“The unstoppable Taylor Swift.” With those words from Justin Timberlake, one of the first awards at the MTV Video Music Awards was presented tonight in New Jersey. The network started the evening of her most famous awards by bowing to that devastating force with which Swift has conquered the world of music. The singer took her first trophy of the night, Best Pop Song for Anti-Hero, from the boy group NSYNC, of which she was a fan as a teenager. “I had your dolls when I was little. Are you doing anything new?” she asked the band, who have reunited on stage for the first time in a decade. It was the beginning of a night of surprises that had, however, a more than expected ending: Swift swept the show.
Wearing a long black dress with an asymmetrical neckline, Taylor Swift came to shine on MTV’s most important night. Videos were once the spearhead that the music industry used to sell its products. Under that idea, these awards were born, which have been awarded on the east coast of the United States since 1984. The concerts, however, are some of the most profitable events in the sector. Because of this, Swift has been treated like royalty on the night she celebrates pop music. Her tour, Eras, has become an event. The American part closed in Los Angeles, bringing together nearly half a million spectators in six sold-out nights at the SoFi stadium. Analysts believe the show will surpass $1 billion in grosses once it closes in November 2024 in Canada.
The VMA production had a cameraman dedicated to following Swift throughout the ceremony, which took place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. The legions of fans who follow her around the world were able to see her choose a drink with rapper Ice Spice, her partner on the song. Karma and winner of the Best New Artist award; sing Heart Attack by Demi Lovato (a song that Selena Gomez did not applaud, as the cameras captured), gossiping with actress Sabrina Carpenter and dancing to Doja Cat’s performance, among other moments.
Swift won the fourth award out of the eleven for which she was nominated (she appeared more than once in some categories). With Anti-Hero It won Song of the Year, Pop Song, Best Direction (the third to win in this category since 2020) and most importantly, Best Video of the Year. “I just want to say that it means a lot to me that these awards are voted for by the fans,” she said after receiving the most coveted award of the night.
Not the entire night was Taylor Swift. Shakira starred in another of the night’s stellar moments. The Colombian was nominated for four awards, but she went home empty-handed between the categories. It was a matter of small importance because in this edition she received one of the highest distinctions of the MTV awards, the Video Vanguard Award. This is the first time that a South American woman has won this recognition, which last year fell into the hands of who was the master of ceremonies this Tuesday, the Trinidadian Nicki Minaj.
Shakira, who won her first astronaut in 2000 from viewers abroad, joins today a select group of artists who have impacted popular culture. Among those who have received this award are the Beatles, Madonna, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, U2, Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, among others.
Shakira sang for 10 minutes a selection of several of the hits she has had in her 30-year career. Among the topics chosen were Luck (Whenever, Wherever), Hips Don’t Lie, The wolf and Eyes like that, which allowed her to perform belly dancing in front of the cameras that she turned into an element of her repertoire. With a camera on her shoulder, the production followed her around the stage in a bilingual set that included songs in English and Spanish and led up to her most recent release, Broken glass. But he reserved the second language to close his number with the song of spite that became an international hit after a session with the Argentine producer Bizarrap. The audience sang the tiradera directed at the footballer Gerard Piqué while the singer was carried by a group of dancers. At the climax, a small platform raised her several meters above the audience.
“Thank you very much for being my army and helping me fight all the battles,” Shakira said to thank her fans. The singer also took advantage of the moment to thank her children, Milan and Sasha, who were present. “[Ellos] “They lift my spirits and make me feel that mom can do everything,” said the singer. The minors accompanied her mother down the red carpet dressed in a Versace tracksuit.
Tonight was Shakira’s first performance at the VMAs in 17 years. In 2005 she went on stage with Alejandro Sanz to perform Torture. It was one of the first reggaeton songs that went around the globe and anticipated the devastating wave of the genre that would arrive in the following years. Among the Latinos who attended the awards ceremony tonight were also Karol G, the Brazilian Anitta, who won the Latin category for Funk Rave and the Mexican Featherweight, which has become a phenomenon within the genre known as regional Mexican.
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