While Kanye West didn’t steal Taylor Swift’s mic and Lady Gaga didn’t show up in a meat dress, this year’s MTV Video Music Awards were still full of shocking wins and surprising moments.
With over 75 million views on YouTube, Taylor Swift’s music video for “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) was at the top of most prediction lists for Video of the Year. The Harvard Crimson dubbed it, “a masterpiece we’ll remember ‘All Too Well.’” Unsurprisingly, the 14 minute long video starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien won Video of the Year, Best Longform Video, and Best Direction.
In her Video of the Year acceptance speech, Swift dropped the bombshell that a new album titled “Midnights” will be released on October 21st of this year; this news about “Midnights,” an album described by Swift as a “collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through tears and sweet dreams,” came as a major shock, as most fans expected her next album to be another re-recording. In addition to her other victories of the night, Swift also set a new record for most Video of the Year awards.
Harry Styles’ latest album “Harry’s House” was also a fan favorite, with the pop singer receiving 8 nominations. The album’s hit single, “As It Was,” is on its 23rd week on the Billboard Hot 100 and has spent 13 weeks at number one. Styles ended up winning “Best Cinematography” for the “As it Was” music video, Album of the Year for “Harry’s House” and Best Pop for “As It Was.”
For the Group of the Year award, Blackpink and BTS were the final nominees. Both K-Pop groups have continued to grow in popularity this past year, and Blackpink even performed at this year’s VMAs. However, despite not attending the show, BTS took home the award for Group of the Year for the fourth year in a row.
While many expected a more well known artist like Måneskin, Latto or SEVENTEEN to win Best New Artist, Dove Cameron ended up winning. The former Disney star recently released two new hit singles, “Boyfriend” and “Breakfast.” During her VMAs performance. Cameron dedicated the award to “all the queer kids out there.”
Bad Bunny was named Artist of the Year, and performed for the show virtually from his concert at Yankee Stadium. The Puerto Rican rapper and singer rose to fame in 2016 with his hit song “Diles.” Nominated alongside artists such as Drake, Ed Sheeran, and Harry Styles, Bad Bunny made history as the first non-English-language act to win Artist of the Year. In his acceptance speech, he stated, “I always knew that I could become a huge artist without changing my culture, my slang, and my language. I am Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, from Puerto Rico to the world.”
This was also another successful year for Billie Eilish with her seventh VMA win. Her hit song “Happier Than Ever” won Song of the Year, having over 760 million streams on Spotify, and beat out other hits like Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” and Adele’s “Easy On Me.”
Newcomer Jack Harlow also had a night full of wins, taking home three awards. His collaboration with Lil Nas X for “Industry Baby” won Best Collaboration, Best Art Direction, and Best Visual Effects. Additionally, his solo song, “First Class,” won Song of the Summer.
Record breaking wins, new achievements of diversity, and some truly unforgettable moments, the 2022 VMAs were yet another successful night in entertainment history. While the 2023 VMAs are still unpredictable, with new music from Taylor Swift, BLACKPINK, and Noah Cyrus, we can surely expect to see some familiar faces next year.
Bibliography
Atkinson, Katie. “2022 MTV VMAS Winners: Complete List.” Billboard, 29 Aug. 2022, https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2022-mtv-vmas-winners-list-1235131968/.
Staff, and Wire Reports. “Who Won Big at the MTV Vmas 2022? Every Winner, Including Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X, Bad Bunny.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 29 Aug. 2022, https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/08/29/mtv-vmas-2022-complete-winners-list/7880766001/.
II, Moises Mendez. “VMAS 2022 Recap: Best, Worst, and Most Surprising Moments.” Time, Time, 29 Aug. 2022, https://time.com/6209203/vmas-recap-2022/.
“Bad Bunny Becomes First Non-English-Language Act to Win VMA for Artist of the Year.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-08-28/vmas-2022-bad-bunny-artist-of-the-year-yankee-stadium.