Lady Gaga’s impressive array of face masks aside, last year’s COVID-impacted MTV Video Music Awards is best forgotten as just another underwhelming virtual awards show.
But the ceremony returned to its former glory with an in-person event airing live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday night, where revamped Moon Person trophies rained down upon some of the biggest names in music.
The 2021 ceremony hosted by Doja Cat, who took home the Best New Artist trophy last year, featured 14 gender-neutral categories across musical genres and a star-studded slate of performers.
Heading into the night, Justin Bieber led the pack with seven nominations and ultimately took home prizes in major categories, including Artist of the Year and Best Pop.
Newly anointed Grammy royalty Megan Thee Stallion trailed closely behind with six nods of her own, including four for her anthem WAP, but failed to gain much traction at the ceremony. Artists Cardi B, Billie Eilish, BTS, Drake, Lil Nas X, Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo each earned five noms apiece.
Rodrigo, who delivered a camera-shattering performance of Good 4 U early in the show, won multiple awards, including Best New Artist and Song of The Year for her chart-topping ballad Drivers License.
But Lil Nas X managed to take home the night’s top award — Video of the Year — for his controversy-sparking Montero (Call Me By Your Name) music video, and he thanked the “gay agenda” in his acceptance speech.
The Foo Fighters, who scored three nominations this year, were also honoured with the first-ever U.S. Global Icon Award.
Big-name acts Lorde and Nicki Minaj pulled out days before the show, but plenty of stars still performed at the ceremony, including Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys, Normani, Chlöe, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, Kacey Musgraves, Busta Rhymes and Twenty One Pilots. Lil Nas X also took the stage, making a name for himself in the VMA history books with a steamy recreation of his latest music video.
Billy Porter, Kourtney Kardashian, Ashanti, Megan Fox, Hailey Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Ciara, Ja Rule, Simone Biles, SZA and Lance Bass were among the famous faces who presented awards throughout the night.
Check out the complete list of nominees and winners below.
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “Popstar” (starring Justin Bieber)
Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits”
WINNER: Lil Nas X – “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
The Weeknd – “Save Your Tears”
Ariana Grande
Doja Cat
WINNER: Justin Bieber
Megan Thee Stallion
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift
24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior – “Mood”
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave the Door Open”
BTS – “Dynamite”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Dua Lipa – “Levitating”
WINNER: Olivia Rodrigo – “Drivers License”
24kGoldn
Giveon
The Kid LAROI
WINNER: Olivia Rodrigo
Polo G
Saweetie
September 2020: Wallows – “Are You Bored Yet?“
October 2020: Ashnikko – “Daisy”
November 2020: SAINt JHN – “Gorgeous”
December 2020: 24kGoldn – “Coco”
January 2021: JC Stewart – “Break My Heart”
February 2021: Latto – “Sex Lies”
March 2021: Madison Beer – “Selfish”
April 2021: The Kid LAROI – “Without You”
WINNER: May 2021: Olivia Rodrigo – “Drivers License”
June 2021: girl in red “Serotonin”
July 2021: Fousheé – “my slime”
August 2021: jxdn – “Think About Me”
24kGoldn ft. iann dior ― “Mood”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion ― “WAP”
WINNER: Doja Cat ft. SZA ― “Kiss Me More”
Drake ft. Lil Durk ― “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon ― “Peaches”
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa ― “Prisoner”
