The 2025 VMAs had fans cheering, gasping, and shocked at the results. Between the live performances, deserved wins, and unexpected snubs, this VMAs had it all.
There was no shortage of live performances at the VMAs, something they are known for. Katseye, Mariah Carrey, Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga, Doja Cat, Post Malone, Tate Mcrae, Alex Warren, Conan Gray, and so many more took the stage. There were, however, a few performances that stood out to us.
The first one was Sabrina Carpenter’s performance of her new song “Tears”. Her backup dancers were drag queens and about halfway through the performance they held up protest signs with messages such as “Protect trans rights” and “Love each other.” This expressed a powerful message to the audience, one that says everyone deserves to be loved. In addition to the messages of love, the performance was a tribute to Britney Spears’s 2001 performance of “Hit Me Baby One More Time.” Britney’s performance was iconic in pop culture and many fans enjoyed the tribute. Overall this was our favorite performance due to the deep messages and cool references.
This was our second favorite performance of the night because he’s a newer and younger artist so it was inspiring to watch. Sombr performed “Back To Friends” which has been trending online recently. Some people online have criticized this performance, but while we are not exactly fans of his, we thought it sounded raw and heartfelt.
The final performance that stood out to us was Tate Mcrae’s. She sang “Sports Car” and “Revolving Door” which, true to her performing style, had dramatic visuals and intense dancing choreography. While we are not fans of hers we think that this was an amazing performance because of how dedicated she is to her work.
Moving on to the awards category, there were some deserved wins but certainly some snubs.
The named artist of the year award was a category with many deserving artists including Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, Beyonce, Morgan Wallan, The Weeknd, and then, the winner, Lady Gaga. We believe this was absolutely deserved due to her unique album ideas and music videos.
Another deserved win was Sabrina Carpenter in the category music video of the year. Again there were many great contenders, but we think she absolutely deserved it after her recent success in the studio and her shows.
One of the many snubs of the VMAs was who got the best hip hop award. There were nominations from Travis Scott, an Eminem x Jelly Roll collab, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar, but they chose to give the award to Doechii’s “Anxiety.” This isn’t too shocking considering its recent success but we, along with many others, believe there were better contenders. Yes, what she’s doing is unique and new to the industry, but that doesn’t change the fact that there were traditional rap songs that sounded better.
Another snub we were not too fond of was the best rock category. There were nominations from Linkin Park, Coldplay, Twenty One Pilots, Green Day, Evanescence, and Lenny Cravitz. Coldplay ended up winning for their song “All My Love.” Coldplay’s genre is often debated as either rock, alternative, or even sometimes something more niche. We thought this award should have gone to just about any other artist besides them. We felt that the song sounded more alternative than rock, taking away the opportunity for other bands to win. For some of these other bands like Green Day and Evanescence, it was their first nomination in a while, so we feel as though they were snubbed from winning a VMA for their songs.
But perhaps the biggest snub of the night was the best new artist award. The nominees included Sombr, The Marias, Lola Young, Gigi Perez, and Ella Langley, yet the award was given to Alex Warren. In our opinion, the award should have gone to the Marias because of their backstory and almost psychedelic musical sound. They sound almost dreamy and vaguely remind us of the Cocteau Twins, a band we love, due to their light sound. To us and many fans, Alex Warren’s music, while good and emotional, is nothing extraordinary when compared to the Marias and even Gigi Perez.
Overall, we thought that there were artists who won well deserved awards, as well as some snubs. The performances were fun to watch and the anticipation leading up to the rewards is a surreal feeling you only get to experience once a year. The VMA’s did have a good selection of nominees, so maybe next year will have a better outcome of winners.
