Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, September 2025 (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for MTV)
Most award shows wait until the end of the show to give out the really big awards, but this year’s MTV VMAs, which aired live from UBS Arena in New York on Sunday night, were forced to move up their schedule because one winner had a more pressing engagement.
The first award given out was artist of the year, and it went to Lady Gaga, who accepted the honor wearing a fabulous head-to-toe black ruffled gown. In her lengthy speech, she thanked her fans and her fiancé, Michael Polansky. “Thank you little monsters, my fans, for always supporting me and for always supporting the monster in me,” she said. “And to my partner in all things, Michael, creating this year with you was a beautiful, beautiful dream, and you have been my partner every step of the way.”
Gaga then left, since she had to be onstage at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 90 minutes. Later in the show, she was introduced as performing from the iconic venue, and sang “Abracadabra” and her new single, “The Dead Dance.” While it did take place at the Garden, the performance was prerecorded on Sept. 6.
Gaga was one of the night’s big winners, taking home four Moon Persons in all, including best collaboration for “Die with a Smile” and two technical awards for “Abracadabra.” The other big winner was Ariana Grande, who won three, including the big one, video of the year, for her short film Brighter Days Ahead. Ari thanked her fans, noting, “I love you with all my heart: I have since I was a teenager, when we first crossed paths, and I will for my whole life.”
Ari was also on hand to present the Video Vanguard Award to Mariah Carey. “As a vocalist, there’s only one queen, and that’s Mariah,” Ari said.
Mariah took the stage to perform a medley of hits, including “Heartbreaker,” “Obsessed,” “It’s Like That” and “We Belong Together.” In her speech, she noted that prior to Sunday, she’d never won a VMA before, and joked, “What in the Sam Hill were you waiting for?” In fact, on Sunday, she won two: She also picked up best R&B for “Type Dangerous.”
ROSÉ‘s collab with Bruno Mars, “APT.,” was named song of the year, and the BLACKPINK star dedicated her award, first to her “16-year-old self,” before adding, “As my therapist tells me to do every day, I’d like to thank myself — for not giving up, even in the toughest of times.”
Sabrina Carpenter won best pop artist and best album for Short N’ Sweet; her video for “Manchild” also won a technical award. Plus, she performed her new single, “Tears,” on a big city-themed set where she emerged from a manhole. She was surrounded by drag queens for the performance, holding signs with messages like “Protect Trans Rights” and “If You Hate, You Will Never Get Laid.”
Other notable performances included:
Doja Cat opening the show with an ’80s-coded rendition of her new song “Jealous Type.”
Alex Warren enlisting a huge choir and a troupe of drummers and dancers to perform a medley of “Eternity” and “Ordinary.”
Tate McRae doing her usual incredible choreography while performing “Revolving Door” and “Sports Car.” She also won song of the summer for “Just Keep Watching.”
Conan Gray singing “Vodka Cranberry” while dressed as a prince mourning his dead lover.
Huge production numbers by Latin Icon honoree Ricky Martin and Rock the Bells Visionary Award honoree Busta Rhymes, who both performed medleys of their many hits.
A tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne from Yungblud and Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.
The late Ozzy Osbourne was remembered at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday with a musical tribute featuring Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Yungblud and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt..
The tribute was introduced with a videotaped message from Ozzy’s son Jack Osbourne and his kids.
“I wish we could be here with you all tonight as you celebrate my dad’s amazing musical journey,” Jack shared. “I know for sure it would make him incredibly happy to see these great musicians carry on his legacy and help inspire the next generation of rockers.”
The kids then chimed in, saying, “In the words of our papa, let’s go crazy.”
After a video montage featuring performance and interview footage of Ozzy, the musical tribute began, kicking off with Yungblud performing “Crazy Train” and “Changes,” and then Tyler and Perry following with “Mama I’m Coming Home,” with Yungblud joining them at the end.
The performance ended with them shouting “Ozzy Osbourne forever,” before cutting to footage of Ozzy telling an audience, “Thank you, good night, God bless you.”
