Taylor Swift cleaned up at Tuesday's MTV Video Music Awards, as Shakira accepted the night's prestigious Video Vanguard prize with a hip-shaking, career-spanning performance.
Swift continued her global reign by scooping awards including Best Song and Best Pop, as several of the night's top trophies still needed handing out.
Turn-of-the-millennium teen heartthrobs NSYNC reunited onstage for the first time in a decade to grant her the latter award, leaving Swift, who is poised to post the first billion-dollar tour, fanning her cheeks.
"I'm not doing well pivoting" from fan to winner, Swift said.
"Like, I had your dolls!" she said to the "Bye Bye Bye" singers.
But she didn't perform on the night known far more for its spectacle than its awards, instead sipping her drink as artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Anitta and Doja Cat took to the stage.
The made-for-broadcast show, held this year in Newark's Prudential Center, frequently panned to Swift who was seated near the main stage next to Ice Spice, the viral Bronx rapper who has collaborated with the pop phenom.
A camera operator was even reportedly tasked with filming Swift for the show's entire duration.
Speaking onstage, she told fans that when writing she often feels she has "a very specific type of insecurity or self-loathing," but when she hears them screaming the lyrics "it brings me to this very relaxing feeling of, maybe we all have the same issues."
Lil Wayne opened the show in a nod to this year's 50th anniversary of hip hop, and Sean Combs -- known by his stage names Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy and Diddy -- delivered a career-spanning performance as he accepted the night's Global Icon lifetime achievement award.
"This is so surreal," said the 53-year-old from Harlem. "I started out as a paper boy."
And it was Shakira who scored the night's most prestigious award for lifetime achievement, the Video Vanguard award that celebrates music video innovations.
The Colombian performer, 46, stole the show as she performed her signature hip pops and sang a bilingual medley including "She Wolf," "Te Felicito," "Objection (Tango)," "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie."
Wearing a glittering, nude ensemble, the artist finished her set by crowd-surfing to a platform that then elevated her high above a screaming crowd of fans and peers.
"Thank you MTV. Thank you for being such a big part of my career since I was only 18 years old," she said.
- Afrobeats and Bongos -
Rapper Nicki Minaj hosted the event for the second consecutive year, also debuting live her newest single, "Last Time I Saw You," which is slated for release on her album "Pink Friday 2" in November.
She also won the night's award for Best Hip Hop.
And Doja Cat ignited the crowd as she performed a medley of "Attention," "Paint The Town Red"
and "Demons," donning a sexy skirtsuit situation she slowly loosened as she danced, meanwhile unfurling a long blonde mane.
Best R&B went to SZA, who did not attend, while South Korea's Stray Kids won the award for Best K-pop and later performed.
Nigeria's Rema won the prize for Best Afrobeats, a new category, for his remixed single "Calm Down" featuring Selena Gomez.
The song surpassed a billion streams on Spotify over the weekend.
"This means so much seeing Afrobeats grow this big," Rema said while accepting the trophy.
Anitta dropped a booty-shaking dance party of a show with hits including "Funk Rave," which earned the evening's prize for Best Latin.
Colombian Karol G was also among the evening's top performers, and she scored a prize with Shakira for Best Collaboration.
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion debuted their live performance of "Bongos," their latest collaboration that follows the resounding success of "WAP."
Cardi entered the stage from the ceiling on a disco ball, her hair in loose waves a la Donna Summer. Megan joined her from another stage, and after their respective verses the pair led the audience through a high-energy, twerkified dance breakdown.
Pop-punk band Fallout Boy rounded out the millennial nostalgia tour that began the night with NSYNC.
The emo rockers performed their updated version of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire," hitting major moments of the past three decades in a revamp that includes the line: "YouTube killed MTV."
Keep reading to see the full list of 2023 VMAs winners, including the legends who accepted the coveted Global Icon Award and Video Vanguard Award.
