Taylor Swift breaks MTV VMA record, premieres new video
Taylor Swift became the most awarded artist in MTV Video Music Awards history on Sunday, surpassing Beyoncé after receiving the inaugural Artist Director Honors and winning Video of the Year.
The 36-year-old had been tied with Beyoncé on 30 Moonman statuettes before the awards, and the new Artist Director prize recognised Swift for her work behind the camera on visual storytelling for “The Fate of Ophelia”. The reporting is based on coverage of the ceremony by Channels Television and Vanguard News.
Swift dedicated her Video of the Year trophy to country star Dolly Parton, described by coverage as recently deceased, praising her songwriting and how she handled fame. “Every single song she wrote, her storytelling was so vivid,” Swift said, and she added, “She handled this fame with such grace and love and gratitude.” in remarks reported by both outlets.
On the night Swift also premiered the video for her new single “Patient Zero”, which the reports say stars actors Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson. The song, which reflects on a past toxic relationship, includes the lyric quoted in coverage: “If he’s killing you / I got you / I was patient zero.”
Not every major award on the night went to Swift. Madonna won Artist of the Year and used her acceptance to recall an early VMAs memory, saying “My manager said my career was over,” and noting that he was not her manager anymore, according to the reports. Madonna also opened the show with her first VMA performance since a 2003 appearance, singing “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter and later medleying with Charli XCX for “Danceteria.”
Grunge band Nirvana received the Video Vanguard award, the first group to be given the honour in more than 20 years. Bass player Krist Novoselic spoke after a video retrospective of the band’s work, telling viewers, “Something real, something uncompromising. Something that tells you it’s just okay to come as you are,” as reported by both outlets.
Other winners included Thai artist LISA, of Blackpink, who won Best Pop for “Dream”, featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi. The majority of prizes, the reports note, were handed out offstage, while the broadcast focused on performances and stage moments.
The ceremony featured tributes and performances: Kacey Musgraves headlined a tribute to Dolly Parton, and Teddy Swims, Sombr and Raye performed a tribute to George Michael, marking 40 years since his album “Faith”. Rapper Snoop Dogg hosted the event, which aired on CBS and MTV.
Coverage of the ceremony and all the quoted remarks is drawn from reporting by Channels Television and Vanguard News.
Sources
Featured image: MTV Viacom via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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