Taylor Swift Ties Beyoncé as All-Time Top VMAs Winner
Taylor Swift won seven awards at the 2024 VMAs, which were held at UBS Arena in New York on Wednesday (Sept. 11). This brings Swift’s career total of Moonpersons to an even 30, which enables her to tie Beyoncé as the top winner in the show’s history. Bey has won 26 awards on her own, two as part of The Carters and two as part of Destiny’s Child.
Swift won five of her awards in tandem with Post Malone, her collaborator on the smash “Fortnight.” That put him second in the night’s award count.
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“Fortnight” won video of the year. It’s the third year in a row – and the fifth year overall – that Swift has won in that category. She previously won for “Bad Blood” (2015), “You Need to Calm Down” (2019), “All Too Well: The Short Film” (2022) and “Anti-Hero” (2023). This extends Swift’s record for most wins in the category and also makes her the first person to win three years running.
Swift directed the “Fortnight” video, which won for best direction. Swift has won in that category in four of the last five years (for videos she personally directed). She previously won for “The Man,” “All Too Well: The Short Film” and “Anti-Hero.”
Swift also won artist of the year for the second year in a row. She’s the first artist to win twice in that category, which was introduced in 2017.
“Fortnight” won best collaboration. It’s Swift’s third win in that category, following “Bad Blood” (featuring Kendrick Lamar) and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” with Zayn. And she won best pop for the third time, which puts her in a tie with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake for the most wins in the category. (JT’s count includes two wins with *NSYNC.)
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” beat “Fortnight” for song of the year, but “Fortnight” beat Carpenter’s follow-up hit, “Please Please Please,” for song of summer.
Eminem, Megan Thee Stallion and Katy Perry each won two awards. This brings Eminem’s career total of VMAs to 15, which is more than any other male artist in the show’s history. Until this year, Em had been in a tie with Peter Gabriel, with 13 wins each.
Eminem took best hip-hop and best visual effects, both for “Houdini.” This is his third win for best hip-hop. Only Nicki Minaj has won more awards in the category (five). Drake has also won three.
Megan Thee Stallion, who hosted this year’s show, won best trending video for “Mamushi” (featuring Yuki Chiba) and best art direction for “BOA.”
Perry received the Video Vanguard Award and also, in a surprise, won VMAs most iconic performance for her 2013 performance of “Roar.” It beat such memorable VMA moments as Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” from the inaugural 1984 show and Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” and “The Way I Am” from 2000, where the rap icon was joined by 100+ Eminem lookalikes.
Women continued to dominate in several key categories. This is the seventh year in a row that a woman has won best new artist; the sixth year in a row that a woman has won video for good; the fifth year in a row that a woman has won song of the year; and the fourth year in a row that a woman has won best Latin. The last male artist to win the video vanguard award was Kanye West in 2015.
Chappell Roan won best new artist. It’s the seventh year in a row that a female artist has won the award. Cardi B started this streak in 2018, followed by Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Dove Cameron, Ice Spice and now Roan. Eilish and Rodrigo went on to win the Grammy for best new artist, which is looking increasingly likely for Roan.
Tyla’s “Water” won best Afrobeats in the category’s second year. Both winners in that category have been top 10 hits on the Hot 100. “Calm Down” by Rema and Selena Gomez won last year.
Seventeen took best group video. This is the sixth consecutive year that a K-pop group has won in that all-genre category. Blackpink won last year. BTS won the four years before that.
SZA took best R&B for the second year in a row. “Snooze” won this year. “Shirt” took the award last year. The only other artists to win back-to-back awards in this category are En Vogue (1993-93), Destiny’s Child (2000-01) and Alicia Keys (2004-05).
Anitta won best Latin for the third year in a row. The Latin star won for “Mil Veces,” having won in 2022 with “Envolver” and in 20023 with “Funk Rave.” This ties J Balvin, who won three years running (2018-20).
LISA’s “Rockstar” won best K-pop for the second time in three years.
Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” won video for good. She won in that same category three years ago for “Your Power.”
Lenny Kravitz won best rock for “Human.” Surprisingly, it’s his first win in the category. He beat five bands – Bon Jovi, Coldplay, Green Day, Kings of Leon and U2.
Charli XCX, GloRilla, Olivia Rodrigo and Teddy Swims were each shut out, despite four nods each.
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