GLOBAL ICON AWARD:
Sean "Diddy" Combs
VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD:
WINNER: Shakira
VIDEO OF THE YEAR, Presented by Burger King®
Doja Cat – "Attention" – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Miley Cyrus – "Flowers" – Columbia Records
Nicki Minaj – "Super Freaky Girl" – Republic Records
Olivia Rodrigo – "vampire" – Geffen Records
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – "Unholy" – Capitol Records
SZA – "Kill Bill" – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
WINNER: Taylor Swift – "Anti-Hero" – Republic Records
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Beyoncé – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
Doja Cat – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
KAROL G – Interscope Records
Nicki Minaj – Republic Records
Shakira – Sony Music US Latin
Taylor Swift – Republic Records
SONG OF THE YEAR
Miley Cyrus – "Flowers" – Columbia Records
Olivia Rodrigo – "vampire" – Geffen Records
Rema & Selena Gomez – "Calm Down" – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – "Unholy" – Capitol Records
Steve Lacy – "Bad Habit" – L-M Records / RCA Records
SZA – "Kill Bill" – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records Records
WINNER: Taylor Swift – "Anti-Hero" – Republic Records
BEST NEW ARTIST
GloRilla - CMG / Interscope Records
WINNER: Ice Spice - 10K Projects / Capitol Records
Kaliii - Atlantic Records
Peso Pluma - Double P Records
PinkPantheress - 300 Entertainment
Reneé Rapp - Interscope Records
PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
August 2022: Saucy Santana – "Booty" – Arena Records / RCA Records
September 2022: Stephen Sanchez – "Until I Found You" – Mercury Records / Republic Records
October 2022: JVKE – "golden hour" – AWAL
November 2022: Flo Milli – "Conceited" – '94 Sounds / RCA Records
December 2022: Reneé Rapp – "Colorado" – Interscope Records
January 2023: Sam Ryder – "All The Way Over" – Elektra Entertainment
February 2023: Armani White – "GOATED" – Def Jam
March 2023: FLETCHER – "Becky's So Hot" – Capitol Records
WINNER: April 2023: TOMORROW X TOGETHER – "Sugar Rush Ride" – BIGHIT MUSIC / Republic Records
May 2023: Ice Spice – "Princess Diana" – Heavy On It / 10K Projects / Capitol Records
June 2023: FLO – "Losing You" – Uptown/Republic Records
July 2023: Lauren Spencer Smith – "That Part" – Island Records
BEST COLLABORATION
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – "I'm Good (Blue)" – Warner Records
Post Malone, Doja Cat – "I Like You (A Happier Song)" – Mercury Records / Republic Records
Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – "Gotta Move On" – Motown Records
WINNER: KAROL G, Shakira – "TQG" – Universal Music Latino
Metro Boomin with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy – "Creepin' (Remix)" – Boominati / Republic Records
Rema & Selena Gomez – "Calm Down" – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records
BEST POP
Demi Lovato – "Swine" – Island Records
Dua Lipa – "Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album)" – Atlantic Records
Ed Sheeran – "Eyes Closed" – Atlantic Records
Miley Cyrus – "Flowers" – Columbia Records
Olivia Rodrigo – "vampire" – Geffen Records
P!NK – "TRUSTFALL" – RCA Records
WINNER: Taylor Swift – "Anti-Hero" – Republic Records
BEST HIP-HOP
Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – "Gotta Move On" – Motown Records
DJ Khaled ft. Drake & Lil Baby – "STAYING ALIVE" – We The Best / Epic Records
GloRilla & Cardi B – "Tomorrow 2" – CMG / Interscope Records
Lil Uzi Vert – "Just Wanna Rock" – Atlantic Records / Generation Now
Lil Wayne ft. Swizz Beatz & DMX – "Kant Nobody" – Young Money Records
Metro Boomin ft Future – "Superhero (Heroes and Villains)" – Boominati / Republic Records
WINNER: Nicki Minaj – "Super Freaky Girl" – Republic Records
BEST R&B
Alicia Keys ft. Lucky Daye – "Stay" – RCA Records
Chlöe ft. Chris Brown – "How Does It Feel" – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia
Metro Boomin with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy – "Creepin' (Remix)" – Boominati / Republic Records
WINNER: SZA – "Shirt" – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Toosii – "Favorite Song" – South Coast Music Group / Capitol Records
Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj – "Love In The Way" – Empire Distribution
BEST ALTERNATIVE
blink-182 – "EDGING" – Columbia Records
boygenius – "the film" – Interscope Records
Fall Out Boy – "Hold Me Like A Grudge" – Fueled By Ramen
Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – "Candy Necklace" – Interscope Records
Paramore – "This Is Why" – Atlantic Records
Thirty Seconds To Mars – "Stuck" – Concord Records / Concord
BEST ROCK
Foo Fighters – "The Teacher" – RCA Records
Linkin Park – "Lost (Original Version)" – Warner Records
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Tippa My Tongue" – Warner Records
WINNER: Måneskin – "THE LONELIEST" – Arista Records
Metallica – "Lux Æterna" – Blackened Recordings
Muse – "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween" – Warner Records
BEST LATIN
WINNER: Anitta – "Funk Rave" – Republic Records
Bad Bunny – "WHERE SHE GOES" – Rimas Entertainment
Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma – "Ella Baila Sola" – DEL Records, Inc. / Prajin Parlay, Inc. Grupo Frontera Bad Bunny – "un x100to" – Rimas Entertainment
KAROL G, Shakira – "TQG" – Universal Music Latino
ROSALÍA – "DESPECHÁ" – Columbia Records
Shakira – "Acróstico" – Sony Music US Latin
BEST K-POP
aespa – "Girls" – SM ENTERTAINMENT Co., Ltd.
