Twenty One Pilots, Lamar, Sheeran win MTV awards
NEW YORK — Kendrick Lamar was the king of the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, winning six awards on a night full of emotional performances, political moments and a new, eye-popping Taylor Swift music video.
Lamar’s “Humble” won video of the year, best hip-hop video, direction, cinematography, art direction and visual effects on Sunday at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
Twenty One Pilots — Columbus natives Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun — won the best rock video category for “Heavydirtysoul.”
Ed Sheeran won artist of the year, a new award established after MTV eliminated gender categories such as best male and female video. Earlier, he performed his hit “Shape of You” and was later joined by Lil Uzi Vert, who won song of summer for “XO Tour Llif3.”
Lamar delivered an explosive opening performance of “Humble” and “DNA,” backed by ninjas dancing amid fire. But another rapper had the night’s most-memorable and touching performance.
Logic performed his inspirational song “1-800273-8255,” named after the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. He was joined onstage by suicide-attempt survivors and by singers Alessia Cara (best dancevideo winner) and Khalid (best new artist winner). Lyrics from Logic’s song include: “I don’t wanna be alive / I just wanna die today” and “I want you to be alive / You don’t got to die today.”
Kesha introduced the performance and also offered words of encouragement: “As long as you don’t give up on yourself, light will break through the darkness.”
Pink was also emotional when she accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, telling the audience a story about her daughter, who was sitting in the audience with husband Carey Hart. Pink said her daughter recently told her that “I’m the ugliest girl I know ... I look like a boy with long hair.”
Pink said she then showed her daughter images of performers such as Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, George Michael, Elton John and Freddie Mercury.
“You are beautiful, and I love you,” Pink said to her daughter.
Oscar winner Jared Leto, who is also the frontman of rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, remembered Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, who hanged himself in July. Leto also mentioned Chris Cornell, who hanged himself in May.
“I think about his band, who were really his brothers, and I remember his voice,” Leto said of Bennington. “That voice will live forever.”
“Hear me now, you are not alone. There is always a way forward. Reach out. Share your thoughts. Do not give up,” Leto added.
The night also featured political moments focused on the rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12 turned violent after neo-Nazis and white nationalists opposed to the city’s plan to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee clashed with counterprotesters. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a car plowed into a crowd.
Heyer’s mother came onstage to say: “Only 15 days my ago, my daughter Heather was killed as she protested racism. I miss her, but I know she’s here tonight.”
Bro then announced The Heather Heyer Foundation and said the nonprofit will give out scholarships and “help more people join Heather’s fight against hatred.”
Lamar’s performance kicked off the three-hour show — hosted by a forgettable Katy Perry — followed by the premiere of Swift’s video for “Look What You Made Me Do,” which featured the singer dressed like a zombie in one scene and surrounded by slithering snakes in another. The video for the track, rumored to be a diss toward Kanye West, also featured Swift in a tub of diamonds, a cat mask, and a car that crashed (she was holding a Grammy).