Held in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, presented by superstar Doja Cat, brought together fans from around the globe to celebrate the return of live entertainment with exhilarating performances by world renowned artists such as Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys, Shawn Mendes, Machine Gun Kelly, and Olivia Rodrigo, among others. BTZ, Lil Nas X and Olivia Rodrigo were the undisputed winners of the night, crowning themselves with three awards each, followed closely by Billie Eillish, Doja Cat and Justin Bieber. MTV fans within the region can enjoy the VMA’s on the OSN streaming app from September 16th.
The VMA’s made history this year by being the first event to host live musical performances since the start of the pandemic, filling New York City with groundbreaking acts by a variety of new artists taking over the music industry. Olivia Rodrigo was presented with the ‘Best New Artist’ award and the ‘Song of the Year’ award for her hit “Drivers License”; and Lil Nas X took home the “Video of the Year” award for his hit “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”, which was also one of the top performances of the night. In addition to these, the iconic Foo Fighters were presented with the “Global Icon” award, followed by a performance by the band, marking their return to the VMAs stage for the first time since 2007. Other memorable moments during the live show included Superstar Madonna opening the awards ceremony with a bang as always, Alicia Keys debuting her new single “LaLa” and also, Ed Sheeran took over the Toyota stage to perform his newest single “Shivers”.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records
ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Justin Bieber – Def Jam
SONG OF THE YEAR: Olivia Rodrigo – “drivers license” – Geffen Records
BEST NEW ARTIST, Presented by Facebook: Olivia Rodrigo – Geffen Records
PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: May 2021: Olivia Rodrigo – “drivers license” – Geffen Records
BEST COLLABORATION: Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
BEST POP: Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches” – Def Jam
BEST HIP-HOP: Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A. – “FRANCHISE” – Cactus Jack / Epic Records
BEST ROCK: John Mayer – “Last Train Home” – Columbia Records
BEST ALTERNATIVE: Machine Gun Kelly ft. blackbear – “my ex’s best friend” – Bad Boy / Interscope Records
BEST LATIN: Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA – “Lo Vas A Olvidar” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
BEST R&B: Bruno Mars, Anderson. Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open” – Aftermath Entertainment / Atlantic Records
BEST K-POP: BTS – “Butter” – BIGHIT MUSIC Monsta X – “Gambler” – Starship Entertainment
VIDEO FOR GOOD: Billie Eilish – “Your Power” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
BEST DIRECTION: Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records – Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “BROWN SKIN GIRL” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records – Cinematography by: Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, MOHAMMAED ATTA AHMED, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant
BEST ART DIRECTION: Saweetie ft. Doja Cat – “Best Friend” – Warner Records – Art Direction by: Alec Contestabile
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records – Visual Effects by: Mathematic
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY: Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness” – Columbia Records – Choreography by: Paul Roberts
BEST EDITING: Bruno Mars, Anderson. Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open” – Aftermath Entertainment/Atlantic Records – Editing by: Troy Charbonnet
GROUP OF THE YEAR: BTS
SONG OF THE SUMMER: BTS – “Butter” – BIGHIT MUSIC Monsta X – “Gambler” – Starship Entertainment
The MTV VMAs 2021 will be available on the OSN streaming app from September 16th.