In celebration of its 40th anniversary, MTV kicked off its marquee event – the VMAs – with none other than the Queen of Pop herself.
Madonna, who performed “Like A Virgin” at the first VMAs in 1984, made a surprise appearance on the Barclays Center stage in New York. While she didn’t perform, seeing her in person feeding off a live crowd was the electric opening we earned for after last year’s VMAs were forced to play out in front of a green screen.
The slate of performances from superstars like Lil Nas X, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo, kept the energy high throughout the night.
See full list of award nominees below, with the winner’s name in bold.
Video of the year
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “POPSTAR” (Starring Justin Bieber)
Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits”
Winner: Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
The Weeknd – “Save Your Tears”
Brutally honest reviews of every VMAs 2021 performance, including Justin Bieber and Lil Nas X
Artist of the year
Winner: Justin Bieber
Ariana Grande
Doja Cat
Megan Thee Stallion
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift
Song of the year
Winner: Olivia Rodrigo – “drivers license”
24kGoldn ft. iann dior – “Mood”
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open”
BTS – “Dynamite”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Dua Lipa – “Levitating”
Best new artist
24kGoldn
Giveon
The Kid LAROI
Winner: Olivia Rodrigo
Polo G
Saweetie
Push performance of the year
September 2020: Wallows – “Are You Bored Yet?”
October 2020: Ashnikko – “Daisy”
November 2020: SAINt JHN – “Gorgeous”
December 2020: 24kGoldn – “Coco”
January 2021: JC Stewart – “Break My Heart”
February 2021: Latto – “Sex Lies”
March 2021: Madison Beer – “Selfish”
April 2021: The Kid LAROI – “WITHOUT YOU”
Winner: May 2021: Olivia Rodrigo – “drivers license”
June 2021: girl in red “Serotonin”
July 2021: Fousheé – “my slime”
August 2021: jxdn – “Think About Me”
Best collaboration
24kGoldn ft. iann dior – “Mood”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Winner: Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
Drake ft. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches”
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa – “Prisoner”
Best pop
Winner: Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches”
riana Grande – “positions”
Billie Eilish – “Therefore I Am”
BTS – “Butter”
Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness”
Olivia Rodrigo – “good 4 u”
Shawn Mendes – “Wonder”
Taylor Swift – “willow”
Best hip-hop
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Drake ft. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Lil Baby ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “On Me (remix)”
Moneybagg Yo – “Said Sum”
Polo G – “RAPSTAR”
Winner: Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A. – “FRANCHISE”
Best rock
Evanescence – “Use My Voice”
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame”
Winner: John Mayer – “Last Train Home”
The Killers – “My Own Soul’s Warning”
Kings Of Leon – “The Bandit”
Lenny Kravitz – “Raise Vibration”
Best alternative
Bleachers – “Stop Making This Hurt”
Glass Animals – “Heat Waves”
Imagine Dragons – “Follow You”
Winner: Machine Gun Kelly ft. blackbear – “my ex’s best friend”
twenty one pilots – “Shy Away”
WILLOW ft. Travis Barker – “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l”
Best Latin
Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez – “Dákiti”
Winner: Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA – “Lo Vas A Olvidar”
Black Eyed Peas and Shakira – “GIRL LIKE ME”
J. Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy – “UN DIA (ONE DAY)”
Karol G – “Bichota”
Maluma – “Hawái”
Best R&B
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “BROWN SKIN GIRL”
Winner: Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open”
Chris Brown and Young Thug – “Go Crazy”
Giveon – “HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY”
H.E.R. ft. Chris Brown – “Come Through”
SZA – “Good Days”
Best K-pop
(G)I-DLE – “DUMDi DUMDi”
BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez – “Ice Cream”
Winner: BTS – “Butter”
Monsta X – “Gambler”
SEVENTEEN – “Ready to love”
TWICE – “Alcohol-Free”
Video for good
Winner: Billie Eilish – “Your Power”
Demi Lovato – “Dancing With The Devil”
H.E.R. – “Fight For You”
Kane Brown – “Worldwide Beautiful”
Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
Pharrell Williams ft. JAY-Z – “Entrepreneur”
Best group
Winner: BTS
Blackpink
CNCO
Foo Fighters
Jonas Brothers
Maroon 5
Silk Sonic
Twenty One Pilots
Best direction
Billie Eilish – “Your Power” Directed by: Billie Eilish
DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “POPSTAR (Starring Justin Bieber)” Directed by: Julien Christian Lutz aka Director X
Winner: Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino
Taylor Swift – “willow” Directed by: Taylor Swift
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A – “Franchise” Directed by: Travis Scott
Tyler, The Creator – “LUMBERJACK” Directed by: Wolf Haley
Best cinematography
Winner: Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “BROWN SKIN GIRL” Cinematography by: Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, MOHAMMAED ATTA AHMED, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant
Billie Eilish – “Therefore I Am” Cinematography by: Rob Witt
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame” Cinematography by: Santiago Gonzalez
Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper – “Holy” Cinematography by: Elias Talbot
Lady Gaga – “911” Cinematography by: Jeff Cronenweth
Lorde – “Solar Power” Cinematography by: Andrew Stroud
Best art direction
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – “ALREADY” Art Direction by: Susan Linns, Gerard Santos
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits” Art Direction by: Alison Dominitz
Lady Gaga – “911” Art Direction by: Tom Foden, Peter Andrus
Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” Art Direction by: John Richoux
