POP megastar Taylor Swift took home seven trophies on Thursday at MTV's Video Music Awards (VMA), tying her with Beyonce for the most lifetime honours in the 40-year history of the video accolades.
Swift snagged video of the year for her Fortnight music video featuring Post Malone. It shows Swift inside a bare psychiatric hospital, a setting she said reflected what she was seeing in her head as she wrote the music for The Tortured Poets Department album.
“This video seems very sad when you watch it but it actually was the most fun video to make,“ Swift said as she accepted the VMAs Moon Person statuette.
After each take, she would hear a cheer from someone across the studio.
“That one person was my boyfriend Travis. Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic. I want to thank him for adding that to this shoot,” she said, referring to Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce.
Swift also thanked her fans for voting for the VMA honours and urged them to cast their ballots in the upcoming US presidential election. The singer endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in an Instagram post yesterday.
By night's end, the 34-year-old brought her career VMA trophies to a total of 30, on par with hip-hop and R&B artiste Beyonce. Swift's other awards this year included artiste of the year and song of summer.
The video of the year award was her third in a row, following an extended version of All Too Well in 2022 and Anti-Hero in 2023 and fifth overall, a record for one artiste.
Early in the show, when Fortnight won best collaboration, Swift praised Malone as “ridiculously talented” and “unfailingly polite”.
“It has taken me forever to get him to stop calling me ma’am,“ she said.
Malone returned the compliments, calling Swift “absolutely one of the most kind and talented people I have ever had the honour of knowing”.
He said he watched Swift direct the Fortnight music video while she was strapped to an operating room table on the set.
“It was pretty bad ass,“ he said.
Meanwhile, Good Luck, Babe singer Chappell Roan was named best new artiste. Wearing a metallic outfit and headpiece, she dedicated her award to “all the drag artists who inspire me” and to her fans in the gay community.
“For all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now, I see you, I understand you, because I am one of you. Do not let anyone tell you cannot be exactly who you want to be, *****!”
Blackpink singer Lalisa Manobal won best K-pop video for her solo hit Rockstar. South African artiste Tyla claimed the Afrobeats award for Water and Brazilian singer Anitta snagged best Latin video for Mil Veces.
Rapper Eminem opened the show with Houdini from his album The Death of Slim Shady before country singer Jelly Roll joined him via a video feed for their hit Somebody Save Me.
Katy Perry, recipient of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, sang hits from Teenage Dream to Firework while wearing giant silver butterfly wings on a futuristic set. Her husband and actor Orlando Bloom handed her the trophy and she embraced him with a kiss.
“Thank you to MTV for believing in my weirdness from day one,“ Perry said. – REUTERS
