By Mia Gutierrez, September 23, 2025
Award season is off to a great start with performances that blew me away at the MTV Video Music Awards Sept. 7, showing off this year’s talented nominees, like Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and rising stars.
The VMAs took place in New York and highlighted some of the biggest names and moments in music from this past year, including pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter and country singer Post Malone. The iconic award show has been known for some of the most memorable and famous moments in pop culture, including Britney Spears holding a live snake in 2001 and Beyonce’s pregnancy reveal in 2011. This years VMA’s also included iconic moments from Busta Rhymes and J Balvin.
The award show, hosted by LL Cool J, showcased performances from Carpenter, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga and a tribute performance to honor the legendary Ozzy Osbourne.
Many communities in music such as Latin and hip hop were also included in collaborative performances and medleys, including “Livin’ la Vida Loca” and “Break Ya Neck” that were personalized by big names in music such as Rhymes, Ricky Martin, GloRilla and more.
The show began with Doja Cat’s debut performance of her new song “Jealous Type,” which I enjoyed due to multiple dance breaks. Her energy got the audience up and out of their seats with her disco sound.
The show continued with jaw-dropping performances by Tate McRae and Sabrina Carpenter. Their advanced dance numbers and hit songs from their latest albums, such as “Revolving door” and “Tears,” included inspiration from New York City, the LGBTQ+ community and medusa elements. Carpenter’s performance involved LGBTQ+ performers holding protest signs to support the queer community, while Tate’s included an artsy routine, including a sandbox and intense choreography
The night highlighted many women in the music industry not only through performances but also awards. This was a special night for the pop girls who were recognized for their work within the last year after taking over the Billboard charts. Girls such as Carpenter were recognized for their creativity and relatable lyrics, which led to her winning Album of the Year.
Some of the biggest awards and winners of the night included the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award, received by Mariah Carey. Rosé and Bruno Mars took the win for Song of the Year for their smash hit “APT.”
Ariana Grande took home multiple wins for her music video and extended album “Brighter Days Ahead,” including Best Pop and Video of the Year, which was deemed well deserved by many fans who feel she has been robbed of multiple music awards over the last few years with her past albums, such as “Thank You, Next.”
Lastly, Lady Gaga took the crown for Artist of the Year for her latest album “Mayhem.” This was definitley well deserved due to the hard work she has put into her career.
The popular K-Pop group Katseye also received their first VMA ever for MTV Push Performance of the Year for their song “Touch.” The members have made themselves known over the last year and have proved they have earned a spot in the industry with their hit songs and trending dance routines.
Although each performance was captivating and unique, Ozzy Osbourne’s tribute performance really touched the audience’s hearts. One of the most sentimental and memorable moments of the show was Ozzy Osbourne’s tribute to the singer who died July 22, leaving the rock and music community heartbroken.
Multiple friends of Osbourne performed the tribute, such as Yungblud, Joe Perry, Steven Tyler and Nuno Bettencourt. They paid respect to Osbourne by performing some of his hit songs, such as “Changes,” “Crazy Train” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” The performance touched those not only in the venue, but also fans, including myself, watching at home, who knew the impact Osbourne had on the music industry and the legacy he left.
Although many people were moved, some people felt the award show was poorly done and focused too much on the medleys and tributes to music’s past.
“It felt like a missed opportunity to really showcase the present and future, and finally let the past take a bit of a backseat,” Billboard Music said.
Any televised award show is bound to get backlash. But I felt the medleys were necessary to honor the legends in music and give credit where it was due.
The night came to a close with Mariah Carey’s Video Vanguard Medley performance, which took the audience back in time as she performed some of her most popular hits, such as “Obsessed” and “We Belong Together.” This performance lacked in many areas, as it was obvious she was lip synching and seemed to do very little choreography. The 2025 VMA’s were definitely a show to remember.