On Sunday September 12, 2021, MTV held their 40th annual Video Music Awards hosted by Doja Cat. Artists by the name of Justin Beiber, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Chloe and more entertained the audience and received awards from their beloved fans.
To kick off the show, Bieber and The Kid LAROI performed their hit song “Stay” which set the tone for the show. After the duet, performed by Bieber and the Kid LAROI, Beiber continued to perform his song “Ghost” which made his fans all over social media and in attendance very proud of him. Not only did Bieber rock the stage with both of his performances, but he also took home two of the top awards: artist of the year and best pop video, for “Peaches” featuring Giveon and Daniel Caesar. As the show continued, new pop sensation, Olivia Rodrigo, blew the crowd away with her performance of “Good 4 You” from her latest album Sour.
18-year-old Rodrigo took home three awards: best new artist, push performance and best song. “Wow, This is so incredible! This has been the most magical year of my life! I want to dedicate this award to other girls who write songs on their bedroom floor,” Rodrigo said while giving her thank you speech. Rodrigo has received nothing but support from her song titled “Drivers Licenses” which went viral on TikTok and ever since she has become the new teen pop star.
The Show stopper, Lil Nas X, took the stage and performed two of his most popular songs titled “Industry Baby” and “Montero.” The artist and his dancers turned the Barclays Center into a pink wonderland with a band-like intro and performance. The crowd joins star Lil Nas X as he raps his lyrics alongside Jack Harlow. Lil Nas X won video of the year totaling his current award total from the VMAs to seven. “I love you guys so much. I will not take this for granted.” Lil Nas X said as he accepted his VMA for video of the year.
You may know her as Chloe from the amazing duo Chloe and Halle, artists of Beyonce’s label Parkwood Entertainment, but at the VMA’s she debuted her solo performance as Chlöe. Many people were used to Chloe being a quiet and shy girl but she let her confidence flow and showed the VMA’s that she is ready for everything that comes with being a solo artist. “I loved Chole’s performance! I enjoyed the choreography because the internet portrays her to be sweet and innocent when she is a grown woman that can do whatever she wants,” Eijinaiyah Massaquoi, freshman communication and psychology major, said.
Students in Cabrini’s communication department know a lot about the equipment and shots that are being presented at the VMA’s. The classes that are offered make sure that every student gets hands one work so that they can use the equipment alone or point out shots that are being presented to them as they watch award shows and more.
“While watching the VMA’s, it was brought to my attention that the camera crew used the camera angle wide shot while also doing several close ups of the fans. Overall the camera work that was used is similar to what some students in the communication classes are learning,” Malik Washington, criminology and music major, said.
In the 1920s, music videos were originally called “musical short films” but in 1980, MTV changed the whole outlook of music videos and how music was received. In fact, the first video to appear on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles. Music videos started to become a part of the artist culture which helped other entertainment channels develop music video award shows and more.
Music videos are shared to show the true talents of directors and artists while also touching bases on social issues. Multiple artists use their talents to shed light on important issues that are not talked about enough, like when rapper by the name of Lil Baby released a song called “The Bigger Picture.” This song focuses on what the world has gone through in the year 2020, and the music video for “The Bigger Picture” shows different communities protesting together demanding change. “Every video I see on my conscious, I got power now I got to say something,” Lil Baby said. Music videos can be used in so many ways, and being able to bring light to situations that are dim is a great way to show your true talent.
