“When I think about the Vanguard Award and receiving this tonight, all I could think of was my country”.
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The 34-year-old singer took to the stage at the star-studded ceremony in NY alongside her musical collaborator G-Eazy to perform her single Make Me. “You have affected so many of our lives in the best way possible”, Drake captioned the post. She was wearing white, but later stripped down to a black leotard with full sleeves as she sang “Hold Up” and “Sorry“. She grew angry and twerked while performing “Don’t Hurt Yourself” and ended with the anthemic “Formation“.
The singer who dropped her surprise visual album Lemonade earlier this year beat some of Australia’s top artists at the awards ceremony in Madison Square Garden in NY on Sunday night.
It wasn’t until the end of her acceptance speech that Rihanna remarked, “Thank you, Drake, for that unbelievable speech”.
It was a slightly awkward moment in an otherwise adorable, heartfelt speech by Drake – and his landing in the region of Rihanna’s neck was the gif that kept on giving on Twitter.
Drake spoke about the first time he met Rihanna when he was a nobody in the music world doing background music for Rihanna’s “Pon de Replay“.
Drake’s loving speech about Rihanna at the VMAs on August 28 was by far the highlight of the night, so many fans wondered why the “Umbrella” singer dodged his kiss at the end. “All of my adult life I’ve looked up to her even though she’s younger than me”.
On accepting the award, a smiling Rihanna showed her love for Barbados. Maybe she’s not really into PDA. Some artists need to play a character to achieve success; some need to downplay their own natural instincts to blend in.
VMA organizers had announced only three hours before Sunday’s show began that Beyonce would perform. Had she given in to smooching him on the lips, and then see him kiss another woman just a few weeks later, she would have been devastated.
Rihanna’s final performance of Stay, Diamonds and Love On The Brain.
Kanye West gave fans a video premiere of his song “Fade“, as well as a few minutes at the mic to muse about fame, compare himself to Steve Jobs and throw some Taylor Swift shade.
Dressed in a hot pink leotard with thigh-high boots, Nicki and the 23-year-old singer created a spin class on stage, seductively riding bicycles with back-up dancers and male models.
Drake won the first award for the night – best hip hop video for “Hotline Bling”.
Other presenters included Alicia Keys, Puff Daddy and four of the Final Five gymnasts (Gabby Douglas was hospitalized for a mouth infection).
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The rift began after one line in his track Famous states: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex, I made that b***h famous”.
