From Madonna’s infamous performance of Like a Virgin in 1984, to Britney Spears’ memorable performance with a python snake in 2001, the MTV Video Music Awards have become a global phenomenon that people wait all summer for, and the 2016 award ceremony was no different. On Sunday, August 28, celebrities, singers, songwriters, and more gathered in Madison Square Garden to set off the year’s greatest hits. This year’s show was quiet arbitrary – to say the least – filled with many memorable performances. The show opened with Nicki Minaj singing alongside newest pop-sensation, Ariana Grande, who sang her most recent hit, Make Me, while reenacting what appeared to be a cycling class on stage. Rihanna, winner the Video Vanguard Award, performed four dispersed times throughout the three hour showing, while Beyoncé hit the stage for a 15 minute performance of songs pulled from her newest album, Lemonade. Aside from these unforgettable performances, Alicia Keys did something extremely unexpected. Rather than singing one of her own songs, she sang a poem honoring Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech that touched many people in the audience and ones watching at home.
The performances made during this year’s ceremony were definitely one for the books, but one in particular I found to be a long awaited, exciting performance. Hitting the VMA stage for the first time in nine years, Britney Spears made her return. Singing a song from her new album, Glory, Britney sang “Make Me” featuring G-Eazy. Rather than simply singing the song, Spears incorporated her talent of dancing into the performance, which made it more entertaining. Not only was this performance eye catching, but so was her outfit on stage. Britney’s yellow leotard covered in Swarovski crystals with matching boots lit up the stage.
Jessica Porter, a senior education student, said, “I have waited for Britney’s comeback for years and she over-exceeded expectations musically and entertainingly.”
Although many enjoyed this performance made by the pop legend, it was also one of the biggest controversies of the night. Many complained that Spears was lip-syncing the entire performance. Whether this is true or not, she had the audience out of their seats, therefore I believe she did what she came to do, and that was to entertain.
Just recently, The Chainsmokers have become extremely popular in pop culture and their new song featuring Halsey, “Closer” has hit number one on Billboard and become one of the most popular songs on every radio station. Sending sparks across Madison Square Garden, Andrew Taggart and Halsey had great chemistry during their performance, which intrigued audience members during the ceremony and even days after. I could not log on to Twitter or Facebook without seeing a clip from their moments during their performance during the show!
Later in the night, Kanye West made yet another memorable moment on the VMA stage. Whether it be insulting Taylor Swift and being “Pro- Beyoncé” or making a speech about being the next President of the United States, Kanye always provides people with some sort of entertainment, and this year’s speech was no different. He delivered his speech called “I am Kanye West” before debuting his new music video for his song “Fade.” During the speech he covered many different topics including Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, his controversial song “Famous” his love for Beyoncé, and he even mentioned Steve Jobs. Once again, Kanye has left me very confused, even more confused than when he tried campaigning to be the next president at last year’s VMA’s.
MTV has made itself a household name throughout the years and their Video Music Awards have become an American sensation. Through the performances, speeches, award winners, and outrageous outfits, the VMA’s are always something to remember. This year’s award show was filled with these memories and followed MTV’s traditions by including some unexpected moments that will be remembered forever, and now I can’t help but to think what the 2017 award show has in store.
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