VMAs 2023: It’s Taylor’s World & We’re All Living In It

2022 Toronto International Film Festival

Here Are Some Highlights From The Show

By Andrew Hylton

On September 12, 2023, MTV broadcasted their annual Video Music Awards. There were many celebrities in attendance including Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, Cardi B and most importantly the night’s host Nicki Minaj. However, one star that shined the brightest was Taylor Swift who won most of the ceremony's honors. It is safe to say that it’s Taylor’s world and we’re just living in it.

Swift was nominated for 11 awards ultimately winning nine of them including the night’s big four coveted awards, which are Artist, Song, Album and Video of the year respectively. All of the accolades that Swift received are due to the release of her 2022 album “Midnights” along with the various re-records of previous albums with “Speak Now: Taylor’s Version” being the most recent.

2022 MTV Video Music Awards

The show was hosted by rapper Nicki Minaj, who is set to release her highly anticipated fifth studio album “Pink Friday 2,” which will be released on November 17th.

The ceremony was also on theme for the album rollout with MTV having a pink carpet to coincide with the upcoming release. It was also fitting for Minaj to host the event considering it is the 50th anniversary of hip hop. There were even performances by legendary hip hop acts such as Doug E. Fresh, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, and Minaj herself.

Keeping to the the topic of hip hop, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed their latin inspired single ‘Bongos’ for the very first time and got an outstanding response from the audience and viewers at home alike. Other notable performers included Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, Karol G and Shakira, who won the Video Vanguard Award and performed a medley of her hits.

A few might assume that the VMAs are past their prime in terms of audience excitement and anticipation. However, viewership was up 37% compared to last year’s ceremony. This just proves that with star power a telecast can capture the minds and attention spans of the general public. This year’s VMAs were a success; let’s see what next year’s show has to offer.