Mariah Carey’s Big Win at the MTV VMAs
Mariah Carey finally received her first MTV Video Music Award on Sunday evening when the Grammy’s superstar singer was awarded the Video Vanguard Award. Although she had been nominated for eight VMAs over the years, Carey had not yet won a competition prize when she was recognized with the prestigious award.
A Long-Awaited Win
Carey entered the stage after performing a medley of her hits and joked over her long-awaited prize: "What did she need in Sam Hill for so long?!" Before Carey received her honor, excerpts from her many hits were played, and singles with particularly memorable videos were emphasized, including "Honey", "Heartbreaker", "Obsessed", "It’s So", "We Belong Together", and the remix of her hit "Fantasy".
A Medley of Hits
She started the medley with her latest single "Sugar Sweet", wearing a silk robe and appearing next to two dancers. Then she took off the robe to reveal a shimmering golden one-piece overall as she went over the VMA stage and hits. From "Fantasy" she briefly went to "Honey" and then "Heartbreaker" and again to "Honey" with numerous dancers, including some in "honey" sailor outfits.
A Tribute to Her Legacy
Carey also called her “Heartbreaker” video with a cameo appearance from her video alter ego, which was still wearing popcorn in her hair and the same all-Red ensemble from the video. Carey then pretended to strike Bianca and campaigned in "Obsessed" when she entered her Emancipation of Mimi Era, complete with "Mimi" in lights behind her. Then she delivered the first two singles from this album from 2005: "It’s So" and "We Belong Together".
A Special Presentation
Ariana Grande presented Carey with her Vanguard Award and said that the singer of the "queen" "the reason why so many of us sing here". Carey, proclaimed Grande, gave the audience a "anthem for every single occasion". "A song to sing and hand to keep in the best and worst times," said Grande, who was once called "Mini Mariah" as a Powerhouse singing, about Carey and quoted the five-octave reach of the Chantuse, a "pop playbook" by music videos and how she made listeners with "The Soundtrack of of Lives".
Accepting the Award
Carey accepted the award and gave Grande a kiss on the cheek and praised the young actress, telling her that she was “so proud of everything she has achieved, girls.” She also thought about her past times on the VMAS stage, including the presentation of this year’s moderator, LL Cool J with his video vanguard Award and the opening of the 1998 show with her and Whitney Houston, who was wearing the same dress.
A Look Back at Her Career
Carey named her videos "Mini films visualize the sheer imagination of everything". "Sometimes there is the opportunity to bring the drama and do things that I would not do," said Carey, listing her "drag" persona in "Obsessed", fighting Bianca in "Heartbreaker" and fled to a lonely island with a hot man in "Schatz", of which she was not too strong.
What’s Next for Mariah Carey
Carey reminded the viewers of her upcoming new studio album, Here for everything, from September 26th. Carey also won a competitive VMA on Sunday evening and received the award for the best R&B for "Type Dangerous".
The Video Vanguard Award Legacy
The former recipients of the Video Vanguard Award include Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, Rihanna, Shakira, and Justin Timberlake. In the meantime, David Bowie, the Beatles, and the director Richard Lester in 1984 shared the honor of the first VMAs.
The 2025 MTV VMAs
The 2025 MTV VMAS took place on Sunday evening from the New York UBS Arena and were initiated on the radio network for the first time. This year, Lady Gaga went down in the show as a leading candidate with 12 nods, followed by Bruno Mars with 11 nominations and Kendrick Lamar with 10. All three artists were nominated for the main prize of the year.
