The show must go on they say, even in a global pandemic. MTV’s very first virtual Video Music Awards took place on August 30, truly giving us some much-needed entertainment. Even in these unsolicited circumstances, our favorite artists have put on show stopping performances at home to celebrate music and shine a light during these dark times. Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, BTS, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, and many others made appearances on Sunday. Actress, singer, and television personality Keke Palmer made an entrance last weekend as the first black woman to host the VMAs which she definitely crushed. The night was filled with laughter, smiles, and justice. Here are some of the night’s highlights. 

Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s unmatched single, “Rain On Me” stole the show on Sunday receiving the Song of The Year, Best Collaboration, and Best Cinematography awards. Lady Gaga also won the Artist of the Year award for her song “Stupid Love”.  During her acceptance speech, she says, “… Thank you so much for this award… It’s brought me so much joy to see that you can spin your struggles into gold and you just gotta believe in yourself.” Her new album Chromatica was definitely an inspirational hit this year. Lady Gaga blew us away with her 4 stunning masked looks and during one of her speeches, she states, “I might sound like a broken record but wear a mask.” She performed all her songs fully masked to show respect to everyone at the VMAs. You heard it here first, wear a mask. 

Another groundbreaking performance from BTS was inevitable on Sunday. The boy band rocked the stage, performing their first English single, “Dynamite” virtually from South Korea. This record-breaking song was their first to reach number one on the Billboard Top 100. “Dynamite” led them to win the Best Group award of the night. They also received the Best Pop, Best K-pop, and Best Choreography awards for their song “ON” released earlier this year. During their speech, they say, “Shout out to Army and MTV Video Music Awards for giving us this honor two years in a row. We will keep trying to make music that can comfort you.” 

A big highlight of the awards was definitely The Weeknd’s performance of “Blinding Lights”. He performed the hit song high above New York in Hudson Yards. The Canadian superstar was awarded with his first two moon people that night for Best R&B and Video of the Year. He kept his speech brief shedding light on police brutality. He says, “It’s really hard for me to celebrate right now and enjoy this moment so… I’m just going to say um, justice for Jacob Black, and justice for Briana Taylor. Thank you.” The show was held during a hard time and The Weeknd truly ended the night with pride. 

Lastly, Taylor Swift was the first solo female artist to receive the Best Direction award at the VMAs. Late February, she directed and released, “The Man”, a song relating to male privilege and toxic masculinity in everyday life. Her new bop has accumulated over 48 million views since its release and continues to spread awareness. During her acceptance speech, Taylor says, “I just, I’m so grateful for this. I want to take an opportunity to say thank you to the team who believed in me as a first time director and made this video with me.” Her music will always be inspiring. 

There were so many more amazing performances, winners, and highlights Sunday including Doja Cat’s Best New Artist Award for her song “Say So”, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s Best Music Video From Home award for “Stuck with U”, and Blackpink’s Song of The Summer award for “How you like that.” The list goes on and on. 

Although most of the performances and awards were done and received virtually, today’s artists never fail to bring us joy and a funky beat. The Video Music Awards were slightly different this year, but certainly memorable. Congratulations to all the talented and amazing nominees and winners this year!