×
“Break Free”
For the show's opening number, Ariana Grande kicked off a medley by belting out her latest single, "Break Free," produced byZedd. The singer hit the stage in silver, backed by a slew of dancers.
“Anaconda”
Nicki Minaj then hit the Forum stage for a jungle-themed bit of her new release, "Anaconda," which heavily samples Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back." She plugged her track alongside a bunch of booty-bumping dancers — but no actual snakes.
“Bang Bang”
Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj ended the opening number alongside Jessie J for their first-ever performance of their joint single, "Bang Bang." While the British singer and the Sam & Cat breakout were trading vocal riffs, the rapper awkwardly walked the stage while holding her little black dress closed over her chest. (Minaj later explained that she ran short on time backstage during the costume change and failed to get the dress zipped all the way up.)
Best Female Video
The first award of the night honored "Dark Horse," by Katy Perry and Juicy J. "We are gonna party tonight!" said a blue-haired Perry alongside her collaborator.
“Shake It Off”
Taylor Swift performed her new single dressed in a shimmering silver two-piece, but when she found herself standing atop a massive "1989" sign and appeared as if she was about to jump off into her crowd of dancers, the music suddenly paused. "I don't care if it's the VMAs, I'm not jumping off there," she said, disappearing out of view and then referencing Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" dancer snafu during rehearsals. "All kinds of people getting bit by snakes, it's dangerous!"
Best Male Video
Ed Sheerantook home the best male video award for "Sing" with Pharrell Williams.
Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels
While introducing best pop video, the Dumb and Dumber To stars hilariously sang a riff of Sia's Chandelier and touted the versatility of a scarf — as a sling, a Burning Man dance prop and an Ebola blocker at Coachella.
Best Pop Video
Ariana Grande took home the Moonman for best pop video for "Problem" with Iggy Azalea.
“Stay With Me”
Sam Smith made his U.S. awards show debut by delivering a bare-bones performance of his breakout ballad, simply singing into a microphone in the spotlight, accompanied by a piano and backing musicians. The audience could also be heard singing along with Smith on the chorus.
Moment of Silence for Ferguson
Commonprefaced his presentation of best hip-hop video by urging viewers to remember what happened this week in Ferguson, Missouri. After saying that people's attention has been drawn to the civil rights protests, he called for a moment of silence "for Mike Brown and for peace in this country and in the world." The audience at the Forum complied with Common's request, and, as the camera panned across the crowd, Snoop Dogg could be seen flashing a peace sign as he had his head bowed. Common then accepted the award on behalf of Drake, who topped the category with Majid Jordan on "Hold On (We're Going Home)."
‘Orange Is the New Black’
Orange Is the New Black's Emmy winner Uzo Adubaand fellow series nominees Laverne Cox and Taylor Schilling joined together to introduce Usher, but not without an in-character meltdown from Aduba as Crazy Eyes.
“She Came to Give It to You”
Usherintroduced his new single with Nicki Minaj. After a ton of dance moves, Minaj appeared onstage for her rap verse, during which Usher (while playing the electric guitar) repeatedly bumped her bum with his shoulder, and then spanked it before she left the stage. Usher closed the number with more dance moves and a few fireworks.
Best Rock Video
Lorde won the award for best rock video, and after thanking her friends from school for being in the video, she accidentally dropped a cuss word and said, "Sorry for swearing! Thank you so much!" and ran offstage.
“Amnesia”
5 Seconds of Summer — consisting of Calum Hood, Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings and Ashton Irwin — brought a ballad to the Forum stage.
Artist to Watch
Fifth Harmony won the Artist to Watch award for "Miss Movin' On."
Remembering Robin Williams
The awards show scrolled though a handful of shots of the late actor in a short, wordless tribute, set to Coldplay's "A Sky Full of Stars."
“Black Widow”
Iggy Azalea got spooky with Rita Ora during their performance of "Black Widow."After a moody intro, Azalea was revealed in front of a lit-up spider web. Ora later joined Azalea onstage, with the two performers sporting matching blond hairdos and cut-out black bodysuits. The duo was joined by dancers wearing fishnet ensembles with red accents.
“Maps”
Maroon 5 performed their hit single "Maps" outdoors. Underneath a large, red, glowing "M" and a smaller "V," a play on the band's name and upcoming album, frontman andVoicecoachAdam Levine crooned the opening verse before kicking it up a notch for the remainder of the song.
Video of the Year
Miley Cyrus won the video of the year Moonman, but used her speech to shed light on the issue of homelessness in L.A. Cyrus had a young man named Jesse take the stage to accept the award. "Thank you all — my name is Jesse, and I am accepting this award on behalf of the 1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States who are starving, lost and scared for their lives right now. I know because I am one of these people," he said, dressed in a suit and tie and reading from a few pieces of paper. Sitting on the side of a ramp leading to the stage, Cyrus shed tears during his speech.
Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award
Dressed in a bejeweledbodysuit,Beyonceshowcased (nearly) all her hits from her latest album,Beyonce,with amemorable 15-minute medley, complete with "Drunk in Love," "Partition" and "XO."
Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award
Jay Z and Blue Ivy — who told the performer, "Good job, Mommy," — came onstage to present her with the award. "I am so full. I have nothing to say. I am filled with so much gratitude," she told the audience before closing the show with a kiss for her husband.
tk
tk
tk
ad
{{ result.published_at | date: "%h %d, %Y" }}
