After months of anticipation for the annual MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), the ceremony reopened their doors on September 11. Many artists including Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone and Rauw Alejandro had the opportunity to make their debut performance on the main stage at the VMA’s. Fans worldwide were excited to sing their hearts out alongside their favorite artists on this special day. Out of all the celebrities who performed at this year’s Video Music Awards, there were quite a few that stood out.
One of the many popular artists to put on a show at the VMA’s was Chapell Roan. Her popularity has dramatically increased since being able to open for Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour this past year. This once in a lifetime experience resulted in her opportunities arising drastically, with her being able to headline Coachella and have a chance to perform at the Video Music Awards.
Roan’s VMA debut lasted for four minutes, and she sang her recently released single “Good Luck, Babe.” She started off her performance exiting a locked up castle presenting herself to knights in shining armor, paying homage to Joan of Arc. Throughout the show, it was obvious to see she took control and directed her backup dancers’ positions, giving the spotlight to Roan.
A part of the show that stood out was the fire side effect her background portrayed, giving her performance a dramatic effect. Roan was able to pop off and give a 10/10 performance even though it was her first time performing at this high scale event. She knew she had to have an unforgettable show and was able to execute it perfectly.
Another rising artist who performed is Sabrina Carpenter. Carpenter rose in popularity when she opened for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour back in 2023. Her music career was able to hit its peak when she released her sixth studio album “Short n’ Sweet” which debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200 and had top hit singles.
Carpenter’s first opportunity to perform at the VMA’s earlier this month durated for a little less than four minutes. She decided to perform a mashup of her hits, “Please Please Please,” “Taste” and “Espresso.” Her performance started off high on a swing looking over the crowd, surprising the audience. Her choice of songs were able to connect to many listeners because of their rise in popularity recently on social media.
Compared to Roan, Carpenter wasn’t as active with her performance and let her background dancers and her set to be the center of attention around her amazing vocals. She gave the audience quite a few surprises during the performance and sometimes interacted with her audience, motivating them to “make some noise.” Her performance receives a 7/10 rating, because Although Carpenter is somewhat newer to the music industry, she let her backup dancers take the spotlight a few times and she went along with it.
One final popular artist who took the stage and wowed the audience was Katy Perry. She performed for the first time back in 2009 and this year marked her 15th anniversary. Perry was singing alongside newer artists who were recently rising in fame similar to when she hit her peak back in 2008.
Perry performed a combination of two of her classic singles, “Dark Horse” and “California Gurls,” along with her newest hit “Womans World.” She starts her performance off floating in the middle of the circle giving her performance a more unique look. To get her audience to focus on her, she uses a lot of lights to allow her performance to stand out. She brought out creative stunts and acted very dramatic in her show which easily connected her to her song lyrics. Overall, her performance receives a 9/10 rating as it was very unique, and she performed in a way many artists haven’t performed before.