close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Taylor Swift Makes VMAs History, Thanks Travis Kelce for ‘Fun and Magic’
news

Taylor Swift Makes VMAs History, Thanks Travis Kelce for ‘Fun and Magic’

LONG ISLAND, NY — And for two weeks now, Taylor Swift is celebrating making history at the MTV Video Music Awards. The singer won seven awards on Wednesday, including the night’s top prize for video of the year.

This makes her the solo artist with the most VMA awards and the artist with the most videos of the year.

In her acceptance speech for video of the year, she thanked her boyfriend Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. “Whenever I finished a take and I said cut, and we were done with that take, I would always hear someone cheer and say ‘whoo’ on the other side of the studio,” she said. “And that person was my boyfriend Travis. Everything that man touches turns to happiness and joy and magic.”

2024 VMAs Winners: Taylor Swift wins video of the year, Chappell Roan is best new artist

Kelce did not appear at the VMAs, as he is likely working out with the Chiefs in preparation for their game Sunday in Kansas City against the Cincinnati Bengals.

She also thanked her fans for voting for her and encouraged them to vote in this year’s presidential election. “If you’re over 18, register to vote for something else that’s going to be very important soon,” she said, a day after Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for president.

The Eras Tour star dazzled on the red carpet in a checked Dior corset and skirt, thigh-high boots and fingerless gloves that reached past her elbows.

Later, she changed into a bejeweled, custom-made Monse minidress with a spaceship on the front, perhaps a nod to “Down Bad” from The Tortured Poets Department. She said the song’s lyrics contained love bombing and compared it to alien abduction.

Everything Swift does is decoded by fans.

Did the dress, with its black leather straps and buckles, reference the UFO in the Eras Tour’s “TTPD” set? And by any chance, was it made by the same designer Michelle Obama wore when she spoke at the Democratic National Convention?

(If you liked the UFO dress, there’s a similar dress on Monse’s site with a tapestry print instead of sequins for $990.) It’s described as an “alien UFO print, inspired by iconic sci-fi films from the 1950s.” But you’ll have to be patient. The dress won’t ship until January 2025.

Swift also thanked those who worked on the video, including Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles who made cameos: “Directing this video and putting it together and writing it was the most amazing experience, and that’s because of all the people that I got to make it with — and that includes my incredible cinematographer (and) Rodrigo Prieto, who makes a big deal about working with female directors. He’s a genius and I can’t believe I got to work with him, as well as Ethan Tobman, my incredible production designer, who I worked with on the Eras Tour.”

The lead single from the tormented poet’s 11th studio album, “Fortnight (ft. Post Malone),” won four awards, including Best Director and Best Collaboration.

When the collaboration win was announced, the audience stood and screamed with excitement. Swift came onstage with Post Malone. Host Flava Flav jumped up and down and hugged her.

“When I woke up this morning in New York on September 11th,” she said. “Everyone we lost, and that’s the most important thing today.”

She complimented Post Malone. “There’s a very clear reason why Post Malone is everyone’s favorite person in music,” she said. “You’re so ridiculously talented, you’re so versatile, and you’re the most down-to-earth person. Honestly, so unfailingly polite, it took me forever to stop him from calling me ma’am.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “Taylor is absolutely one of the kindest and most talented people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

He described how she directed the music video for “Fortnight” while strapped to a control panel during one scene.

“It was pretty bad***,” he said.

With her wins on Wednesday, she now has a career-high 30 VMAs, surpassing Beyoncé’s 25 wins as a solo artist.

Swift won a total of 12 awards on Wednesday evening at the UBS Arena:

  • WON: Song of the Summer for “Fortnight”
  • Most Iconic VMA Performance: “You Belong With Me”
  • WON: Video of the Year for “Fortnight”
  • WON: Artist of the year
  • Song of the Year: “Fortnight”
  • WON: Best Collaboration for “Fortnight”
  • WON: Best doll
  • WON: Best direction for “Fortnight”
  • Best Cinematography: “Fortnight”
  • Best Visual Effects: “Fortnight”
  • Best Art Direction for “Fortnight”
  • WON: Best Edit for “Fortnight”

Swift’s VMA History: Awards and Music Performances

Swift has a long history with the VMAs, dating 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 was met with a firestorm of controversy when Kanye West interrupted her speech and told the crowd, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!” Following West’s interruption, Swift performed “You Belong With Me” at Radio City Music Hall.

In 2010, she performed “Innocent,” a song she revealed to New York Magazine that she wrote for West. Two years later, she sang “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” in a red-and-white tank top. In 2014, she shimmied to “Shake It Off,” joking when her dancers encouraged her to jump from a second-floor platform, “1989,” “I don’t care if it’s the VMAs, I’m not jumping off. People get bitten by snakes; it’s dangerous.” The following year, Swift joined Nikki Minaj onstage for a mashup of “The Night Is Still Young” and “Bad Blood.” Her performance served as a precursor to the dissolution of the bad blood between her and West when she presented the rapper with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

The following year, Swift was broken up with by West and his then-wife Kim Kardashian. He released his song “Famous,” which included the line, “I feel like me and Taylor could still have sex. Why? I made that b**** famous.” Swift denied authorizing the song’s lyrics, and Kardashian posted a series of videos on Snapchat that made it appear as if Swift was lying. Years later, it was revealed that the videos had been edited and that Swift was telling the truth.

In 2017, Swift’s Easter egg-filled music video for “Look What You Made Me Do” premiered during the show. She returned to the stage two years later with “You Need to Calm Down” and “Lover.”

In 2022, to celebrate the 13th anniversary of her first win, Swift announced the release of “Midnights,” with the singer resplendent in a jewel-encrusted gown designed by Oscar de la Renta.

More: Taylor Swift wins most awards at 2023 VMAs, including Video of the Year

Last year, she dazzled on the red carpet in a black Versace dress with gold buttons and a thigh-high slit. The broadcast was interrupted several times as the singer had a good time dancing with her friend and “Karma” co-star Ice Spice. NSYNC reunited to honor the “Anti-Hero” star with an award for best pop video.

Don’t miss any Taylor Swift news: sign up for the free weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.

Follow USA TODAY Network’s Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.