A cotton candy career of hits becomes a futuristic, post-apocalyptic dream. At Wednesday night’s VMAs, Katy Perry took the stage to deliver a medley of her greatest hits (and her new album, 143) as she celebrated receiving the coveted Video Vanguard Award.
Perry’s performance opened with a montage of her greatest videos. She kicked off her medley of hits by floating in the middle of a circle as she performed “Dark Horse.” Perry was wearing a futuristic, alien-like top as she flew over the crowd and was brought to the ground.
Perry continued flying around the crowd, landing only for some choreography, as she transitioned into a performance of “E.T.,” nodding at the VMAs’ space theme.
Then, Perry — dressed in a skin-colored bodice — joined Doechii to debut “I’m His, He’s Mine,” their new single out Friday, as they performed from atop a futuristic clear stage. Doechii rapped her catchy verse and twerked alongside Perry before the two came close to sharing a smooch.
“Where’s all my ‘California Gurls’ at?” Perry continued, recreating her 2015 Super Bowl halftime show moment as she asked the crowd to “sing it” following the classic’s opening line. She continued the hits with a rendition of “Teenage Dream” as she slid down a platform that displayed the name of her upcoming album, 143. After “Teenage Dream,” Perry transitioned into One of the Boys‘ “I Kissed a Girl” while wearing metallic butterfly wings as she walked onto a secondary stage and backed by a rock band reminiscent of her Warped Tour days.
The pop star then slowed things down to sing “Firework” as drone-controlled blue butterflies — a theme of 143 — flew around her. Perry then stepped up the speed as she strutted through the crowd to sing “Lifetimes,” surrounded by her dancers as she held up a giant blue butterfly.
“Thank you so much to MTV for believing in my weirdness from day one and for helping artists extend their worlds beyond a song,” Perry said onstage. “There are so many things that have to align to have a long and successful career as an artist. There are no decade-long accidents.”
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Perry thanked her team and family for supporting her as she shouted out MySpace and Warped Tour, and the online “bygone places” that she built community on.
“Thank you to the friends who were there when my Jetta was repossessed, my KatyCats, who stood by for a lifetime, and the LGBTQ community who I recognize I would not be here without, and who show me that you can be both kind and cunt,” she added. “Thank you to to Orlando for keeping me grounded, celebrated and doing the dishes. And lastly, for my Daisy, the only flowers I’ll ever need.”
Perry shared her excitement for the new generation of artists, who approach their music with “confidence, agency, and authenticity.”
“One of the biggest reasons I’m standing here right now is I learn how to block out all the moles that every single artist in this industry has to constantly fight against, especially women,” Perry said. “I just want to say with my whole heart: Do whatever it takes to stay true to yourself and true to your art. Turn off social media, safeguard your mental health.”
“Pause. Touch grass,” she continued. “Do what you were born to do just like I was born to do this.”
Perry’s husband, Orlando Bloom, introduced the singer onstage as the pair shared a long smooch. “I fell in love with her as Kathryn Hudson. You know her as a global superstar who brings love, light, and her unique sense of humor to every song she writes,” Bloom said while introducing her. “I know her as a mother, as a partner, who brings that same love and joy to our family in moments when we most need it.”
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Taylor Swift was spotted in the crowd standing up as she clapped for her former rival, now friend. Although it was teased in the introduction of her set, Perry left out “Woman’s World.”
Perry was announced as the Vanguard Award honoree last month when Paramount exec Bruce Gillmer described her as a “true pop culture icon” and a “global phenomenon.” Along with taking home the Vanguard Moon Person, she’s also up for VMAs’ Most Iconic Performance for “Roar” in 2013 against historic performances from the likes of Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift.
Over the years, Perry has won five Moon Persons. In 2011, she won Video of the Year for “Firework” and Best Collab and Best Special Effects for “E.T.” with Kanye West. In 2012, she took home the trophy for Best Art Direction for “Wide Awake” and Best Female Video in 2014 for “Dark Horse” with Juicy J.
Perry joins a long list of icons to receive the coveted trophy. Shakira won the award in 2023, Nicki Minaj won it in 2022, while Missy Elliott took home the prize in 2019.
Camila Cabello, Anitta, Benson Boone, Halsey, Chappell Roan, Karol G, Rauw Alejandro, and Sabrina Carpenter were among the performers to hit the stage at this year’s VMAs.
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The Vanguard Award arrives a week before she is set to release her sixth album, 143, which will feature Kim Petras, Doechii, and 21 Savage. The LP has had a tumultuous launch following the release of “Woman’s World” in July. She quickly followed the track with “Lifetimes” earlier this month.
The 2024 Video Music Awards are airing live on MTV from the UBS Arena in Long Island.
