Brutally honest reviews of every VMAs performance, including Madonna and Raye

Madonna’s Big Night Sets the Tone for a Genre-Spanning 2026 VMAs

Cybersecarmor.com – The 42nd MTV Video Music Awards returned to Los Angeles on Sept. 27 with a lineup designed to bridge pop royalty and emerging acts. Held at the Peacock Theater, the ceremony marked the first time the VMAs had taken place on the West Coast since 2017, with Snoop Dogg bringing his famously unhurried style to hosting duties.

Madonna opened the evening and entered the show with 11 nominations. She collected three trophies during the broadcast, among them artist of the year. Taylor Swift also added another major chapter to her VMA record: her total reached 32 awards, moving her past Beyoncé’s 30 and making Swift the most-decorated artist in the event’s history.

Swift received the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors and later won video of the year for “The Fate of Ophelia.” She also debuted the video for “Patient Zero,” featuring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell.

The performance slate moved rapidly between K-pop, country, hip-hop, soul-pop and electronic music. It also made room for tributes to Dolly Parton and George Michael, demonstrating how the VMAs continued to use spectacle alongside moments of musical remembrance.

Gener8ion Creates a Stark, Cinematic Opening Image

“Storm,” the Gener8ion track from French producer Surkin featuring Swedish rapper Yung Lean, arrived as one of the evening’s most visually controlled performances. The song’s recognized dystopian school setting was recreated onstage, giving the presentation a severe, stylized atmosphere before a note was even delivered.

Yung Lean remained largely motionless in a white shirt and loose tie while rows of dancers in suits moved around him. Their choreography was deliberately slowed down, shifting between swaying, twisting and angular formations. Strobes heightened the sense of tension, and the number ended with the group locking into positions before settling into a stiff, schoolboy-soldier posture.

The result was less about traditional concert energy than a carefully composed visual scene. It gave the song’s unsettling identity room to carry the performance.

Spiro Makes a Poised Awards-Show Entrance

Best new artist winner Spiro made her VMAs debut with “Great Expectation,” a soul-pop track from her July debut album, “Visitor.” The British singer performed from a sleek stage built to resemble an album, leaning into a retro-soul presence that recalled Amy Winehouse without turning the set into imitation.

Her singing was the centerpiece. Spiro handled the blend of pop accessibility and soulful phrasing with confidence, giving the performance a composed quality amid a night often built around elaborate production. Alongside artists such as Raye, she represented a strong British-pop presence in the show’s newer generation.

Lisa Brings Precision, if Not Always Clarity

Lisa, one-quarter of Blackpink, continued the solo run that followed her 2025 debut album, “Alter Ego.” At the VMAs, she performed “SaWaDiKa,” the lead single from her EP “Press Play,” due Oct. 23. Its title translates to “hello” in Thai.

With a headset microphone and a team of dancers, Lisa moved through a performance shaped by art-pop polish and rave-oriented momentum. The chanting chorus gave the dancers repeated opportunities to build around her, and the choreography stayed sharply executed throughout.

Still, the production sometimes treated speed and movement as substitutes for a clear focal point. The energy was undeniable, but its relentlessness occasionally made the performance feel more chaotic than thrilling.

Shaboozey and Gunna Turn the Stage Into a Western Set

Shaboozey delivered one of the night’s strongest examples of a set amplifying the music rather than distracting from it. His Wild West barroom setting fit the dusty, shuffling sound of “Cowgirl,” with the performer navigating staged brawls inside a sepia-colored saloon.

Wearing a cowboy hat and sleeveless look, Shaboozey then stepped outside the saloon for “High Noon.” Gunna joined him for their hip-hop crossover collaboration, arriving in a stagecoach while dressed in a long leather coat that echoed Shaboozey’s styling.

As the pair performed, flames rose from the bar behind them. A handshake and blown kisses gave the finale an easygoing confidence, even as the set transformed into a dramatic blaze.

Kacey Musgraves Offers a Gentle Dolly Parton Tribute

The night’s most tender performance came from Kacey Musgraves, who honored Dolly Parton following Parton’s Aug. 25 death. Rather than selecting a less familiar song, Musgraves chose “I Will Always Love You,” a decision that carried additional weight because listeners know both Parton’s original recording and Whitney Houston’s powerhouse reinterpretation.

Video of Parton singing the song introduced the segment. Musgraves then took a softer route, using husky vocals over piano and unseen strings. Her approach initially stood apart from the better-known versions, but that restraint became the performance’s strength.

Her wardrobe also nodded to Parton’s visual legacy: a sparkling gown, feathered wrists, cat-eye makeup and long hair arranged in a vintage-inspired style. The tribute avoided grand imitation and instead found its emotion in delicacy.

Raye Brings Theatrical Drama to Her VMAs Debut

British singer Raye made her first VMAs performance appearance surrounded by violinists, beginning in a long white fur coat while singing sections of “I Will Overcome.” The scene changed quickly when the coat came off to reveal a fitted red dress, with Raye performing barefoot as she often does.

The staging underscored the contrast that has become central to her public musical identity: formal orchestral drama set against an intensely direct vocal presence. In a program packed with dancers, fire, strobe lights and large-scale concepts, her entrance showed how a performer’s voice and physical command can create their own sense of occasion.