Taylor Swift wins big at VMAs tinged with Latin, Korean sounds

By Jorge Fuentelsaz

New York City, US, Aug 28 (EFE).- American pop singer Taylor Swift won the coveted video of the year award at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday with her song “All Too Well,” as well as the gongs for best longform video and best direction.

Presented at a packed Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, this year’s awards were widely distributed with three joint statuettes for Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow for best collaboration, art direction and visual effects for “Industry Baby,” and another three for Harry Styles.

Styles, who did not attend, took album of the year for “Harry’s House,” while his song “As It Was” won best pop video and best cinematography.

Harlow also won a solo statuette for “First Class” as song of the summer.

Swift, in a sparkling Oscar de la Renta halter-neck minidress, announced during the ceremony that she will release a new album on Oct. 21 entitled “Midnights,” in which she will tell 13 stories of sleepless nights throughout her life.

In her speech, she praised the work of women behind the cameras and highlighted that this year, for the first time, four female directors had been nominated.

Rapper Nicki Minaj, 17-time VMA nominee and five-time winner, received the honorary Vanguard Award in addition to the statuette for the best hip-hop video for “Do We Have a Problem?”

Beyond the awards, Minaj not only starred in a performance, but also acted as MC alongside rappers LL Cool J and Jack Harlow.

Best Latin music video went to “Envolver” by Brazil’s Anitta, who became the first Brazilian artist to win at the VMAs. She also sang before the energetic audience, which Colombians J Balvin and Ryan Castro and Puerto Rican Bad Bunny also performed to.

Bad Bunny won artist of the year and in a brief speech he made a plea for Puerto Rico, its culture and its language.

“From the beginning I always believed that I could be great, that I could be one of the biggest stars in the world, without changing my culture, my language,” he said. “I’m Benito Antonio Martinez from Puerto Rico – for the whole world.”

Likewise, “Saoko” by the Spanish artist Rosalía won best editing.

K-pop also shone with best video in the category going to Lisa for “Lalisa,” and three astronauts awarded to K-pop artists – Seventeen’s “Rock With You” won push performance of the year, while metaverse performance went to Blackpink and group of the year to BTS.

The red carpet, missing some key figures this year, was upstaged by the outfits of Lizzo and Lil Nas X.

Lizzo, who won video for good for “About Damn Time” and who has made her personal process of self-love part of her career, was one of the first to appear – in a voluminous navy dress by Jean Paul Gaultier.

Lil Nas X walked the carpet wearing a striking black-feathered headpiece paired with a matching hoop skirt designed by Harris Reed.

But the absences of some of the nominees were also striking.

In addition to Styles, Billie Eilish also did not attend the event, and among her six nominations “Happier Than Ever” won song of the year.

The evening also missed the presence of Olivia Rodrigo, who had four nominations and who last year won the award for new artist, which in this edition went to Dove Cameron. EFE