Taylor Swift makes VMAs history with most career wins for a solo artist
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — And for a fortnight, Taylor Swift will be celebrating after making history at MTV's Video Music Awards. The singer won six awards and counting Wednesday night, including artist of the year. That makes her the solo artist with the most career VMA wins.
The Eras Tour star stunned on the red carpet in a plaid corset and skirt by Dior, thigh-high boots and fingerless gloves that stretched past her elbows. The tortured poet's first single off her 11th studio album, "Fortnight (ft. Post Malone)," won four awards, including for best collaboration and song of the summer.
Swift also nabbed the best direction award for directing the "Fortnight" music video.
When the collaboration win was announced, the audience got on their feet and shrieked with excitement. Swift came to the stage with Post Malone. Presenter Flava Flav jumped up and down hugging her.
“Waking up this morning in New York on Sept. 11," she said. "Everyone we lost, and that is the most important thing about today.”
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She then complimented Post Malone. “There is a very clear reason why Post Malone is everyone in music’s favorite person," she said. "You are so ridiculously talented, you are so versatile and you are the most down to earth person. Honestly so unfailingly politice, it has taken me forever to get him to stop calling me ma'am."
"Yes, ma'am," he responded. "Taylor is absolutely one of the most kind and talented people I've ever had the honor of knowing."
He described how she directed the "Fortnight" music video while tied to an operating board during one scene.
"It was pretty bad***," he said.
Wednesday's wins mean she's up to a record 29 VMAs over her career, surpassing Beyoncé's 25 wins as a solo artist. If Swift takes home the video of the year award, she'll become the first singer to nab that trophy five times.
Swift is up for 12 total awards Wednesday evening at the UBS Arena:
- WON: Song of the summer for "Fortnight"
- VMAs Most Iconic Performance: "You Belong With Me"
- Video of the year: "Fortnight"
- WON: Artist of the year
- Song of the year: "Fortnight"
- WON: Best collaboration for "Fortnight"
- WON: Best pop
- WON: Best direction for "Fortnight"
- Best cinematography: "Fortnight"
- Best visual effects: "Fortnight"
- Best art direction for "Fortnight"
- WON: Best editing: "Fortnight"
Swift's VMA history: awards and music performances
Taylor Swift has a lengthy history with the VMAs extending back to 2008 when she was nominated for "Our Song." The country singer won her first moon man for the "You Belong With Me" music video in 2009. She's collected hardware for her music videos for "I Knew You Were Trouble," "Blank Space," "Bad Blood (ft. Kendrick Lamar)," "I Don't Wanna Live Forever (ft. Zayn)," "You Need to Calm Down," "ME! (ft. Brendon Urie)," "All Too Well: The Short Film" and "Anti-Hero."
Swift's first win came with a maelstrom of controversy when Kanye West interrupted her speech telling the crowd, "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!" After the West interruption, Swift performed "You Belong With Me" in front of Radio City Music Hall.
In 2010, she sang "Innocent," a song she revealed in New York Magazine that she wrote to West. Two years later in a red and white top, she sang, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." In 2014, she shimmied to "Shake It Off," joking when her dancers encouraged her to jump off a second-story "1989" platform, "I don’t care if it’s the VMAs, I’m not jumping off there. People are getting bit by snakes; it’s dangerous." The next year, Swift joined Nikki Minaj on stage for a mashup of "The Night Is Still Young" with "Bad Blood." Her performance served as a harbinger to the dissolution of bad blood between her and West as she presented the rapper with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
The next year Swift was canceled by West and his then-wife Kim Kardashian. He released his song "Famous," which included the line, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that b**** famous." Swift denied approving the lyrics, and Kardashian released a series of videos on Snapchat that made it seem like Swift was lying. Years later it came out that the videos were edited and Swift was telling the truth.
In 2017, Swift premiered her music video riddled with Easter eggs for "Look What You Made Me Do" at the show. Two years later, she returned to the stage singing "You Need to Calm Down" and "Lover."
In 2022, to celebrate 13 years since her first win, Swift announced the release of "Midnights." The singer stunned in a bejeweled gown designed by Oscar de la Renta.
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Last year, she lit up the red carpet in a black Versace gown with gold buttons and a thigh-high slit. The broadcast cut multiple times to the singer having a good time dancing with her friend and "Karma" collaborator Ice Spice. NSYNC reunited to honor the "Anti-Hero" star with an award for best pop video.
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