VMA honours rain down on Lady Gaga
LADY Gaga cleaned house at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, while The Weeknd took home the top prize.
Gaga won five honours early yesterday morning, SA time, most of them for her No 1 hit with Ariana Grande, Rain on Me, which the pop stars performed live for the first time.
“Wear a mask. It’s a sign of respect,” Gaga said during one of several appearances onstage as she accepted awards such as artiste of the year, song of the year and the MTV Tricon award.
With an electronic mask, Gaga performed a medley of her songs, including Stupid Love, Chromatica II and
911. She and Grande were joined by background dancers wearing masks.
The Weeknd, the first performer of the night and who won video of the year and best R&B for
Blinding Lights, paid tribute to Jacob Blake and Breonna Taylor, two black people who were shot by US police officers. “It’s really hard for me to celebrate right now and enjoy this moment, so I’m just going to say: justice for Jacob Blake and justice for Breonna Taylor,” he said.
The VMAs kicked off with another touching moment, as host Keke Palmer told viewers the show was dedicated to Chadwick Boseman, who died on Friday at age 43 after privately battling colon cancer for four years. “We dedicate tonight’s show to a man whose spirit touched so many. He’s a true hero, not just on-screen,” Palmer said. “His impact lives forever.”
The show also took moments to honour Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke, the rappers who died in recent months though their albums continue to do minate the pop charts and streaming services.
The Black Eyed Peas, who closed the two-hour-plus show with Nicky Jam and Tyga, ended their set by saying: “Black Lives Matter.”
R&B star H.E.R. won the video for good award for her protest anthem about police brutality and systemic racism, I Can’t Breathe.
Most of the show was dedicated to fun performances – some pre-taped, some filmed in New York City, though the performance locations weren’t always clear.
The VMAs were supposed to be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but plans changed because of the pandemic. Colombian singer and best Latin winner Maluma sang from Brooklyn, while The Weeknd performed from Manhattan. Pop all-stars BTS, who won four awards including best pop and best group, performed from South Korea.
DaBaby, backed by the dance crew Jabbawockeez, ran through several of his hits, including Rock Star,
during which he jumped on top of a police car, with a burning city as his backdrop.