Shakira rode a wave of crowd-surfing to claim a lifetime achievement award at the MTV Video Music Awards, delivering a spectacular performance that featured knife dancing, writhing in a faux cave, and a fiery solo guitar during “Objection (Tango).”
The Colombian superstar put on a breathtaking show that saw her dancing with knives, wriggling in a fake cave, and playing a fiery solo guitar during “Objection (Tango).”
Presenting her award, Wyclef Jean declared, “Latin music wouldn’t be a global force without Shakira.”
Taylor Swift was another big winner of the night, taking home nine Moon Man trophies.
The pop sensation won in all but two categories she was nominated in, including the night’s biggest award – Video of the Year – in recognition of her self-directed “Anti-Hero” promotion.
She became the first artist to win Video of the Year in consecutive years and extended her record for most wins in the category to four, having previously won for “Bad Blood,” “You Need to Calm Down,” and “All Too Well: The Short Film.”
The 33-year-old star, who is currently embarking on a groundbreaking $1 billion stadium tour, also received awards for Song of the Year, Best Pop, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects, all for “Anti-Hero.”
She was also honored with Album of the Year for “Midnights,” as well as Artist of the Year and Best Summer Performance.
The artist dedicated her victories to the art of songwriting.
“I love making pop music, I love making pop music videos, I also love making country music,” she told the star-studded audience at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.
“I love sneaking into different genres, and the only reason I’m allowed to do that is because of you, the fans, who give me the chance to do this.”
She also had words for the boy band ‘NSync, who reunited to present her with the Best Pop award.
“I have your action figures!” she laughed as she addressed the quintet.
“You guys are the embodiment of pop, so getting this from your golden pop hands is really over the top,” she said to the group.
Other winners of the night included rapper Ice Spice, who took home the Best New Artist award, and K-pop group Blackpink, who became the first girl band to win Best Group since TLC 24 years ago.
This marked the fifth consecutive win for South Korean bands in the category, with Blackpink taking over from the boy band BTS, who are currently on hiatus.
However, BTS’s youngest member, Jungkook, took the Song of the Summer for his solo hit “Seven,” featuring U.S. rapper Latto. This was the only category in which Swift was defeated; other categories included Best Editing, won by Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire.”
The only dedicated K-Pop award of the night was presented to the eight-member boy band Stray Kids for their single “S-Class,” which they also performed.
Shakira received the Vanguard Award 33 years after releasing her debut album, “Magia,” at the age of 13.
Since then, she has scored several multi-platinum hits, including “Whenever, Wherever,” “Hips Don’t Lie,” “Beautiful Liar,” “Waka Waka,” and this year’s viral hit “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol 53.”
In her brief speech, she thanked her family and fans, concluding in Spanish: “This is for my people. The Latin American people inside and outside this country, thank you for inspiring me and giving me so much strength and determination to keep going. I love you.”
The star claimed her second award alongside fellow Colombian star Karol G, for Best Collaboration on the track “TQG.”
Karol G, who recently appeared on the Barbie soundtrack, also delivered a stunning performance of her national anthem, “Oki Doki,” and “Tá Ok.”
Olivia Rodrigo gave fans a scare with her Vampire-themed performance – as the stage seemed to malfunction, with misfired pyrotechnics and part of the set falling to the ground.
As Rodrigo was escorted offstage, the camera cut to Selena Gomez, who appeared shocked among the audience, seemingly concerned for the singer’s safety.
However, the elaborate prank was a reference to the “Vampire” music video, which featured a similar storyline, and the star quickly returned to perform “Get Him Back” from her new album, “Guts.”