This isn’t the first time some of these artists have been involved in an Ozzy celebration. Yungblud, Tyler and Bettencourt all performed at the massive Back to the Beginning concert on July 5, which was the final live performance by Ozzy and the original Black Sabbath lineup. Ozzy died just over two weeks later on July 22.
Elsewhere at the MTV VMAs, sombr took home the best alternative award for his track “back to friends,” while Coldplay won best rock for “All My Love.”
The late Ozzy Osbourne was remembered at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night with a musical tribute featuring Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, along with rocker Yungblud and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt..
The tribute was introduced with a videotaped message from Ozzy’s son Jack Osbourne and his kids.
“I wish we could be here with you all tonight as you celebrate my dad’s amazing musical journey,” Jack shared. “I know for sure it would make him incredibly happy to see these great musicians carry on his legacy and help inspire the next generation of rockers.”
The kids then chimed in, saying, “In the words of our papa, let’s go crazy.”
After a video montage featuring performance and interview footage of Ozzy, the musical tribute began, kicking off with Yungblud performing “Crazy Train” and “Changes,” and then Tyler and Perry following with “Mama I’m Coming Home,” with Yungblud joining them at the end.
The performance ended with them shouting “Ozzy Osbourne forever,” before cutting to footage of Ozzy telling an audience, “Thank you, good night, God bless you.”
This isn’t the first time some of these artists have been involved in an Ozzy celebration. Yungblud, Tyler and Bettencourt all performed at the massive Back to the Beginning concert on July 5, which was the final live performance by Ozzy and the original Black Sabbath lineup. Ozzy died just over two weeks later on July 22.
The 2025 MTV VMAs took place Sunday night at the UBS Arena in New York, with Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey honored for their contributions to music.
Busta received the first-ever MTV VMA Rock the Bells Visionary Award, taking the stage alongside hype man Spliff Star before accepting the honor. He performed a medley of hits from throughout his career, including “Break Ya Neck” and “What’s the Scenario.” Joyner Lucas joined him for “Gimme Some More,” while Papoose and GloRilla helped him perform “Touch It” and “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” respectively.
He then began his speech, saying the award is one he’s been waiting 35 years to receive. He gave special thanks to host LL COOL J for inspiring him to rap, Mona Scott-Young, his parents and children and took some time to pay tribute to the late MTV VJ Ananda Lewis for welcoming hip-hop artists in the ’90s.
Mariah’s honor was for her profound impact on music videos and popular culture. She accepted the Video Vanguard Award, presented by Ariana Grande, following a performance including “Heartbreaker,” “Fantasy,” “Obsessed” and “We Belong Together.”
Much like Busta, she joked about the wait for the recognition. Mariah then thanked Ariana and MTV for the award.
“Music videos are my way of life, of bringing music to my own life, mini movies visualizing the sheer fantasy of it all. And let’s be honest, sometimes they’re just an excuse to bring the drama and do things I wouldn’t do in real life, ” she said. “After all this time, I’ve learned that music evolves, videos evolve — but the fun, that is eternal. Thank you, MTV, for playing my videos. And to our fans, the Lambily, I love you so much.”
Mariah — who also won her first-ever Moon Person trophy for best R&B video for “Type Dangerous” — concluded with a reminder of her upcoming album, Here For It All, set to arrive in two weeks.
Other highlights from the show include Tyla’s best Afrobeats win for “Push 2 Start” and Doja Cat’s performance of her latest single, “Jealous Type.”
Photo of SUPERTRAMP, Rick Davies in rehearsal (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns)
Rick Davies, founding member of the group Supertramp, died Saturday at the age of 81.
A statement shared with ABC Audio revealed that Davies passed away “after battling multiple myeloma for over 10 years.”
“As a co-writer, along with partner Roger Hodgson, he was the voice and pianist behind Supertramp’s most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on rock music history,” read the statement. “Rick’s music and legacy continue to inspire many and bears testament to the fact that great songs never die, they live on.”
Davies, born in Swindon, England, founded Supertramp with Hodgson, and they released their self-titled debut album in 1970. They had their first commercial breakthrough with 1974’s Crime of the Century, which was their first album to hit the top 40 in the U.S.