Ariana Grande ― “positions”
Billie Eilish ― “Therefore I Am”
BTS ― “Butter” ― BIGHIT MUSIC
Harry Styles ― “Treat People With Kindness”
WINNER: Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon ― “Peaches”
Olivia Rodrigo ― “good 4 u”
Shawn Mendes ― “Wonder”
Taylor Swift ― “willow”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion ― “WAP”
Drake ft. Lil Durk ― “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Lil Baby ft. Megan Thee Stallion ― “On Me (remix)”
Moneybagg Yo ― “Said Sum”
Polo G ― “RAPSTAR”
WINNER: Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A. ― “FRANCHISE”
Evanescence ― “Use My Voice”
Foo Fighters ― “Shame Shame”
WINNER: John Mayer ― “Last Train Home”
The Killers ― “My Own Soul’s Warning”
Kings Of Leon ― “The Bandit”
Lenny Kravitz ― “Raise Vibration”
Bleachers ― “Stop Making This Hurt”
Glass Animals ― “Heat Waves”
Imagine Dragons ― “Follow You”
WINNER: Machine Gun Kelly ft. blackbear ― “my ex’s best friend”
twenty one pilots ― “Shy Away” ― Fueled By Ramen
WILLOW ft. Travis Barker ― “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l”
Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez ― “Dákiti”
WINNER: Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA ― “Lo Vas A Olvidar”
Black Eyed Peas and Shakira ― “GIRL LIKE ME”
J. Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy ― “UN DIA (ONE DAY)”
Karol G ― “Bichota”
Maluma ― “Hawái”
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid ― “BROWN SKIN GIRL”
WINNER: Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic ― “Leave The Door Open”
Chris Brown and Young Thug ― “Go Crazy”
Giveon ― “HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY”
H.E.R. ft. Chris Brown ― “Come Through”
SZA ― “Good Days”
(G)I-DLE ― “DUMDi DUMDi”
BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez ― “Ice Cream”
WINNER: BTS ― “Butter”
Monsta X ― “Gambler”
SEVENTEEN ― “Ready to love”
TWICE ― “Alcohol-Free”
WINNER: Billie Eilish ― “Your Power”
Demi Lovato ― “Dancing With The Devil”
H.E.R. ― “Fight For You”
Kane Brown ― “Worldwide Beautiful”
Lil Nas X ― “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
Pharrell Williams ft. JAY-Z ― “Entrepreneur”
Blackpink
WINNER: BTS
CNCO
Foo Fighters
Jonas Brothers
Maroon 5
Silk Sonic
Twenty One Pilots
Billie Eilish ― “Your Power” ― Directed by: Billie Eilish
DJ Khaled ft. Drake ― “POPSTAR (Starring Justin Bieber)” ― Directed by: Julien Christian Lutz aka Director X
WINNER: Lil Nas X ― “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” ― Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino
Taylor Swift ― “willow” ― Directed by: Taylor Swift
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A ― “Franchise” ― Directed by: Travis Scott
Tyler, The Creator ― “LUMBERJACK” ― Directed by: Wolf Haley
WINNER: Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid ― “BROWN SKIN GIRL” ― Cinematography by: Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, MOHAMMAED ATTA AHMED, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant
Billie Eilish ― “Therefore I Am” ― Cinematography by: Rob Witt
Foo Fighters ― “Shame Shame” ― Cinematography by: Santiago Gonzalez
Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper ― “Holy” ― Cinematography by: Elias Talbot
Lady Gaga ― “911” ― Cinematography by: Jeff Cronenweth
Lorde ― “Solar Power” ― Cinematography by: Andrew Stroud
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer ― “ALREADY” ― Art Direction by: Susan Linns, Gerard Santos
Ed Sheeran ― “Bad Habits” ― Art Direction by: Alison Dominitz
Lady Gaga ― “911” ― Art Direction by: Tom Foden, Peter Andrus
Lil Nas X ― “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” ― Art Direction by: John Richoux
WINNER: Saweetie ft. Doja Cat ― “Best Friend” ― Art Direction by: Art Haynes
Taylor Swift ― “willow” ― Art Direction by: Ethan Tobman, Regina Fernandez
