Video Music Awards 2021: Who Took Home the Astronaut?

Last Sunday, the MTV Video Music Awards were celebrated in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. With Doja Cat acting as the host, the famous “Astronaut on the Moon” statue was given to the best artists in the music video medium.

This year, the show celebrated MTV’s 40th anniversary by paying homage to its history. Starting with one of the most awarded artists in the VMAs, Madonna made a surprise appearance. A video sequence ending in her iconic music videos was projected as a way of honoring her long journey in MTV.

After the tribute ended, the rest of the ceremony took place. Some of the many highlights of the night were the incredible performances given by the most talented artists. Among these were Camila Cabello, Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, Twenty-One Pilots, and many others.

Regarding the winners, Olivia Rodrigo was one star of the ceremony. With 5 nominations and 3 wins, the young artist had an extremely successful night. Her single “Driver’s License” was honored with Song of the Year and Push Performance of the Year.

Similarly, Justin Bieber spent a lot of time under the spotlight. After receiving 6 nominations, he took home the coveted prize of Artist of the Year.

Lil Nas X received a lot of attention by winning Video of the Year, the top prize of the VMAs. In this very competitive category, the singer was facing other prominent artists, such as Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo. The video for his song “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” was also awarded Best Direction and Best Visual Effects.

Bibliography

Doria, M. (2021, September 12) Here are all the winners from the MTV VMAs 2021. [Photograph] NME. https://www.nme.com/news/music/here-are-all-the-winners-from-the-mtv-vmas-2021-3043967

Hailu, S. (2021, September 12) 2021 MTV Video Music Awards: The Complete Winners List. Variety. https://variety.com/2021/music/news/2021-vmas-winners-list-mtv-1235059129/

Pitchfork Team (2021, September 13) The 7 Best and Worst Parts of the 2021 MTV VMAs. Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/7-best-and-worst-parts-of-the-2021-mtv-vmas/

Shearer, J. (2021, September 12) Machine Gun Kelly performs onstage during the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards at Barclays Center on September 12, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. [Photograph] Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/machine-gun-kelly-travis-barker-papercuts-2021-vmas-1223215/

Treisman, R. (2021, September 13) The Best Moments From The MTV VMAs. npr. https://www.npr.org/2021/09/13/1036581635/vmas-highlights-madonna-lil-nas-x-olivia-rodrigo