Madonna Opens MTV VMAs With Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX
Madonna returned to the MTV VMAs stage for the first time since 2003, opening Sunday's show with Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX and leading all nominees with 13 nods.
Programme
- Madonna performed at the VMAs for the first time since 2003, opening with Sabrina Carpenter on "Bring YourLove" and a "Danceteria" remix with Charli XCX
- Madonna leads all nominees with 13 nominations, driven by the short film for her album Confessions II, the sequel to 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor
- Taylor Swift follows with 11 nominations; the VMAs reintroduced the Best Dance category, last awarded in 2019
Madonna opened the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, sharing the stage with Sabrina Carpenter for "Bring Your Love" before Charli XCX joined for a remix of "Danceteria." It marked Madonna's first performance at the ceremony since 2003, when she famously kissed both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
Madonna sang "Like a Virgin" at the VMAs' first show in 1984. Her return on Sunday opened a night in which she leads all nominees with 13 nods.
The "Danceteria" performance unfolded on a graffiti-laden bathroom stage set and stacked the stage with celebrity cameos. Sombr appeared in an outrageous leather outfit, alongside Julia Garner, Debi Mazar, Seth Rogen, Andrew Watt, Tony Ward, and Fab 5 Freddie. Mazar and Freddie are both name-checked in the song's lyrics.
Thirteen Nominations
Madonna's nominations stem largely from the short film she made for her new album, Confessions II, the long-awaited sequel to her 2005 record Confessions on a Dance Floor. The film competes for Video of the Year, plus Best Direction, Cinematography, and Choreography, among other categories.
Its nomination also anchors the return of the Best Dance category, which the VMAs handed out regularly from 1989 until 2019.
The Madonna-Carpenter duet "Bring Your Love," which the pair debuted live during Carpenter's headlining Coachella set, earned nominations for Song of the Year and Best Collaboration. Madonna is also up for Artist of the Year.
Taylor Swift trails Madonna with 11 nominations. In Artist of the Year, the two face Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Carpenter, and Morgan Wallen. In Song of the Year, "Bring Your Love" competes against BTS' "Swim," Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas," Huntr/x's "Golden," Olivia Dean's "Man I Need," the PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson "Stateside" remix, and Raye's "Where Is My Husband!"
The Night Ahead
Later performances were slated from Gunna, Lisa, Raye, Shaboozey, Gener8ion, Sienna Spiro, and Yung Lean. Kacey Musgraves will deliver a tribute set honoring Dolly Parton, marking the country singer's first VMAs stage appearance in five years. Raye, Sombr, and Teddy Swims will pay tribute to George Michael, who died nearly a decade ago.
With Madonna's 13 nominations spanning the night's top categories, the ceremony she helped define in 1984 could now deliver one of the biggest award hauls of her career.
Source: Rolling Stone Music