Bella Poarch ― “Build A Bitch” ― Visual Effects by: Andrew Donoho, Denhov Visuals, Denis Strahhov, Rein Jakobson, Vahur Kuusk, Tatjana Pavlik, Yekaterina Vetrova
Coldplay ― “Higher Power” ― Visual Effects by: Mathematic
Doja Cat & The Weeknd ― “You Right” ― Visual Effects by: La Pac, Anthony Lestremau, Julien Missaire, Petr Shkolniy, Alexi Bailla, Micha Sher, Antoine Hache, Mikros MPC, Nicolas Huget, Guillaume Ho Tsong Fang, Benjamin Lenfant, Stephane Pivron, MPC Bangalore, Chanakya Chander, Raju Ganesh, David Rouxel
Glass Animals ― “Tangerine” ― Visual Effects by: Ronan Fourreau
WINNER: Lil Nas X ― “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” ― Visual Effects by: Mathematic
P!NK ― “All I Know So Far” ― Visual Effects by: Dave Meyers, Freenjoy Inc
Ariana Grande ― “34+35” ― Choreography by: Brian Nicholson & Scott Nicholson
BTS ― “Butter” ―Choreography by: SON SUNG DEUK With BHM PERFORMANCE DIRECTING TEAM
Ed Sheeran ― “Bad Habits” ― Choreography by: Natricia Bernard
Foo Fighters ― “Shame Shame” ― Choreography by: Nina McNeely
WINNER: Harry Styles ― “Treat People With Kindness” ― Choreography by: Paul Roberts
Marshmello & Halsey ― “Be Kind” ― Choreography by: Dani Vitale
WINNER: Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic ― “Leave The Door Open” ― Editing by: Troy Charbonnet
BTS ― “Butter” ― Editing by: Yong Seok Choi from Lumpens
Drake ― “What’s Next” ― Editing by: Noah Kendal
Harry Styles ― “Treat People With Kindness” ― Editing by: Claudia Wass
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon ― “Peaches” ― Editing by: Mark Mayr, Vinnie Hobbs
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa ― “Prisoner”
But the ceremony returned to its former glory with an in-person event airing live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday night, where revamped Moon Person trophies rained down upon some of the biggest names in music.
The 2021 ceremony hosted by Doja Cat, who took home the Best New Artist trophy last year, featured 14 gender-neutral categories across musical genres and a star-studded slate of performers.
Heading into the night, Justin Bieber led the pack with seven nominations and ultimately took home prizes in major categories, including Artist of the Year and Best Pop.
Newly anointed Grammy royalty Megan Thee Stallion trailed closely behind with six nods of her own, including four for her anthem WAP, but failed to gain much traction at the ceremony. Artists Cardi B, Billie Eilish, BTS, Drake, Lil Nas X, Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo each earned five noms apiece.
Rodrigo, who delivered a camera-shattering performance of Good 4 U early in the show, won multiple awards, including Best New Artist and Song of The Year for her chart-topping ballad Drivers License.
But Lil Nas X managed to take home the night’s top award — Video of the Year — for his controversy-sparking Montero (Call Me By Your Name) music video, and he thanked the “gay agenda” in his acceptance speech.
The Foo Fighters, who scored three nominations this year, were also honoured with the first-ever U.S. Global Icon Award.
Big-name acts Lorde and Nicki Minaj pulled out days before the show, but plenty of stars still performed at the ceremony, including Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys, Normani, Chlöe, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, Kacey Musgraves, Busta Rhymes and Twenty One Pilots. Lil Nas X also took the stage, making a name for himself in the VMA history books with a steamy recreation of his latest music video.
Billy Porter, Kourtney Kardashian, Ashanti, Megan Fox, Hailey Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Ciara, Ja Rule, Simone Biles, SZA and Lance Bass were among the famous faces who presented awards throughout the night.
Check out the complete list of nominees and winners below.
