Beyonce big winner at 2016 MTV Video Music Awards

Beyoncé’s groundbreaking visual album Lemonade won eight Moonmen, including “Video of the Year” for “Formation,” at the 2016 “MTV Video Music Awards,” which aired Sunday (Aug 28th) from New York’s famed Madison Square Garden. The global megastar surprised the audience with a jaw-dropping Lemonade medley that recreated the stunning imagery of the visual album. Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award-winner Rihanna dazzled with a career-spanning four-act performance – including an electrifying opening dance medley and a trio of stirring ballads to close – before accepting the VMAs highest honor with a heartfelt tribute by Drake.

Kanye West made a special appearance to deliver a meditation on fame before introducing the steamy and surreal video for “Fade,” starring actress and GOOD Music recording artist Teyana Taylor and her fiancée, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Iman Shumpert. Future tore through a blistering performance of his 2015 hit “F**k Up Some Commas,” after being introduced by legendary Olympian Michael Phelps, who revealed he’d been listening to Future in the meme-launching photo of him in Rio. Britney Spears made a triumphant return to the VMA stage with a soaring performance of her G-Eazy collaboration “Make Me…”

The following is a complete list of winners and performances:

WINNERS

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Beyoncé – “Formation”
Director: Melina Matsoukas

MICHAEL JACKSON VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD

Rihanna

BEST FEMALE VIDEO

Beyoncé – “Hold Up”
Director: Jonas Åkerlund, Beyoncé Knowles Carter

BEST MALE VIDEO

Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For”
Director: Emil Nava

BEST COLLABORATION

Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Work From Home”
Director: Director X

BEST HIP HOP VIDEO

Drake – “Hotline Bling”
Director: Director X

BEST POP VIDEO

Beyoncé – “Formation”
Director: Melina Matsoukas

BEST ROCK VIDEO

twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
Director: Andrew Donoho

BEST ELECTRONIC VIDEO

Calvin Harris & Disciples – “How Deep Is Your Love”
Director: Emil Nava

BREAKTHROUGH LONG-FORM VIDEO

Beyoncé – Lemonade

BEST NEW ARTIST

Presented by Taco Bell

DNCE

SONG OF SUMMER

Presented by Verizon

Fifth Harmony featuring Fetty Wap – “All In My Head (Flex)”

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES

Presented by Orbit Gum

BEST ART DIRECTION

David Bowie – “Blackstar”
Production Designer: Jan Houllevigue

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Beyoncé – “Formation”
Choreographer: Chris Grant, JaQuel Knight, Dana Foglia

BEST DIRECTION

Beyoncé – “Formation”
Director: Melina Matsoukas

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Beyoncé – “Formation”
Cinematographer: Malik Sayeed

BEST EDITING

Beyoncé – “Formation”
Editor: Jeff Selis

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Coldplay – “Up&Up”
VFX Editor: Vania Heymann

PERFORMANCES

RIHANNA

Dance
“Don’t Stop the Music”
“Only Girl in the World”
“We Found Love”
“Where Have You Been”

Reggae
“Rude Boy”
“What’s My Name”
“Work”

Trap
“Needed Me”
“Pour It Up”
“Bitch Better Have My Money”

Ballad
“Stay”
“Diamonds”
“Love on the Brain”

ARIANA GRANDE & NICKI MINAJ – “Side to Side”
BRITNEY SPEARS FT. G-EAZY – “Make Me”
NICK JONAS FT. TY DOLLA $IGN – “Bacon”
FUTURE – “F*ck Up Some Commas”
Beyoncé

“Pray You Catch Me”
“Hold Up”
“Sorry”
“Don’t Hurt Yourself”
“Formation”

KANYE WEST

Special presentation including world premiere video for “Fade”

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com