2021 MTV VMAs: Lil Nas X takes home top prize and more than highlights
"First I wanna say thank y'all to the gay agenda," Lil Nas X shouted during his acceptance speech. "Let's become gay agenda!"
Lil Nas X also had a standout performance, adopting a marching band motif for "Industry Baby" before segueing into "Montero: Call Me By Your Name."
Doja Cat hosted and performed "Been Like This" too "You Right," flight around the phase held up by wires inwards an aerial deed.
To celebrate MTV's 40th anniversary, at that place were callbacks to the early on days, alongside the iconic "Video Killed the Radio Star" — the first off music video MTV always showed — playing over the closing credits. Madonna opened the demo alongside a voiceover nigh her arrival in New York City as well as the start of MTV. "That's why there's exclusively 1 identify to live this evening," she said.
"And they tell nosotros wouldn't concluding, but we're yet hither motherf***ers," she said on phase.
Justin Bieber as well as The Kid Laori took the phase to perform, followed by Rodrigo, who and then won Best New Artist.
Cyndi Lauper, who reminded the crowd that she won a Moon Person at the really first of all VMAs, said "girls even so want to hold fun, but we also want to have funds, equal pay too control over our bodies — you lot know, primal rights."
The Foo Fighters won the Global Icon Award, alongside Dave Grohl reminiscing on 26 years every bit a band. "Here's to some other 26 years," Grohl said.
Alicia Keys performed "Lala" with Swae Lee, together with so honored the location with a few bars of "Empire State of Mind."
MTV is a sectionalization of ViacomCBS.