Nicky Minaj & Ice Spice for Barbie World (with Aqua), Olivia Rodrigo for Vampire, SZA for Kill Bill, Taylor Swift ft. Ice Spice for Karma, Tomorrow X Together & Jonas Brothers for Do It Like That, Troye Sivan for Rush, and Yng Lvcas for LaBebe (Remix).
19. Album Of The Year:
Winner: Taylor Swift for Midnights.
Nominees: Beyoncé for Renaissance, Drake & 21 Savage for Her Loss, Metro Boomin for Heroes & Villains, Miley Cyrus for Endless Summer Vacation, and SZA for SOS.
20. Best Director:
Winner: Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero, directed by Taylor Swift.
Nominees: Doja Cat’s Attention directed by Tanu Muino, Drake’s Falling Back directed by Director X, Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ Unholy, directed by Floria Sigismondi, Megan Thee Stallion’s Her directed by Colin Tiley, Kendrick Lamar ’ss Count Me Out directed by Lamar & Dave Free, and SZA’s Kill Bill directed by Christian Breslauer.
21. Best Cinematography:
Winner: Rina Yang for Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero.
Nominees: Adam Newport-Berra for Adele’s I Drink Wine, Natasha Braier for Ed Sheran’s Eyes Closed, Allison Anderson for Janelle Monae’s Lipstick Lover, Adam Newport-Berra for Kendrick Lamar’s Count Me Out, Marcell Rev for Miley Cyrus’ Flowers, and Russ Fraser for Olivia Rodrigo’s Vampire.
22. Best Visual Effects:
Winner: Parliament for Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero.
Nominees: Josh Shaffner & Thomas Bailey for Fall Out Boy’s Love From The Other Side, Black Kite Studios & Chelsea Delfino for Harry Styles’ Music For A Sushi Restaurant, Carbon for Melanie Martinez’s Void, CameoFX for Nicki Minaj’s Super Freaky Girl, and Max Colt for Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ Unholy.
23. Best Choreography:
Winner: Blackpink’s Pink Venom.
Nominees: Dua Lipa’s Dance The Night, Jonas Brothers’ Waffle House, Megan Thee Stallion’s Her, Panic! At The Disco’s Middle Of A Breakup, and Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ Unholy.
24. Best Art Direction:
Winner: Spencer Graves for Doja Cat’s Attention.
Nominees: Seo Hyun Seung for Blackpink’s Pink Venom, Jen Dunlap for Boygenius’ The Film, Brandon Mendez for Lana Del Rey ft. John Batiste’s Candy Necklace, Wes Dogan for Megan Thee Stallion’s Her, and Kate Bunch for SZA’s Shirt.
25. Best Editing:
Winner: David Checel & Sofia Kerpan for Olivia Rodrigo’s Vampire.
Nominees: Seo Hyun Seung for Blackpink’s Pink Venom, Grason Caldwell for Kendrick Lamar’s Rich Spirit, Brendan Walter for Miley Cyrus’ River, Luis Caraza Peimber for SZA’s Kill Bill, and Chancler Haynes for Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero.
And It’s A Wrap!
And it’s a wrap on the MTV Video Music Awards 2023 – here onwards, we are calling it the Taylor Swift VMA. What are your thoughts on the winners of the 2023 VMA? And what about your favorite memorable memories from the VMAs? Feel free to share your thoughts, experiences, and stories about the 2023 VMAs in the comments below!
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