Their biggest success was with the 1979 album Breakfast in America, which went to #1 and spawned three hits, including the top-20 hit “Goodbye Stranger,” which Davies wrote and sings lead on. Hodgson wrote and sang the album’s two other hits, “The Logical Song” and “Take the Long Way Home.”
Other Supertramp songs written by Davies include the top-40 hits “Bloody Well Right,” “My Kind of Lady,” and “Cannonball.”
Davies and Hodgson released seven albums together before Hodgson left the band in 1983. Davies continued on with the group, and they released four more albums, their last being 2002’s Slow Motion.
Taylor Swift ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ (Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott)
Taylor Swift turned to Target for the release of her Eras Tour book, and now the retailer will be carrying some exclusive versions of her new album The Life of a Showgirl.
Target will have three exclusive CD packages, each including an eight-page lyric booklet, exclusive posters and album art. Plus, select stores will be hosting midnight release parties on October 3, the day the album drops. You can visit Target.com now to find a store near you that’s hosting a party.
Joe Elliott of Def Leppard performs onstage during the “Summer Stadium” tour at Truist Park on July 13, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott revealed in August that the band was working on a new studio album, and now he’s shared a bit more information about when fans can expect to hear new music.
During a chat with Plant Rock’sBreakfast with Paul Anthony, Elliott revealed that the group is hoping to get music out before their live shows in 2026, which include a Las Vegas residency in February and a U.K./European tour that kicks off in June.
“We’re working through a new album right now, which won’t be out next year, but we may – and probably will – release a new song in time for Vegas and then release another one again for the British tour,” Joe said. “That’s the plan that we have right now.”
He added, “So, we’re gonna kind of drip feed songs from the album and then it’ll come out late ‘26, early ’27 maybe. Hopefully. So, it gives us a great opportunity to do that.”
The new album will be Def Leppard’s first studio album since 2022’s Diamond Star Halos.
Def Leppard’s Las Vegas residency, Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency consists of 12 shows, starting Feb. 3. Their U.K. and European tour kicks off June 13 in Rättvik, Sweden. A complete list of Def Leppard dates can be found at DefLeppard.com.
Lenny Kravitz has been added as a presenter for the MTV Video Music Awards.
Kravitz is also nominated for a VMA this year in the best rock category for his song “Honey.” He’s up against videos from Green Day, Coldplay, Evanescence, Linkin Park and Twenty One Pilots.
Kravitz won in the best rock category in 2024. He was recognized for the track “Human,” which, like “Honey,” appears on his 2024 album, Blue Electric Light. Kravitz also performed on last year’s show, treating the audience to a medley of “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “Human” and “Fly,” featuring Quavo.
The 2025 VMAs will air live from New York’s UBS Arena Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and MTV, and will stream on Paramount+.
Kravitz has several U.S. festival dates coming up, his next being the Sea. Hear. Now festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on Sept. 14. A complete list of dates can be found at LennyKravitz.com.
Cardi accepted the Impact of the Year Award at the event in New York and shared a speech about the women who inspired her to be in the game. “When I was growing up, I didn’t want to be the Shakiras, the J-Los, and the R&B artists; I wanted to be like Trina and Lil’ Kim. I wanted to be like them,” she said.
She added that she’s “happy that my career is the career that I always dreamed of” and shared her hopes to create a legacy that lasts far beyond her time on earth. “I want to be spoken about forever. We talk about all these hip-hop artists who came out 20 years ago and 30 years ago, and I want to be a part of that. I don’t want to be a moment,” Cardi said. “I want to be a legacy so I can die in peace one day and my kids can be like, ‘That’s my mama.’”
Leon Thomas received the Breakthrough of the Year Award, and Wu-Tang Clan was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“God is good … all the time!” Leon said during his speech. “This has been 22 years in the making, and a lot of talks I had with God are a big part of my journey.”
Also recognized at the R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event were Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, who received the Executive of the Year Award; Ravyn Lenae, R&B Rookie of the Year; GELO, who was honored with the Hip-Hop Rookie of the Year Award; and Odeal, the recipient of the African Rookie of the Year Award.
