HIGHLIGHTS OF THE VMAS!
The annual VMAS is widely considered to be one of the most interactive and dramatic award show nights in the music industry. Instead of awards being deliberated by the academy’s staff, the VMAS is next to entirely fan voted!
Celebrities are encouraged to stand in their seats and dance along with the entertainment provided on stage. The only way to describe the night is a lively concert with all the biggest names in Hollywood being in attendance. No other award show racks up as much controversy as the VMAS, and this year was no different.
Chappell Roan’s Red Carpet Debacle
It is no secret that the music industry has been lacking new upcoming pop stars these last few years. Olivia Rodrigo has become one of the most recent musicians back in 2021. Stars like Sabrina Carpenter and Charlie XCX recently dominated the charts this year having their careers reach new heights due to their newly released albums. Chappell Roan is no different, having broken out after her songs slowly started to gain traction after her single ‘HOT TO GO’ started circulating. The catchy chorus only served as a basis, as the dance spelling out the letters to the title becomes Chappell’s aesthetic and inspirations compared to other artists who keep their brands cohesive is considered unique. The drag queen takes inspiration from many queer and trans artists, and made sure to recognize them during her VMA’s acceptance speech after winning ‘Best Upcoming Artist’.
Though the end of the night was considered a massive success, arriving at the carpet took an instant turn after photographers started shouting out commands for her poses. In medieval attire – in which alludes to her later performance on stage – Chappell catches wind of a photographer berating her. After some profanities were shot at her, she instantly becomes aggravated and pointedly shoots back the insult, before assuring them that she isn’t someone to mess with. This situation was met with an odd mixture of applause and confusion by the photographers who were only spectating.
Chappell is still fairly new to the fame and attention she is receiving, yet she has a lot more confidence than many others to confront fans about the creepy and predatory behaviors they have been acting on around her. The response received a mixture of applause and criticism, though Chappell made it clear that she didn’t care for an answer. Her refusal to conform to what fame demands of her is considered refreshing in an industry full of people bowing down to strangers in order to seem like a good person.
Sabrina Carpenter, Camelia Cabello, and Shawn Mendes
Media outlets forming romantic scandals in order to create a story surrounding a piece of artistry is no new testimony. Though it would be a lie to say that it doesn’t do any good for the promotional aspect of it. In fact, there is an increase of curiosity in a piece of craft when there is a story that aligns with the alleged meaning.
Sabrina Carpenter has already made a name for herself through her years working for Disney. Success was bound to find her once she had stepped away from her label and worked with another, which allowed her to show growth in her musical career. Her latest being Short and Sweet, and having found major success in the industry due to her hit ‘Espresso’ making number one on the billboards. Though there was a lot of media literacy over the lyrics of most of her albums. She points to a relationship that abruptly ended because her lover didn’t find feelings as intense for her as his ex, who apparently got back together after being with her for a short period of time.
Connecting the dots and the period these lyrics were written, Sabrina’s songs point at a failed relationship she had back in 2023. The only notable ones during the time were public outings with Shawn Mendes. Camila Cabello and Shawn had a very public relationship together throughout the years, so when their break-up happened, there was more than just their own feelings involved. After outings with Sabrina, shortly did he and Camila get back together and subsequently break up.
It came to no true surprise when all three of them were set to perform on the VMAS stage, as all of them had played music this year. The pairings of all three of them all serve as another set of rumors that circulate between them all, and eventually creates more publicity for their works coming out.
Sabrina made sure to play her third single off the Short and Sweet album, ‘Taste’, in which is more known to allude to her feuding relationship with the pair of them. There is a need to get more information as to what has happened, and as to why.
Katy Perry’s Comeback
Making history back in the early 2010s, Katy Perry is the only artist in history to have five number one hits on one single album. Despite her commercial success, her music slowly started to die out when switching routes in her career considering her aesthetic. Her campy nature wasn’t something that seemed to grasp the media attention, and her newer albums haven’t reached the high of the Teenage Dream album.
After a long hiatus to settle with her family, she came back with the intention of dominating the charts once again. To remind every one of her talents on stage, she took on one of the longest sets of the night. At 9 minutes and 55 seconds, Katy pays homage to her past hits such as ‘California girls’ and ‘Dark Horse’ throughout the duration of the performance.
Katy used the set to introduce her newest single ‘I’m his, he’s mine’ for the first time with Doechii, the music video coming out the following morning. In all, her performance reminded the audience of her vocal range and endurance to perform for long periods of time. Subsequently, she took home the ‘Most iconic performance’ award at the end of the night.
