Taylor Swift dominated the MTV Europe Music Awards, winning four prizes, while South African artist Tyla stood out with three awards. The ceremony in Manchester honored global stars and paid tribute to Liam Payne.
The American superstar Taylor Swift triumphed on Sunday evening at the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards, taking home four awards at this ceremony celebrating the biggest names in global music in Manchester, United Kingdom. The 34-year-old artist, although not present, won major categories: Artist of the Year, Best Live Artist, Best Video for her clip Fortnight with Post Malone, and Best American Artist. In a pre-recorded message, the Shake it Off singer expressed her "sadness" at not being able to attend the ceremony. "It’s incredible that you have honored the tour, the album, and the video," she said, thanking her fellow artist Post Malone.
Despite her seven nominations, she was bested by Ariana Grande for the Pop Artist of the Year title. These awards add to the numerous accolades Taylor Swift has won throughout 2024, including a fourth Grammy in February for Album of the Year, a historic record. Her global Eras tour, the most profitable in history, also marked a year in which she was named Person of the Year by Time magazine.
The ceremony, marked by a strong female presence, began shortly after 8:00 p.m. GMT with an impressive performance by American Benson Boone, who was named Revelation of the Year. An emotional tribute was paid to Liam Payne, former member of One Direction, who passed away at age 31 in late October, led by the host, singer Rita Ora.
South Africa and K-Pop in the Spotlight
South African singer Tyla surprised everyone by winning three awards, including Best R&B Artist. Another standout of the evening was Lisa, a Thai K-pop star, who won in two categories: Best Collaboration for her duet New Woman with Rosalía, and Best Fanbase, even surpassing Taylor Swift's famous "Swifties."
The Song of the Year award went to American Sabrina Carpenter for her summer hit Espresso. Eminem, who returned with a new album in 2024, received the award for Best Hip-Hop Artist for the tenth time, while Liam Gallagher, the iconic voice of Oasis, won in the Rock category. Liam and Noel Gallagher announced in August that they were reuniting Oasis for a tour, fifteen years after their dramatic breakup.
This 2024 edition, which aimed to be international with artists like Lisa and Nigerian singer Ayra in general categories, was nevertheless dominated by Anglo-Saxon artists. Latin artists, despite being the creators of numerous global hits, did not win in any of the general categories. Mexican artist Peso Pluma won the Latin Music award, defeating Shakira and Karol G.
French DJs Snake and David Guetta, both nominated in the electronic music category, went home empty-handed, as the award went to Calvin Harris. In the France category, Aya Nakamura, the popular singer of Djadja and a prominent figure in the international Francophone music scene, lost to Pierre Garnier, discovered on Star Academy.
With AFP
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