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “Popstar” (starring Justin Bieber)
Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits”
WINNER: Lil Nas X – “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
The Weeknd – “Save Your Tears”
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ariana Grande
Doja Cat
WINNER: Justin Bieber
Megan Thee Stallion
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift
SONG OF THE YEAR
24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior – “Mood”
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave the Door Open”
BTS – “Dynamite”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Dua Lipa – “Levitating”
WINNER: Olivia Rodrigo – “Drivers License”
BEST NEW ARTIST
24kGoldn
Giveon
The Kid LAROI
WINNER: Olivia Rodrigo
Polo G
Saweetie
PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
September 2020: Wallows – “Are You Bored Yet?“
October 2020: Ashnikko – “Daisy”
November 2020: SAINt JHN – “Gorgeous”
December 2020: 24kGoldn – “Coco”
January 2021: JC Stewart – “Break My Heart”
February 2021: Latto – “Sex Lies”
March 2021: Madison Beer – “Selfish”
April 2021: The Kid LAROI – “Without You”
WINNER: May 2021: Olivia Rodrigo – “Drivers License”
June 2021: girl in red “Serotonin”
July 2021: Fousheé – “my slime”
August 2021: jxdn – “Think About Me”
BEST COLLABORATION
24kGoldn ft. iann dior ― “Mood”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion ― “WAP”
WINNER: Doja Cat ft. SZA ― “Kiss Me More”
Drake ft. Lil Durk ― “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon ― “Peaches”
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa ― “Prisoner”
BEST POP
Ariana Grande ― “positions”
Billie Eilish ― “Therefore I Am”
BTS ― “Butter” ― BIGHIT MUSIC
Harry Styles ― “Treat People With Kindness”
WINNER: Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon ― “Peaches”
Olivia Rodrigo ― “good 4 u”
Shawn Mendes ― “Wonder”
Taylor Swift ― “willow”
BEST HIP-HOP
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion ― “WAP”
Drake ft. Lil Durk ― “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Lil Baby ft. Megan Thee Stallion ― “On Me (remix)”
Moneybagg Yo ― “Said Sum”
Polo G ― “RAPSTAR”
WINNER: Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A. ― “FRANCHISE”
BEST ROCK
Evanescence ― “Use My Voice”
Foo Fighters ― “Shame Shame”
WINNER: John Mayer ― “Last Train Home”
The Killers ― “My Own Soul’s Warning”
Kings Of Leon ― “The Bandit”
Lenny Kravitz ― “Raise Vibration”
BEST ALTERNATIVE
Bleachers ― “Stop Making This Hurt”
Glass Animals ― “Heat Waves”
Imagine Dragons ― “Follow You”
WINNER: Machine Gun Kelly ft. blackbear ― “my ex’s best friend”
twenty one pilots ― “Shy Away” ― Fueled By Ramen
WILLOW ft. Travis Barker ― “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l”
BEST LATIN
Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez ― “Dákiti”
WINNER: Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA ― “Lo Vas A Olvidar”
Black Eyed Peas and Shakira ― “GIRL LIKE ME”
J. Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy ― “UN DIA (ONE DAY)”
Karol G ― “Bichota”
Maluma ― “Hawái”
BEST R&B
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid ― “BROWN SKIN GIRL”
WINNER: Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic ― “Leave The Door Open”
Chris Brown and Young Thug ― “Go Crazy”
Giveon ― “HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY”
H.E.R. ft. Chris Brown ― “Come Through”
SZA ― “Good Days”
BEST K-POP
(G)I-DLE ― “DUMDi DUMDi”
BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez ― “Ice Cream”
WINNER: BTS ― “Butter”
Monsta X ― “Gambler”
SEVENTEEN ― “Ready to love”
TWICE ― “Alcohol-Free”
VIDEO FOR GOOD
WINNER: Billie Eilish ― “Your Power”
Demi Lovato ― “Dancing With The Devil”
