Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Jack Harlow and Lil Nas X all took home numerous awards at this year’s MTV VMAs – which also involved a brief appearance from Johnny Depp, superimposed as a floating astronaut.
Going into the awards, which took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow each led the way with nominations, with seven each. Harry Styles and Doja Cat followed, with six each, whilst Taylor Swift had five. It would be a night to remember for Jack Harlow, who not only co-hosted the event alongside Nicki Minaj and LL Cool J, but also won four awards: Song Of The Summer (for his tack ‘First Class’), Best Art Direction, Best Collaboration and Best Visual Effects – the last three also being award to Lil Nas X, as it was won off the back of their collaborative track ‘Industry Baby’. Taylor Swift scooped three awards, including the coveted Video Of The Year award for ‘All Too Well (10-Minute Version)’. The same video also won her prizes for Best Longform Video and Best Direction.
Taylor Swift fans, aka Swifties, also felt like they won, as the singer announced plans for a brand-new album, Midnights, set for release on 21 October.
Harry Styles also won three awards, with his latest album Harry’s House winning Album Of The Year for ‘Harry’s House’, whilst its lead single, ‘As It Was’, won Best Pop and Best Cinematography.
Nicki Minaj, meanwhile, was honoured with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, and Red Hot Chili Peppers were named Global Icons, which drummer Chad Smith dedicated to Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, who passed away earlier this year.
Perhaps the more bizarre moment of the night was the appearance of Johnny Depp, after he won a lengthy and public dispute with his ex-wife Amber Heard, whom Depp sued over claims of domestic abuse she made in a Washington Post article in 2018.
Going into the awards, which took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow each led the way with nominations, with seven each. Harry Styles and Doja Cat followed, with six each, whilst Taylor Swift had five. It would be a night to remember for Jack Harlow, who not only co-hosted the event alongside Nicki Minaj and LL Cool J, but also won four awards: Song Of The Summer (for his tack ‘First Class’), Best Art Direction, Best Collaboration and Best Visual Effects – the last three also being award to Lil Nas X, as it was won off the back of their collaborative track ‘Industry Baby’. Taylor Swift scooped three awards, including the coveted Video Of The Year award for ‘All Too Well (10-Minute Version)’. The same video also won her prizes for Best Longform Video and Best Direction.
Taylor Swift fans, aka Swifties, also felt like they won, as the singer announced plans for a brand-new album, Midnights, set for release on 21 October.
Harry Styles also won three awards, with his latest album Harry’s House winning Album Of The Year for ‘Harry’s House’, whilst its lead single, ‘As It Was’, won Best Pop and Best Cinematography.
Nicki Minaj, meanwhile, was honoured with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, and Red Hot Chili Peppers were named Global Icons, which drummer Chad Smith dedicated to Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, who passed away earlier this year.
Perhaps the more bizarre moment of the night was the appearance of Johnny Depp, after he won a lengthy and public dispute with his ex-wife Amber Heard, whom Depp sued over claims of domestic abuse she made in a Washington Post article in 2018.
Depp’s face was digitally imposed as an astronaut, to replicate MTV’s moon man mascot, to kick-off the event. The 59-year-old actor joked he “needed the work” and that he was available for “birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes, any old thing you need.” Anyhow, for anyone who wishes to see the list of winners, here they are in full:Johnny Depp available for birthdays he said. pic.twitter.com/U1TX0Y1bYp
— 𝐦𝐚𝐫 (@vaersac) August 29, 2022
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Doja Cat – ‘Woman’ Drake ft. Future & Young Thug – ‘Way 2 Sexy’ Ed Sheeran – ‘Shivers’ Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’ Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – ‘Industry Baby’ Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Brutal’ Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’ – winner
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Bad Bunny – winner Drake Ed Sheeran Harry Styles Jack Harlow Lil Nas X LizzoSONG OF THE YEAR
Adele – ‘Easy On Me’ Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’ – winner Doja Cat – ‘Woman’ Elton John and Dua Lipa – ‘Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)’ Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’ The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Adele – ’30’ Bad Bunny – ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’ Drake – ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Harry Styles – ‘Harry’s House’ – winnerGROUP OF THE YEAR
