And for a fortnight, Taylor Swift will be celebrating after making history at MTV’s Video Music Awards. The singer won seven awards Wednesday, including the night’s top prize of video of the year.
That makes her the solo artist with the most career VMA wins, and the artist with the most video of the year wins.
In her acceptance speech for video of the year, she thanked her boyfriend Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. “When I’d finish a take, and I’d say cut, and we’d be done with that take, I’d always just hear someone like cheering and like ‘whoo’ from across the studio,” she said. “And that one person was my boyfriend Travis. Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic.”
Kelce did not make an appearance at the VMAs as he’s likely practicing with the Chiefs ahead of their game Sunday in Kansas City against the Cincinnati Bengals.
She also thanked her fans for voting for her and encouraged them to go out and vote during this year’s presidential election. “If you are over 18, please register to vote for something else that’s very important coming up,” she said, a day after Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for president.
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.
She later changed into a bejeweled custom Monse mini dress with a spaceship on the front, perhaps a nod to “Down Bad” from “The Tortured Poets Department.” She has said that the lyrics to that song include love bombing and compared it to being abducted by aliens.
Everything Swift does is decoded by fans.
Was the dress, with black leather shoulder straps and buckles, referencing the UFO in the “TTPD” set on the Eras Tour? Also, coincidence that the dress was made by the same designer that Michelle Obama wore while speaking at the Democratic National Convention?
(If you loved the UFO dress, a similar dress that has a tapestry print rather than sequined, is on the Monse site for $990.) It is described as an “alien UFO print, inspired by the iconic sci-fi films of the 1950s.” But you’ll need to be patient. The dress doesn’t ship until January, 2025.
Swift also thanked those who worked on the video, including Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles who appeared in cameos: “Directing this video and putting it together and writing it was the most wonderful experience, and that is because of all the people that I got to make it with — and that includes my amazing cinematographer [and] Rodrigo Prieto, who goes out of his way to work with female directors. He’s a genius and I can’t believe I got to work with him as well as Ethan Tobman, my amazing production designer, who I worked with on the Eras Tour.”
The tortured poet’s first single off her 11th studio album, “Fortnight (ft. Post Malone),” won four awards, including for best direction and best collaboration.
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.”
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 30 VMAs over her career, surpassing Beyoncé’s 25 wins as a solo artist.
Swift was up for 12 total awards Wednesday evening at the UBS Arena:
Swift’s VMA history: awards and music performances
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.