BLACKPINK – "Pink Venom" – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records
FIFTY FIFTY – "Cupid" – ATTRAKT / Warner Records
SEVENTEEN – "Super" – HYBE / Geffen Records
WINNER: Stray Kids – "S-Class" – JYP / Republic
TOMORROW X TOGETHER – "Sugar Rush Ride" – BIGHIT MUSIC / Republic Records
BEST AFROBEATS
Ayra Starr – "Rush" – Mavin Global Holdings
Burna Boy – "It's Plenty" – Atlantic Records / Spaceship Entertainment Ltd
Davido ft. Musa Keys – "UNAVAILABLE" – Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records
Fireboy DML & Asake – "Bandana" – Empire Distribution
Libianca – "People" – Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records
WINNER: Rema & Selena Gomez – "Calm Down" – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records
Wizkid ft Ayra Starr– "2 Sugar" – Starboy / RCA Records
VIDEO FOR GOOD
WINNER: Dove Cameron - "Breakfast"
Alicia Keys - "If I Ain't Got You (Orchestral)"
Bad Bunny - "El Apagón"
Demi Lovato - "Swine"
Maluma - "La Reina"
Imagine Dragons - "Crushed"
BEST DIRECTION
Doja Cat - "Attention" - Kemosabe Records / RCA Records - Directed by Tanu Muiño
Drake – "Falling Back" – OVO/Republic Records - Director X (Julien Christian Lutz)
Kendrick Lamar – "Count Me Out" – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records - Directed by Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
Megan Thee Stallion – "Her" – 300 Entertainment - Directed by Colin Tilley
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – "Unholy" – Capitol Records - Directed by Floria Sigismondi
SZA – "Kill Bill" – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records - Directed by Christian Breslauer
WINNER: Taylor Swift – "Anti-Hero" – Republic Records - Directed by Taylor Swift
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Fall Out Boy – "Love From The Other Side" – Fueled By Ramen - Visual Effects by Thomas Bailey and Josh Shaffner
Harry Styles – "Music For A Sushi Restaurant" – Columbia Records - Visual Effects by Chelsea Delfino and Black Kite Studios
Melanie Martinez – "VOID" – Atlantic Records - Visual Effects by Carbon
Nicki Minaj – "Super Freaky Girl" – Republic Records - Visual Effects by Max Colt and Sergio Mashevskyi
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – "Unholy" – Capitol Records - Visual Effects by Max Colt / FRENDER
Taylor Swift – "Anti-Hero" – Republic Records - Visual Effects by Parliament
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
BLACKPINK – "Pink Venom" – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records - Choreography by Kiel Tutin, Sienna Lalau, Lee Jung (YGX), Taryn Cheng (YGX)
Dua Lipa – "Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album)" – Atlantic Records - Choreography by Charm LaDonna
Jonas Brothers – "Waffle House" – Republic Records - Choreography by Jerry Reece
Megan Thee Stallion – "Her" – 300 Entertainment - Choreography by Sean Bankhead
Panic! At The Disco – "Middle Of A Breakup" – Fueled By Ramen - Choreography by Monika Felice Smith
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – "Unholy" – Capitol Records - Choreography by (LA)HORDE - Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel
BEST ART DIRECTION
boygenius – "the film" – Interscope Records - Art Direction by Jen Dunlap
BLACKPINK – "Pink Venom" – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records - Art Direction by Seo Hyun Seung (GIGANT)
WINNER: Doja Cat – "Attention" – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records - Art Direction by Spencer Graves
Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – "Candy Necklace" – Interscope Records - Art Direction by Brandon Mendez
Megan Thee Stallion – "Her" – 300 Entertainment - Art Direction by Niko Philipides
SZA – "Shirt" – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records - Art Direction by Kate Bunch
BEST EDITING
BLACKPINK – "Pink Venom" – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records - Editing by Seo Hyun Seung (GIGANT)
Kendrick Lamar – "Rich Spirit" – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records - Edited by Grason Caldwell
Miley Cyrus – "River" – Columbia Records - Edited by Brandan Walter
Olivia Rodrigo – "vampire" – Geffen Records - Edited by Sofia Kerpan and David Checel
SZA – "Kill Bill" – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records - Edited by Luis Caraza Peimbert
Taylor Swift – "Anti-Hero" – Republic Records - Edited by Chancler Haynes
Keep reading to see every star on the VMAs red carpet.
