WENLEI MA: Nice try, Taylor Swift, but Madonna is still the Queen of Pop and VMAs royalty
WENLEI MA: Four decades on, Madonna is still showing pop’s biggest names how to command a stage.
Taylor Swift may have brought Dakota Johnson and a new music clip to the MTV Video Music Awards but Madonna brought the certainty she will never be upstaged as the queen of pop.
After the indignity of the VMAs being delayed because of a sportsball game, Madonna, returning to the awards for the first time in more than two decades, opened the ceremony with a banger number packed full of celebrity guests.
It wasn’t just bringing out spiritual heir Sabrina Carpenter on Bring Your Love, or Charli XCX emerging with a cigarette in hand for Danceteria Afterhours, it’s that Madonna could call up the likes of Julia Garner, Seth Rogen, Sombr, Debi Mazar and Fab 5 Freddy to pal around onstage.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Now, that’s a monarch.
Her reign didn’t end there with the Michigan native picking up three awards cross the night, for Artist of the Year, Best Dance and Best Collaboration, as well as four other non-televised gongs. She was cutting it up on stage during her acceptance speeches, rivalling host Snoop Dogg in presence.
“Most of you were probably not born, but I performed at the very first MTV awards 43 years ago,” she said at one point, earning both legendary status and also reminding all her younger rivals that longevity is a good thing.
It’s also a reminder of the Madonna’s more attention-grabbing performances in VMAs past, including when, in 2003, she and Britney Spears shared that (in)famous onstage kiss.
Despite her dominance across the night, Madonna missed out on the top award, Video of the Year, to Swift who triumphed for clip for The Fate of Ophelia, a song off last year’s Life of a Showgirl, which she has just re-released as an encore version despite earlier promises not to.
Swift can’t help but put herself back on the charts, even though she had already released more than 40 variants of Showgirl. But Swift is going to Swift, it’s her way.
During the VMAs, Swift had debuted the video clip to one of the added songs on Showgirl, Patient Zero. The video stars Dakota Johnson as her “double”, as well as Colin Farrell and with a cameo from Cara Delevingne. Johnson was Swift’s guest at the VMAs and while they had matching hairstyles, had mercifully chosen different outfits.
Swift also won a VMA for directing and the inaugural “special award” of Artist Director Honours.
She dedicated her Video of the Year win to Dolly Parton, who had also received a tribute performance from Kasey Musgrave, who sang a rendition of I Will Always Love You.
The ceremony also featured performances from Raye, Shaboozey, Sienna Spiro, Bruno Mars (pre-taped), Lisa, Gener8ion and Yung Lean, and a medley dedicated to George Michael with Sombr, Raye, Teddy Swims, Adam Lambert, Meek, Saint Harison and MNEK.
Other victors included BTS (Song of the Year, Best K-Pop and Best Group), Ariana Grande (Song of Summer), Cardi B (Best Hip-Hop), Lisa (Best Pop) and Sienna Spiro (Best New Artist).
Nirvana was acknowledged with the Video Vanguard Award, which was accepted by Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear.