H.E.R. ― “Fight For You”
Kane Brown ― “Worldwide Beautiful”
Lil Nas X ― “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
Pharrell Williams ft. JAY-Z ― “Entrepreneur”
GROUP OF THE YEAR
Blackpink
WINNER: BTS
CNCO
Foo Fighters
Jonas Brothers
Maroon 5
Silk Sonic
Twenty One Pilots
BEST DIRECTION
Billie Eilish ― “Your Power” ― Directed by: Billie Eilish
DJ Khaled ft. Drake ― “POPSTAR (Starring Justin Bieber)” ― Directed by: Julien Christian Lutz aka Director X
WINNER: Lil Nas X ― “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” ― Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino
Taylor Swift ― “willow” ― Directed by: Taylor Swift
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A ― “Franchise” ― Directed by: Travis Scott
Tyler, The Creator ― “LUMBERJACK” ― Directed by: Wolf Haley
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER: Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid ― “BROWN SKIN GIRL” ― Cinematography by: Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, MOHAMMAED ATTA AHMED, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant
Billie Eilish ― “Therefore I Am” ― Cinematography by: Rob Witt
Foo Fighters ― “Shame Shame” ― Cinematography by: Santiago Gonzalez
Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper ― “Holy” ― Cinematography by: Elias Talbot
Lady Gaga ― “911” ― Cinematography by: Jeff Cronenweth
Lorde ― “Solar Power” ― Cinematography by: Andrew Stroud
BEST ART DIRECTION
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer ― “ALREADY” ― Art Direction by: Susan Linns, Gerard Santos
Ed Sheeran ― “Bad Habits” ― Art Direction by: Alison Dominitz
Lady Gaga ― “911” ― Art Direction by: Tom Foden, Peter Andrus
Lil Nas X ― “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” ― Art Direction by: John Richoux
WINNER: Saweetie ft. Doja Cat ― “Best Friend” ― Art Direction by: Art Haynes
Taylor Swift ― “willow” ― Art Direction by: Ethan Tobman, Regina Fernandez
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Bella Poarch ― “Build A Bitch” ― Visual Effects by: Andrew Donoho, Denhov Visuals, Denis Strahhov, Rein Jakobson, Vahur Kuusk, Tatjana Pavlik, Yekaterina Vetrova
Coldplay ― “Higher Power” ― Visual Effects by: Mathematic
Doja Cat & The Weeknd ― “You Right” ― Visual Effects by: La Pac, Anthony Lestremau, Julien Missaire, Petr Shkolniy, Alexi Bailla, Micha Sher, Antoine Hache, Mikros MPC, Nicolas Huget, Guillaume Ho Tsong Fang, Benjamin Lenfant, Stephane Pivron, MPC Bangalore, Chanakya Chander, Raju Ganesh, David Rouxel
Glass Animals ― “Tangerine” ― Visual Effects by: Ronan Fourreau
WINNER: Lil Nas X ― “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” ― Visual Effects by: Mathematic
P!NK ― “All I Know So Far” ― Visual Effects by: Dave Meyers, Freenjoy Inc
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Ariana Grande ― “34+35” ― Choreography by: Brian Nicholson & Scott Nicholson
BTS ― “Butter” ―Choreography by: SON SUNG DEUK With BHM PERFORMANCE DIRECTING TEAM
Ed Sheeran ― “Bad Habits” ― Choreography by: Natricia Bernard
Foo Fighters ― “Shame Shame” ― Choreography by: Nina McNeely
WINNER: Harry Styles ― “Treat People With Kindness” ― Choreography by: Paul Roberts
Marshmello & Halsey ― “Be Kind” ― Choreography by: Dani Vitale
BEST EDITING
WINNER: Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic ― “Leave The Door Open” ― Editing by: Troy Charbonnet
BTS ― “Butter” ― Editing by: Yong Seok Choi from Lumpens
Drake ― “What’s Next” ― Editing by: Noah Kendal
Harry Styles ― “Treat People With Kindness” ― Editing by: Claudia Wass
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon ― “Peaches” ― Editing by: Mark Mayr, Vinnie Hobbs
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa ― “Prisoner”
