U2 scoop global icon award
LONDON: Canadian pop singer Shawn Mendes led the pack at the MTV Europe Music awards last night, taking home “Best Song,” “Best Artist” and “Biggest Fans” awards, in a show that featured performances from French Montana, The Killers and Kesha.
British R&B singer Rita Ora performed the hosting duties, as well as a mash-up of her 2017 hit Your Song, alongside her new single, Anywhere.
US rap star Eminem opened the show with a performance of his new song, Walk on Water, with Skylar Grey standing in for Beyoncé to sing the other part in the duet.
The Detroit rapper also took the award for Best Hip Hop, an honour which he appeared to find slightly baffling.
“I’m not really sure how I got this, ‘cause I haven’t had an album out in a few years” he quipped in his acceptance speech, adding “I got one coming though.”
Look What You Made Me Do singer Taylor Swift had been the most-nominated star of the evening, with six nominations, but failed to win any awards.
Mendes performed There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, the winner of “Best Song”.
Some big names from film and television were on hand to lend Hollywood sparkle to proceedings, including Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer and Oscar winner Jared Leto, also the front man of the band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, that took home the award for “Best Alternative” act.
Irish rockers U2 were presented with a “Global Icon” award, in recognition of their decades at the top of the music industry. The band played a concert at an MTV event in London’s Trafalgar Square the previous evening.
Other winners included Camila Cabello, who took the “Best Pop”, and rapper Kendrick Lamar won “Best Video” for Humble.
Performances included London grime star Stormzy, who took to the stage poking out of the sunroof of a police car, and Travis Scott, who entered standing atop what looked like a floating hawk.
Security was tight at the event, after a series of attacks that have hit the UK this year, including a suicide bomb attack at an Arianna Grande concert in Manchester in May, which left 22 people dead.