BTS – winner BLACKPINK City Girls Foo Fighters Imagine Dragons Måneskin Red Hot Chili Peppers Silk Sonic
BEST NEW ARTIST
Baby Keem Dove Cameron – winner Gayle Latto Måneskin SeventeenSONG OF THE SUMMER
Bad Bunny and Chencho Corleone – ‘Me Porto Bonito’ Beyonce – ‘Break My Soul’ Kane Brown – ‘Grand’ Doja Cat – ‘Vegas’ Future featuring Drake and Tems – ‘Wait for U’ Jack Harlow – ‘First Class’ – winner Steve Lacy – ‘Bad Habit’ Latto and Mariah Carey featuring DJ Khaled – ‘Big Energy (Remix)’ Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’ Post Malone featuring Doja Cat – ‘I Like You (A Happier Song)’ Marshmello and Khalid – ‘Numb’ Nicki Minaj – ‘Super Freaky Girl’ Charlie Puth featuring Jungkook of BTS – ‘Left and Right’ Rosalía – ‘Bizcochito’ Harry Styles – ‘Late Night Talking’ Nicky Youre and dazy – ‘Sunroof’PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
September 2021: Griff – ‘One Night’ October 2021: Remi Wolf – ‘Sexy Villain’ – Island Records November 2021: Nessa Barrett – ‘i hope ur miserable until ur dead’ December 2021: Seventeen – ‘Rock With You’ – winner January 2021: Mae Muller – ‘Better Days’ February 2022: Gayle – ‘abcdefu’ March 2022: Sheneesa – ‘R U That’ April 2022: Omar Apollo – ‘Tamagotchi’ May 2022: Wet Leg – ‘Chaise Longue’ June 2022: Muni Long – ‘Baby Boo’ July 2022: Doechii – ‘Persuasive’BEST COLLABORATION
Drake ft. Future and Young Thug – ‘Way 2 Sexy’ Elton John and Dua Lipa – ‘Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)’ Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – ‘Industry Baby’ – winner Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa – ‘Sweetest Pie’ Post Malone and The Weeknd – ‘One Right Now’ Rosalía ft. The Weeknd – ‘La Fama’ The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’
BEST POP
Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’ Doja Cat – ‘Woman’ Ed Sheeran – ‘Shivers’ Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’ – winner Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’ Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Traitor’BEST HIP-HOP
Eminem and Snoop Dogg – ‘From The D 2 The LBC’ Future ft. Drake, Tems – ‘Wait For U’ Kendrick Lamar – ‘N95’ Latto – ‘Big Energy’ Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Baby – ‘Do We Have A Problem?’ – winner Pusha T – ‘Diet Coke’BEST ROCK
Foo Fighters – ‘Love Dies Young’ Jack White – ‘Taking Me Back’ Muse – ‘Won’t Stand Down’ Red Hot Chili Peppers – ‘Black Summer’ – winner Shinedown – ‘Planet Zero’ Three Days Grace – ‘So Called Life’BEST ALTERNATIVE
Avril Lavigne ft. blackbear – ‘Love It When You Hate Me’ Imagine Dragons and JID – ‘Enemy’ Machine Gun Kelly ft. WILLOW – ‘Emo Girl’ Måneskin – ‘I Wanna Be Your Slave’ – winner Panic! At The Disco – ‘Viva Las Vengeance’ Twenty One Pilots – ‘Saturday’ Willow and Avril Lavigne ft. Travis Barker – ‘Grow’
BEST LATIN
Anitta – ‘Envolver’ – winner Bad Bunny – ‘Tití Me Preguntó’ Becky G and Karol G – ‘Mamiii’ Daddy Yankee – ‘Remix’ Farruko – ‘Pepas’ J Balvin and Skrillex – ‘In Da Getto’BEST R&B
Alicia Keys – ‘City Of Gods (Part II)’ Chlöe – ‘Have Mercy’ H.E.R. – ‘For Anyone’ Normani ft. Cardi B – ‘Wild Side’ – Keep Cool/RCA Records Summer Walker, SZA and Cardi B – ‘No Love (Extended Version)’ The Weeknd – ‘Out Of Time’ – winnerBEST K-POP
BTS – ‘Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)’ ITZY – ‘Loco’ LISA – ‘Lalisa’ – winner Seventeen – ‘Hot’ Stray Kids – ‘Maniac’ TWICE – ‘The Feels’VIDEO FOR GOOD
Kendrick Lamar – ‘The Heart Part 5’ Latto – ‘Pussy’ Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’ – winner Rina Sawayama – ‘This Hell’ Stromae – ‘Fils De Joie’
BEST METAVERSE PERFORMANCE
Blackpink The Virtual – PUBG – winner BTS – Minecraft Charli XCX – Roblox Justin Bieber – An Interactive Virtual Experience – Wave Rift Tour ft. Ariana Grande – Fortnite Twenty One Pilots Concert Experience – RobloxBEST LONGFORM VIDEO
Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles’ Foo Fighters – ‘Studio 666’ Kacey Musgraves – ‘Star-Crossed’ Madonna – ‘Madame X’ Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Driving Home 2 U’ Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’ – winnerBEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar – ‘Family Ties’ Camila Cabello ft. Ed Sheeran – ‘Bam Bam’ Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’ – winner Kendrick Lamar – ‘N95’ Normani ft. Cardi B – ‘Wild Side’ Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’BEST DIRECTION
Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar – ‘Family Ties’ Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’ Ed Sheeran – ‘Shivers’ Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’ Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – ‘Industry Baby’ Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’ – winner
