Award shows prove over and over again that they’re a waste of my time.
MTV hosted its annual Video Music Awards (VMA) yesterday evening and it was an overall lackluster and disappointing experience.
I don’t have enough of a dissociative ability to sit through a three-hour long show to see my favorite artists lose once again to an overrated pop star with a teenage cult following. I only tune in afterwards to watch the performances.
MTV now owns 40 minutes of my wasted time after scrolling through YouTube to watch what felt like a low-budget concert thrown together by a company you’ve never heard of before.
Olivia Rodrigo’s performance was the biggest letdown of the night. I expected a killer performance after the recent release of her new album “GUTS.”
My expectations were both readjusted and shattered..
Rodrigo’s opening song “vampire” had shotty vocals and the laziest performance I’ve ever seen. I understand the song is slow and emotional, but her laying on the stage made me want to lay down for a nap.
The rest of her set was more high energy but only for the camera. I would have been so upset if I was in the audience, with Rodrigo only putting full energy into her choreography when the camera was in her face.
I want to give her a bit of grace because she's still young and new to the entertainment industry, but I’m growing more and more impatient with these half-baked performances.
I feel like the VMAs have been deteriorating in quality and relevance for years, and these performances didn’t help. Most shows now need to have captivating imagery and interactive sets to keep the audiences in the crowd and at home engaged.
After seeing veteran performer Shakira on the lineup, I hoped she'd school these pop-star wannabees. I was once again proven wrong.
Shakira’s performance was a mixture of nostalgia and apprehension for me. I grew up listening to her music and would consider myself a casual fan.
Despite my inherent bias, her performance failed to entertain me. The choreography seemed lazy and slow with the only highlight being her crowd surfing for a moment.
As attractive as she is, I can only stand to watch her writhe against the floor and wall for so long. It’s been the same three dance moves for decades, but ay dios mío I think it’s time to learn some new ones.
I didn’t feel like I could jump up to sing and dance with her since her song choices lacked energy.
Her performance of “Whenever, Wherever” and “Hips Don’t Lie” made my inner child squeal with happy nostalgia, but the rest almost put me to sleep.
Performing for 10 minutes isn’t an easy task, but when all she does is bounce around and rub herself against her backup dancers, it’s easy to lose interest.
Lil Wayne’s performance almost gave me whiplash. I have no idea why a now-irrelevant rapper from the mid ‘90s was given a slot to perform.
His set was stuck in the early 2000s with the vocals, backup dancers and wardrobe. The only time I could imagine enjoying this set is if I was drunk off of cheap tequila at a houseparty, and why were the backup dancers in workout sets? They weren’t even cute outfits either, the clothes looked like they were ordered straight from SHEIN.
His four-minute set could have gone to a newer artist with a larger following. I would have loved to see another Latin artist perform instead of a rapper stuck whose fame peaked in 2008.
After these atrocities I needed a shot of adrenaline to keep me conscious enough to watch the rest of the performances, luckily sets from Sabrina Carpenter, Cardi B with Megan Thee Stallion and Peso Pluma were able to somewhat make up for an overall underwhelming event.
Watching Sabrina Carpenter sparkle across the stage was a dreamy experience. The entire performance was cohesive, beautiful and had me white-girl-dancing the entire way through.
I adored her mixture of old Hollywood glamor and sexiness. She, unlike other performers, dominated the stage with her incredible vocals and presence.
Carpenter threw herself into her choreography. She danced the entire way through while keeping a steady voice, attesting to her immense skill as an artist.
The theming and design of the set dripped in elegance and seduction while keeping it fun. If Sabrina Carpenter is looking for a terribly amateur backup dancer, I’d sign away my rights to do it.
Cardi B exemplified what it means to be a great performer. Bright colors, skilled backup dancers and energy exuded an inescapable aura of sexiness and allure the moment she stepped onto the stage.
Megan Thee Stallion made the entire performance into a work of art. Every aspect melted into the perfect show, the coordinated outfits, the constant dancing, strong vocals and the stunning set sent this performance to the top of my list for the night.
Megan thee Stallion and Cardi B were a match made in music-industry heaven. The choreography and the lyrics, while not my style, were a joy to watch. I’ll never complain about watching these two twerk on stage as I poorly imitate it in my mirror.
The duo twerking side by side wasn’t the only groundbreaking occurrence last night though.
Peso Pluma was the first Mexican artist to perform for the VMAs, and I’m not disappointed.
I love seeing my culture represented through music, especially on a world stage. While I don’t listen to his music often, I loved watching the live band to back him up. It was a beautiful touch and reminded me of the mariachis and bandas my family would hire for gatherings.
His crowd engagement and choreography were lacking, but I was still enthralled. The grito “arriba Mexico” at the end of his set had me screaming along in pride for my culture.
His set was short, but I hope this opens the door formore Mexican artists to perform at events like the VMAs.
Whether or not Peso Pluma is on the top of your Spotify playlist, he deserves the support.
These performances kept me satisfied, and I was quickly brought back to a state of dismay when I saw the winners of the show.
The category awards were just as disorganized as the performances.
Taylor Swift dominated various categories yesterday to no one's surprise. She won nine awards this year and I don’t think she deserved any of them.
While I respect her artistry and attention to detail, I view her as an overhyped singer that is better suited to create tracks for a poorly written teen-romance show on the CW.
She has won various awards that other artists were more deserving of throughout her career. I think everyone keeps stroking her ego because they’re too afraid to cross the Swifties cult. I appreciate her music, but it isn’t worth as much as the VMAs claimed it was.
A group who was deserving their award was Stray Kids. Stray Kids won best K-Pop and I’m happy to see an underrated group be given their flowers.
I appreciate seeing a new name being awarded the category since all I ever see in American media about K-Pop is BTS and BLACKPINK.
SZA won best R&B for her song “Shirt” and I’m incredibly happy. I’m a SZA stan through and through. Oxford English Dictionary defines a stan as an obsessive and overzealous fan, and for SZA, I will gladly assume the “stan” title. I don’t care to go over the rest of the categories, because half of them went to the undeserving blondie anyway.
Though, my favorite part of the whole debacle was Taylor Swift acting like a teenager that got drunk for the first time. If I get to see Hollywood’s golden girl in a drunken stooper every time I watch the VMAs, I’ll be back to watch next year.
