The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), which aired live this morning from New York’s gamed Madison Square Garden, saw global megastar Beyoncé surprising the audience with a jaw-dropping “Lemonade” medley that recreated the stunning imagery of the visual album.
Beyoncé also swept 8 MTV VMA moonmen including “Video of the Year” for “Lemonade”. In case you missed it:
https://twitter.com/MTV/status/770112782612258816
Her performance was flanked by Rihanna’s electrifying opening dance medley and a trio of stirring ballads to close, before she accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award aka VMA’s highest honour, with a heartfelt tribute by Drake.
Upon accepting the award, Rihanna said, “When I think about the Vanguard award and receiving this tonight, all I could think of was my country. They’re gonna be so proud, this is the first Vanguard to land anywhere close to my country. And so, you know..my success, it started as my dream. But now, my success is not my own, you know? It’s my family’s, it’s my fans’, it’s my country’s, it’s the Caribbean as a whole, it’s women’s, it’s black women’s..”
Watch her acceptance speech and performance below:
"My success is not my own. It's my family's. It's my fans'. It's my country's." – @rihanna#VMAs https://t.co/g4glV2OEJL
— MTV (@MTV) August 29, 2016
.@rihanna just lit the place on ??? https://t.co/08FE5bBAAe
— MTV (@MTV) August 29, 2016
Kanye West made a special appearance to deliver a meditation on fame before introducing the steamy and surreal video for “Fade,” starring actress and GOOD Music recording artiste Teyana Taylor and her fiancée, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Iman Shumpert.
Future tore through a blistering performance of his 2015 hit “F**k Up Some Commas”, after being introduced by legendary Olympian Michael Phelps, who revealed he’d been listening to Future in the meme-launching photo of him in Rio.
And finally, let’s not forget that Britney Spears also made a triumphant return to the VMA stage with a soaring performance of her G-Eazy collaboration “Make Me…”
COME THRU QUEEN. Welcome back to the #VMA stage, @britneyspears! https://t.co/6mbHjEc4aL
— MTV (@MTV) August 29, 2016
The full list of winners is as follows:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Beyoncé – “Formation”
Director: Melina Matsoukas
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MICHAEL JACKSON VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD
Rihanna
BEST FEMALE VIDEO
Beyoncé – “Hold Up”
Director: Jonas Åkerlund, Beyoncé Knowles Carter
BEST MALE VIDEO
Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For”
Director: Emil Nava
BEST COLLABORATION
Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Work From Home”
Director: Director X
BEST HIP HOP VIDEO
Drake – “Hotline Bling”
Director: Director X
BEST POP VIDEO
Beyoncé – “Formation”
Director: Melina Matsoukas
BEST ROCK VIDEO
twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
Director: Andrew Donoho
BEST ELECTRONIC VIDEO
Calvin Harris & Disciples – “How Deep Is Your Love”
Director: Emil Nava
BREAKTHROUGH LONG-FORM VIDEO
Beyoncé – Lemonade
BEST NEW ARTISTE
Presented by Taco Bell®
DNCE
SONG OF SUMMER
Presented by Verizon
Fifth Harmony featuring Fetty Wap – “All In My Head (Flex)”
BEST ART DIRECTION
David Bowie – “Blackstar”
Production Designer: Jan Houllevigue
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Beyoncé – “Formation”
Choreographer: Chris Grant, JaQuel Knight, Dana Foglia
BEST DIRECTION
Beyoncé – “Formation”
Director: Melina Matsoukas
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Beyoncé – “Formation”
Cinematographer: Malik Sayeed
BEST EDITING
Beyoncé – “Formation”
Editor: Jeff Selis
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Coldplay – “Up&Up”
VFX Editor: Vania Heymann
A repeat telecast of the 2016 “MTV Video Music Awards” will air on MTV tonight at 10pm (MY). The show will air on MTV LIVE HD on 30th Tuesday at 8:30pm (MY).
For more information, hit up the MTV VMA website.
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