MTV Video Music Awards 2023: Taylor Swift sweeps awards, then fangirls four hours of performances on stage

Taylor Swift's Anti-Hero bagged the Song of the Year and Video of the Year awards and took home nine of the 11 awards she was up for, including Artist of the Year in a category made up entirely of women nominees for the first time in VMA history, at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, USA. The night saw nearly four hours of must-see performances amidst record-setting award wins and an epic celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop

By Madhu Kapparath

Published: Sep 14, 2023 05:06:27 PM IST

Updated: Sep 14, 2023 10:59:16 PM IST

Image: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for MTV

Taylor Swift, flanked by the director of photography Rina Yang (right) and editor Chancler Haynes, accepts the Best Direction award for "Anti-Hero" from Nicki Minaj onstage during the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. This is Swift's third win for direction in the past four years following The Man (2019) and All Too Well: The Short Film (2022).

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A view of the stage and the night's first presenters, NSYNC (Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick). They reunited, much to the audience's shock, to hand the Best Pop Video award to Swift.

Image: Brendan Mcdermid / Reuters

Shakira became the first South American artist to win the Video Vanguard Award, a prestigious merit celebrating an artist's contributions and impact on music video and pop culture. She also performed a 10-minute bilingual medley of her biggest hits that received a standing ovation. She also won the best collaboration award with Karol G for TQG.

Image: Brendan Mcdermid / Reuters

Emcee of the evening, Nicki Minaj, won a record fifth award for best hip-hop for her track Super Freaky Girl. Her previous wins were for Super Bass (2011), Anaconda (2015), Chun-Li (2018), and Do We Have a Problem (2022).

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South Korean boy band Stray Kids performs onstage during the MTV Video Music Awards. Stray Kids won their first for best K-pop for their hit' S-Class' and stood in awe in their seats when their names were announced.

IImage: Brendan Mcdermid / Reuters

Rapper Lil Wayne, notorious for profane lyrics, opened the show with a performance of his new single Kat Food.

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Italian rock band and Eurovision star Maneskin put up an electrifying rendition of the band's new single 'Honey (Are U Coming?)' At the Awards. The band won the Best Rock Award for "The Loneliest."

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Selena Gomez (centre) also entered her name into history books as she and Rema, a Nigerian singer (left), became the winner in the inaugural Best Afrobeats category for their track Calm Down.

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Demi Lovato's powerhouse vocals brought the house down as she infused new energy into her rock 'n' roll medley of her biggest hits "Heart Attack," "Sorry Not Sorry," and "Cool For The Summer."

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Ice Spice, Taylor Swift, and Ashanti pose for the cameras at the VMA. Ice Spice was teary-eyed and emotional after being named Best New Artist, telling the audience: "Oh my god, this is so cool … shout out to the Bronx."

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The legendary rapper Diddy poses with the Global Icon Award at the 2023 MTV VMA. Diddy also performed at the Awards, with his biggest hits like Bad Boy for Life and Mo Money Mo Problems, joined by some of his collaborators: Yung Miami, Keyshia Cole, and his son King Combs.

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US rapper Cardi B performs onstage during the MTV Video Music Awards. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion brought their new eye-popping video for "Bongos" to life on stage.

Image: ANGELA WEISS / AFP

(From left) Yeonjun, HueningKai, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Soobin of South Korean boy band Tomorrow X Together arrive for the MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The K-pop boy band and Brazilian superstar Anitta premiered their new collaboration, the glossy retro-pop 'Back for More'.

Image: Brendan Mcdermid / Reuters

LL Cool J and DMC of the legendary Run-DMC performing towards the close of the 2023 MTV VMA. The Awards celebrated 50 years of hip-hop with a star-studded finale performance. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five started with The Message, which led to Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's The Show. Emcee Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, and DMC of Run-DMC made an energetic closing act that got the audience singing along to their classics.