This past Sunday, Nov. 10, thousands of Brits and music lovers alike ate popcorn on their couches and sang along to the MTV Europe Music Awards. British singer Rita Ora, in her third year hosting the award show, set the tone for a night of fabulous performances and breathtaking red carpet looks. The night started off with American pop rock artist Benson Boone hitting the stage (or should I say the sky) with his songs “Slow It Down” and “Beautiful Things.” Suspended in the air with nothing but a microphone and his piano, Boone’s performance was intimate and emotional. It also showed the audience how a solid curl routine and good hair can go a long way. Benson left the show with the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act.
Directly after Benson Boone’s show was what I believe to be the highlight of the night: Tyla’s performance. No matter what platform or stage she inhabits, Tyla comes to dominate. In addition to her incredible and seductive vocals, Tyla’s stage presence and dance moves are truly addictive to watch. Tyla gave us her hit “Water” and her brand new song “Push 2 Start,” and the internet is already going wild over her choreography. Without fail, the people will always try to recreate Tyla’s iconic moves on platforms like Tiktok, Instagram and Youtube.
Other standout performances of the night include Busta Rhymes’ extensive eight song performance, the Pet Shop Boys throwback to the eighties and Raye’s stunning show that truly blessed our ears.
In terms of who went home with a little gold astronaut, no one is surprised that Taylor Swift left with the most awards after having the most nominations. With a whopping haul of four awards out of seven nominations, Swift won Best Artist, Best Video for her song “Fortnight” with Post Malone, Best Live Act and Best U.S. Act. Taylor’s success of the night may be a good omen for the upcoming Grammys, in which she has six nominations.
Reporter Justin Curto said in a piece for Vulture, “As long as [Taylor Swift] keeps releasing music videos, she’ll probably keep winning.”
Other winners of the night include Sabrina Carpenter for Best Song with none other than “Espresso,” Ariana Grande for Best Pop (she really is killing it right now!) and Eminem for Best Hip Hop. A controversial win is Imagine Dragons for Best Alternative, beating Fontaines D.C. who absolutely crushed it this year with their standout album “Romance.”
Within three hours, the MTV awards this year gave us eight award reveals and a whopping sixteen performances. But let’s be honest: we watch award shows like these to feel like we are in the star studded arena, getting rare performances from the artists that we know and love.
“It’s a night dedicated to showmanship, with little attention given to those going home with a Moon Person statue,” Melissa Ruggieri said in a report for USA Today.
I completely agree, and I cannot wait for the upcoming Grammys to see how these artists continue to perform. The Guardian writer Robyn Vinter adds that the race is on as more and more people look toward upcoming music competitions.
“Broadcast live to more than 150 countries across the world, the [MTV European Music Awards] are watched closely by the music industry as they often give a hint of which artists are lined up for success at the Grammys,” Vinter wrote.
Buckle up folks: plop down on that couch and grab some Jolly Time, because we are officially in awards show season
