Swift makes MTV history while Katy Perry sparkles

Katy Perry and Chappell Roan proved their pop star credentials at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, while Taylor Swift became the most-awarded artist in the ceremony’s history.

Perry performed a career-spanning medley of hits including “I Kissed a Girl,” “Dark Horse” and “Firework,” and received MTV’s equivalent of a lifetime achievement award, the Video Vanguard Award.

Roan, who performed in front of 200 people this time last year, won best new artist and dedicated the award to “all the drag queens who have inspired me.” And Swift won seven awards, including the two biggest prizes, artist and video of the year. She now has 30 MTV trophies, surpassing Beyoncé as the event’s biggest winner.

Beyoncé has won 27 Moonman trophies, including two as a member of Destiny’s Child. However, the star was also left out of the nominations for this week’s CMA Awards, meaning she will not be making an appearance at the podium this year.

Swift encouraged fans to vote in next month’s US presidential election in her acceptance speech, a day after endorsing Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

She also paid tribute to her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who accompanied her to the award-winning “Fortnite” video shoot.

“Every time I said ‘cut,’ I heard someone cheer from across the studio, and one of them was my friend Travis,” she said.

“Everything this guy touches turns into happiness and fun and magic.”

This will be Swift’s third consecutive Video of the Year win, after winning for “Anti-Hero” in 2023 and “All Too Well” (10-minute version) in 2022.

Forty years after the first MTV Awards were held at Radio City Hall, the trophies were presented at the UBS Arena in New York City.

Cyndi Lauper, who won Best Female Video during the opening ceremony for “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” once again introduced Sabrina Carpenter, whose song “Espresso” was named Song of the Year.

There were also performances from rock star Lenny Kravitz, singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes, K-pop artist Lisa, and rap icon Eminem, to name a few. Here are some of the most memorable moments from the three-hour show.