CHAINED TO THE RHYTHM

Here’s what happened at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday

What does one expect from a big music awards night? The best of talent making it to the stage either to accept their winning trophy or to give one helluva live performance. The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in Inglewood California, US, on Sunday saw that, but lacked on the wacky quotient that they’ve gained popularity for over the years.

Among winners, rapper Kendrick Lamar, who kicked off the show with a medley featuring dancers in flames, took home six statuettes, including the top award for Video of the Year and Best Hip Hop Video, for Humble. British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was voted Artist of the Year.

But, it was singer Taylor Swift who dominated the show in absentia, as she took on her critics in the world premiere of the video for her first solo single in three years, Look What You Made Me Do. The music video garnered more than 4,70,000 views on YouTube within an hour of its premiere.

Other highlights included lifetime achievement honoree, singer Pink’s moving speech about self-expression and beauty. And also, actor and lead singer of the band 30 Seconds to Mars, Jared Leto’s words, as he remembered the late Chris Cornell, former lead singer of Soundgarden, and the late Chester Bennington, former lead singer of Linkin Park. Leto called Bennington a close friend who showed him that it was possible to pursue one’s dreams and still be kind and caring. He also urged anyone contemplating suicide to get help.

Hosting this year’s VMAs was Swift’s long-time rival, singer Katy Perry, who also concluded the three-hour gala with a performance on Swish Swish with rapper Nicki Minaj. Her efforts as a host, however, didn’t get her praise.