If there was any place to be at on Sunday night, August 28, that would definitely be in the luxuries of one’s own couch, crunching popcorn and goggling at the sheer flamboyancy of MTV’s live picture transmission – that is, for them that would never make it to the New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards finally went down – and it was such a show – for lack of a better award.
Surely the awards lived up to their hype; for some reason such hype tends to spread out wide and, somehow, here in Africa we always catch the cold each time… you know, America’s always sneezing anyway.
The 2016 awards were definitely an avalanche of stuff – from spectacular performances, prime celebrity watching in the audience, and, predictably, the kinds of moments that people will try to figure out later, even for years to come.
In a nutshell, Beyoncé was the biggest winner of the day. She took the VMA stage and made it hers. She performed a full medley from Lemonade that had the entire arena on its feet within seconds. She surely made her performance as deeply emotional as it was catchy.
Then, shortly she ended up with a sweep of VMA wins, including Best Female Video (“Hold Up”), and Video of the Year (“Formation”). Definitely, the show’s highest achievement.
These wins bring Beyoncé total VMAs tally to 21 wins, officially breaking Madonna’s previous record of 20 to make Bey the most decorated VMA winner of all time.
Meanwhile, having kicked off the show with a miscellany including past hits like “Don’t Stop the Music” and “Only Girl (In the World),” Rihanna had not one, not two, not even three, but four performances throughout the night. That was before Rapper Drake finally walked onto the stage in a tuxedo to present Rihanna’s award, having been named the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award Recipient and Performer this year.
Anyway here’s who took home the coveted Moonman trophy at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards;
Video of the year
Adele: Hello
WINNER: Beyoncé: Formation
Drake: Hotline Bling
Justin Bieber: Sorry
Kanye West: Famous
Best female video:
Adele: Hello
WINNER: Beyoncé: Hold Up
Sia: Cheap Thrills
Ariana Grande: Into You
Rihanna [ft. Drake]: Work (short version)
Best male video:
Drake: Hotline Bling
Bryson Tiller: Don’t
WINNER: Calvin Harris [ft Rihanna]: This Is What You Came For
Kanye West: Famous
The Weeknd: Can’t Feel My Face
Best collaboration:
Beyoncé [ft Kendrick Lamar]: Freedom
WINNER: Fifth Harmony [ft Ty Dolla $ign]: Work From Home
Ariana Grande [ft Lil Wayne]: Let Me Love You
Calvin Harris [ft Rihanna]: This Is What You Came For
Rihanna [ft Drake]: Work (short version)
Best hip-hop video:
WINNER: Drake: Hotline Bling
Desiigner: Panda
Bryson Tiller: Don’t
Chance the Rapper: Angels
2 Chainz: Watch Out
Best pop video:
Adele: Hello
WINNER: Beyoncé: Formation
Justin Bieber: Sorry
Alessia Cara: Wild Things
Ariana Grande: Into You
Best rock video:
All Time Low: Missing You
Coldplay: Adventure of a Lifetime
Fall Out Boy [ft Demi Lovato]: Irresistible
WINNER: twenty one pilots: Heathens
Panic! at the Disco: Victorious
Best electronic video:
Calvin Harris & Disciples: How Deep Is Your Love
99 Souls [ft Destiny’s Child & Brandy]: The Girl Is Mine
Mike Posner: I Took a Pill in Ibiza
Afrojack: SummerThing!
The Chainsmokers [ft Daya]: Don’t Let Me Down
Breakthrough long form video:
Florence and the Machine: The Odyssey
WINNER: Beyoncé: Lemonade
Justin Bieber: PURPOSE: The Movement
Chris Brown: Royalty
Troye Sivan: Blue Neighborhood Trilogy
Best new artist:
Bryson Tiller
Designer
Zara Larsson
Lukas Graham
WINNER: DNCE
Best art direction:
Beyoncé: Hold Up
Fergie: M.I.L.F.$
Drake: Hotline Bling
WINNER: David Bowie: Blackstar
Adele: Hello
Best choreography:
WINNER: Beyoncé: Formation
Missy Elliott [ft. Pharrell]: WTF (Where They From)
Beyoncé: Sorry
FKA twigs: M3LL155X
Florence and the Machine: Delilah
Best direction:
WINNER: Beyoncé: Formation
Coldplay: Up&Up
Adele: Hello
David Bowie: Lazarus
Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
Best cinematography:
WINNER: Beyoncé: Formation
Adele: Hello
David Bowie: Lazarus
Alesso: I Wanna Know
Ariana Grande: Into You
Best editing:
WINNER: Beyoncé: Formation
Adele: Hello
Fergie: M.I.L.F.$
David Bowie: Lazarus
Ariana Grande: Into You
Best visual effects:
WINNER: Coldplay: Up&Up
FKA twigs: M3LL155X
Adele: Send My Love (to Your New Lover)
The Weeknd: Can’t Feel My Face
Zayn: PILLOWTALK
Song Of The Summer
Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna –- “This Is What You Came For”
The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey –- “Closer”
Drake featuring Kyla & Wizkid –- “One Dance”
WINNER: Fifth Harmony featuring Fetty Wap –- “All In My Head (Flex)”
Justin Timberlake –- “Can’t Stop The Feeling”
Kent Jones –- “Don’t Mind”
Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber MØ –- “Cold Water”
Nick Jonas featuring Ty Dolla $ign –- “Bacon”
Selena Gomez –- “Kill ‘Em With Kindness”
Sia – “Cheap Thrills”
