The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards were held on September 12 in New Jersey’s Prudential Center. Some of the many talented nominees included Olivia Rodrigo, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Miley Cyrus. Taylor Swift held the most nominations, with 11 total, including Artist and Song of the Year.
Now, the fans have voted, and the results are finally here. Starting with Video of the Year – the show’s top prize. Six artists were nominated (including Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, and Olivia Rodrigo) with various songs (including Rodrigo’s new release “Vampire,” and Taylor Swift’s pop hit “ Anti-Hero”). Swift won with her number one hit from her latest album, Midnights, which stood at #1 on the Billboard for eight weeks.
It’s not a surprise that this year’s Artist of the Year award had an impressive lineup from Beyoncé to winner of the first award of the night, Taylor Swift. But once again, Swift’s fans took the lead, and Taylor went 2 for 2 in awards. After winning this award seven times, Swift remains the biggest recipient.
Best New Artist had a lineup of rap and pop-based artists, including Glorilla and Ice Spice. These artists had recently done impressive collaborations with Cardi B and Taylor Swift, getting them far in the music industry. The votes led to Ice Spice taking the title, which is no surprise after her successful performance debut at the Eras Tour.
Next, impressive collaborations such as Post Malone + Doja Cat and Karol G + Shakira ran for the Best Collaboration award, with Karol G and Shakira’s song “TQG” winning. “TQG” was nominated for three awards after reaching the Billboard #1 spot earlier in the year.
Now, to the hip-hop and pop world, where both awards went out back to back. Brand new pop songs, including Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” from the Barbie Movie and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” were in the lineup, but were overtaken by Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero.”
After another win by Swift, she took the lead in awards for the night. However, Nicki Minaj’s win of Best Hip-Hop for “ Super Freaky Girl” was her first win after multiple nominations.
Throughout the night, it seemed as though the nominations were filled with Swift’s last album, Midnights, and performances such as her music videos and the Eras Tour. Not only did she have the most wins and nominations of the night, but MTV just announced that Swift tied the record for most VMA wins in one night.
She received nine wins in major categories such as Artist of the Year, Song of the Year (“Anti-Hero”), Show of the Summer, and Album of the Year (Midnights). Remember that this is only a portion of her many wins.
It’s clear to see what an influential artist Swift has become. However, the night also recognized up-and-coming artists and behind-the-scenes songs and music video productions. Overall, the 2023 VMAs are bound to go down in history.
