MTV VMAs 2015: The winners and performers
Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus and more…
The lead up to this year's awards was not without its controversy, but we didn't expect this much drama at last night's 2015 MTV VMA's. The two-hour live broadcast show was loaded with entertainment, drama and of course – Moonmen, as the hottest stars of the past year in music assembled at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to be guided through the ceremony by Miley Cyrus.
Cyrus was thrown her first major curve ball early in proceedings and handled it like a champ. As Nicki Minaj accepted her 'Best Hip-hop' award for Anaconda, she chose to use her air-time to call out Miley for some comments made against her in an interview earlier in the week, using strong language and calling Miley names. Cyrus took it in her stride and kept the ball rolling like a pro, and even managed to muster a "congratulations" to Nicki.
Speaking of Minaj beef, Taylor Swift (who has since made-up with Nicki after their Twitter spat) took away four gongs thanks to two of her big hits this year Bad Blood and Blank Space, including the covetable 'Video of the Year' title for her action packed and star studded Bad Blood video that is flooded with Taylor's crew. Taylor also made a cameo in Nicki's live performance on the night, to demonstrate their amicable status.
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars' insanely catchy, Uptown Funk, bagged the prize for 'Best Male Video' beating out The Weeknd, whose live performance of Can't Feel My Face on the night was a stand out highlight, along with the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' performance of their newly dropped single, Downtown.
Justin Bieber also took to the stage to perform a mash up of Where Are U Now, his summer-hit collaboration with Skrillex & Diplo, and What Do You Mean? marking his 'come-back' after taking a bit of time out to regroup. This was his first performance on the VMA stage in five years. It was an emotional performance for Bieber, who hid behind a black baseball cap for most of the performance, but seemed to break down afterwards (or perhaps the harness for the aerial stunts was a bit tight?)
Host Miley also performed in a burst of colourful, albeit tiny, outfits. Demi Lovato joined Iggy Azalea on the outdoor stage to perform Cool For The Summer, which resulted in a somewhat tepid performance. Pharrell also took to the outdoor stage to perform his social anthem Freedom.
And to cap off the night, Kanye West accepted his 'Michael Jackson Video Vanguard' award with the declaration that he will be running for president in 2020. Read all about that here. Never a dull moment at the VMA's. Discover the gallery of onstage images and see below for a full list of winners for the night...
A$AP Rocky
Kanye West, Big Sean
Miley Cyrus
Justin Bieber
Britney Spears
The Weeknd
Rita Ora, Emily Ratajkowski
Jared Leto
Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson
Nicki Minaj
Kanye West
Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Demi Lovato and Iggy Azalea
Pharrell Williams
The full list of winners
Best female video
Beyoncé - "7/11″
Taylor Swift - "Blank Space"
Nicki Minaj - "Anaconda"
Sia - "Elastic Heart"
Ellie Goulding - "Love Me Like You Do"
Best hip-hop video
Fetty Wap - "Trap Queen"
Nicki Minaj - "Anaconda"
Kendrick Lamar - "Alright"
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - "See You Again"
Big Sean ft. E-40 - "I Don't F-k With You"
Best male video
Ed Sheeran - "Thinking Out Loud"
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - "Uptown Funk"
Kendrick Lamar - "Alright"
The Weeknd - "Earned It"
Nick Jonas - "Chains"
Best pop video
Beyoncé - "7/11″
Ed Sheeran - "Thinking Out Loud"
Taylor Swift - "Blank Space"
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - "Uptown Funk"
Maroon 5 - "Sugar"
Best rock video
Hozier - "Take Me to Church"
Fall Out Boy - "Uma Thurman"
Florence + the Machine - "Ship to Wreck"
Walk the Moon - "Shut Up and Dance"
Arctic Monkeys - "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?"
Video of the year
Beyoncé - "7/11″
Ed Sheeran - "Thinking Out Loud"
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar - "Bad Blood"
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - "Uptown Funk"
Kendrick Lamar - "Alright"
Artist to watch
Fetty Wap - "Trap Queen"
Vance Joy - "Riptide"
George Ezra - "Budapest"
James Bay - "Hold Back The River"
FKA Twigs - "Pendulum"
Best collaboration
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar - "Bad Blood"
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - "Uptown Funk"
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - "See You Again"
Ariana Grande & The Weeknd - "Love Me Harder"
Jessie J + Ariana Grande + Nicki Minaj - "Bang Bang"
Video with a social message
Jennifer Hudson - "I Still Love You"
Colbie Caillat - "Try"
Big Sean ft. Kanye West and John Legend - "One Man Can Change the World"
Rihanna - "American Oxygen"
Wale - "The White Shoes"
