November 26, 2022 | 00:00
Taylor Swift doesn’t just make music. She makes history. As if making another No. 1-selling album, Midnights, and a single, Anti-hero, and nine other singles, which hit the Top 10 of the Hot 100 for the first time, she was on the march with more historic firsts. only a few days later.
Ticketmaster first crashed because there were too many Swiftie fans trying to buy tickets for her upcoming ERAS tour in the US. There were two million tickets sold in one day, the most for any artist or show in history, and about the same number of angry fans who couldn’t buy any.
Then she led the winners of the MTV European Music Awards (EMAs) held in Germany last November 12, with Best Pop, Best Video and Best Longform Video for All is Well: The Short Film and the biggest prize of EMA, the best artist. Award. A week later, she was again the big winner of the American Music Awards.
Swiftie’s AMA haul is as follows: Entertainer of the Year; Favorite pop, female; Pop Album, Red (the Taylor version); Video All Too Well (The Taylor Version), Favorite Country Female; and Country Album Red, of course, The Taylor Version. Note that Taylor has already won a total of 40 American Music Awards and was proclaimed AMA Artist of the Decade in 2019.
Now there are better singers and songwriters than Taylor. She herself has produced better albums and songs than Midnights and its content. But everything about Taylor is fueled by fan adulation in huge measures. So to please her, they vote for her in popularity awards, they stream, download and buy physical copies of her albums, and they buy tickets to her shows, preferably on the first day of availability. A remarkable dedication, I must say. All of this makes me wonder what amazing thing these fans will do for her next.
As for the VMAs, Bad Bunny, which earned the most nominations with eight nominations, only managed to take home two trophies, Latin Favorite Male Artist and Favorite Album, Un Verano Sin Ti. Here are the rest of the winners:
Favorite New Artist: Dove Cameron
Collaboration of the Year: Elton John and Dua Lipa, Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
Favorite Pop: Male Artist, Harry Styles; Duo or Group, BTS; Song as it was
Favorite Country: Male Artist, Morgan Wallen; Duo or Group, Dan and Shay; Song, Wasted on You by Morgan Wallen
Favorite Hip-Hop: Male Artist, Kendrick Lamar; Wife, Nicky Minaj; Song, Future ft. Drake and Tems, Wait For U; Album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
Favorite R&B: Male artist, Chris Brown; Wife, Beyoncé; Beyoncé Renaissance Album
Favorite Rock: Artist, Machine Gun Kelly; Song, Beggin’ by Maneskin; Album, Impera by Ghost
Favorite Latin: Female Artist, Anitta; Duo or Group, Yahritza y Su Esencia; Song, Dos Oruguitas by Sebastian Yatra from the Encanto soundtrack
Favorite Afrobeat: Artist, Wizkid
Favorite K-pop: BTS
Favorite Dance/Electro: Artist, Marshmello
Favorite Gospel: Artist, Tamala Marin
Favorite inspiration: artist, for King & Country
Favorite Touring Artist: Coldplay
Favorite soundtrack: Elvis
It was a sweet tribute to this year’s Icon Award winner, Lionel Richie. Stevie Wonder, who has been a music star for almost 60 years, played a musical tennis match against Charlie Puth, who has been around for up to five years. He was a devil everywhere. They were two great voices and two great pianists performing Richie’s music.
And what songs it was about. Three Times a Lady, Easy, All Night Long, Say You Say Me, Brick House, Jesus is Love and We are the World. Too bad they didn’t have more time to also do Dancing on the Ceiling, Hello, Stuck on You, Lady, Endless Love and others. Richie is truly an icon.
