2 min readTHE RUNDOWN
- Madonna performed tracks from Confessions II to open the MTV VMAs.
- Guest stars Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter joined her onstage.
- Madonna is the most nominated artist tonight with 13 nods.
Madonna, the most nominated artist at tonight’s MTV VMAs, kicked off the show with a jaw-dropping performance of songs from Confessions II. Ahead of the show, MTV teased that surprise guests would join her—and huge stars turned out. Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter took the stage with the music legend.
The performance was an electrifying ode to the club, featuring dancers, strobe lights, and lasers galore. The show fittingly started with Madonna declaring: “It’s mother.”
Carpenter joined her at the piano to start with their collab, “Bring Your Love.” Then, after an interlude featuring a gospel choir, Charli XCX stepped onstage for her remix of Madonna’s “Danceteria,” which just dropped on Friday. That number was staged as a live recreation of the music video, which was set in a bathroom and featured a myriad of celebrity cameos. On the VMAs stage, Julia Garner, Sombr, and Seth Rogen were among the familiar faces.
Fans quickly shared footage of the performance on social media:
Ahead of the show, producer Van Toffler spoke to Variety about how incredible it is to have Madonna as the ceremony’s opener. “We can deny it as much as we want, but Madonna is the M in MTV,” he said. “I knew it the day I started there. She is the queen of MTV. She makes great videos. She’s provocative. She always pushed us, and this year’s performance will be no exception.”
Madonna first performed at the MTV VMAs in 1984, during its very first ceremony:
Madonna has always been a provocative performer. In April, she spoke with Interview about how she learned to tune out criticism about her art from narrow-minded people.
“Oh, it used to bother me a lot, because I was just like, ‘I can’t believe they’re so stupid. They don’t get it. They don’t understand,’” she said. “I do a lot of provocative things, but there’s always a reason behind it, and nobody bothers to investigate, which can make you want to give up on human beings. But you soon realize a lot of people don’t think critically. They don’t actually examine what they’re looking at, what they’re listening to. They’re not tuned in to the subtleties and the layers of meanings that exist. And they certainly don’t do it when it comes from a female.”
Madonna noted that things have gotten better in the decades since she started her career, though. “People are more open-minded about women doing provocative things.”