30 Aug MTV VMA 2021: Stars, Hits & the Biggest Surprises

Brooklyn, Barclays Center, 29 August 2021: After a year of pandemic restrictions, the MTV Video Music Awards returned in full glory. And what a night it was. Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, BTS – the evening belonged to a new generation. And to the Foo Fighters.

Key Takeaways

• Lil Nas X took home Video of the Year and Best Choreography for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
• Olivia Rodrigo claimed Push Performance of the Year and Best New Artist
• Foo Fighters received the Global Icon Award – and delivered a 25-minute live performance
• Full audience returned to Barclays Center Brooklyn for the first time since 2019

Lil Nas X: A Brooklyn Coronation

  If you’ve heard almost no music in the past twelve months yet still know who Lil Nas X is, that says it all. “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” wasn’t just a song – it was a cultural statement. The music video, in which Montero rides the devil, sparked more debate than some parliamentary sessions. At the VMAs he walked away with Video of the Year and Best Choreography. His performance was spectacular: floating platforms, acrobatic dancers, a white suit that turned black for the second act. Lil Nas X seized the evening’s energy and played it to the last note.

Olivia Rodrigo: The Fastest Rise Since Billie Eilish

  At the start of 2021, Olivia Rodrigo was best known for her role in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” Then came “drivers license” – and suddenly an 18-year-old had one of the most-streamed songs of all time. Her debut album “SOUR” dropped in May, debuting at No. 1 in 30 countries. At the VMAs Rodrigo won Push Performance of the Year and Best New Artist. Her live take on “good 4 u” – the punk counterpoint to “drivers license” – was loud, chaotic, perfect. The camera panned the crowd: everyone knew the words.

Foo Fighters: Global Icon Award and a Masterclass in Rock

  MTV doesn’t hand out the Global Icon Award often. Foo Fighters earned it: 27 years of band history, 12 studio albums, more Grammys than most of their peers. Dave Grohl – once Nirvana’s drummer, now frontman of one of the last true rock bands in the mainstream – looked genuinely moved. Their live set ran 25 minutes. They tore through “All My Life,” “Best of You,” “The Sky Is a Neighborhood” and closed with “Everlong” in an acoustic, hushed arrangement that even non-rock fans found thought-provoking.

The Chaos in Between: BTS, Machine Gun Kelly and Everyone Else

  BTS performed “Butter” in four different outfits and took Group of the Year. Machine Gun Kelly arrived with pink hair and spikes on his suit for a brief but explosive set. Camila Cabello unveiled the first single from her upcoming album. The show unfolded the way VMAs do: too long, too fast, too crowded. Yet that’s precisely what makes it an event – a compressed year of pop culture distilled into three hours.