LOUISE DIXON, Associated Press
DUSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Taylor Swift won big at the MTV EMAs on Sunday. Swift, who led the nominations along with Harry Styles with seven a piece, walked away with four wins for ‘Best Artist’, ‘Best Video’, ‘Best Pop’ and ‘Best Long Form Video’.
Currently topping the charts with ‘Anti-Hero’ from her record-breaking new album ‘Midnights,’ Swift made a surprise appearance at the awards in Düsseldorf to collect her swag, the latest in a long line of accolades for the singer-songwriter. Accepting her first award of the night, she said: “The fans are the only reason this happens to me.”
David Guetta and Bebe Rexha opened the show with their hit collaboration ‘I’m Good (Blue)’, a song that hardly ever gets released.
Rexha explained on the carpet “we had no idea it was going to explode and be so viral on TikTok. And here we are performing it and nominated for ‘Best Collaboration.’”
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Very alert was Muse, who returned to the EMAs for a fiery performance of ‘Will of the People’, later winning ‘Best Rock’ act. They dedicated their award to the people of Ukraine and the women of Iran.
This year’s show was hosted by newlyweds Rita Ora and Taika Waititi. Ora did not disappoint with a series of outfit changes and Waititi joked that she was channeling the pop star within her.
An absent Nicki Minaj also bagged a trio of awards for ‘Best Song’, ‘Super Freaky Girl’ and ‘Best Hip Hop’. Styles, who is currently on tour in the US, won ‘Best Live’.
Following their Eurovision victory in May, the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra delivered one of the most powerful and moving performances of the night, dyeing the auditorium blue and yellow in support of Ukraine. Speaking on the red carpet, leader Oleg Psyuk explained that with his newfound fame they would be able to support and spread awareness about the plight of the Ukrainian people.
“It is important for us to be the voice of Ukraine, to have the opportunity to be around the world, to act and speak about Ukraine, to speak about the war, to speak about our culture, the culture that fights against the war.”
British rapper Stormzy performed the ballad ‘Fire Babe’, released this week from his highly anticipated third album ‘This is What I Mean’.
OneRepublic performed their ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ song ‘I Ain’t Worried’, with a special video intro from the man himself, Tom Cruise, which they said wasn’t easy to come by.
Other performers on the night included Ava Max, who sparkled in a giant diamond singing ‘Million Dollar Baby’ and Tate McRae, who performed a medley of her hits, ‘she’s all i wanna be’ and ‘uh oh’.
Voted on by fans, 17 gender-neutral categories were announced overnight. The show, broadcast from the PSD Bank Dome, will be shown in more than 170 countries.
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