Redferns/Getty Images Another year of hits have cemented their places on our playlists, and now we’ve officially recognized the videos that only made us love them more at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards. The year’s most nominated artist, Cardi B, opened the show by introducing Shawn Mendes’s surprisingly wet performance, and ended it with three Moon Person statuettes in hand — Best New Artist, Best Collaboration, and Song of Summer. The rapper tied with Childish Gambino for the most wins of the night. Camila Cabello also had a strong showing, taking home Artist of the Year and Video of the Year after breathlessly accepting both awards and literally bowing down to Madonna, who presented her with the final award of the night. Here’s everyone who landed a Moon Person. VIDEO OF THE YEAR WINNER: Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” The Carters – “APES**T” Childish Gambino – “This Is America” Drake – “God's Plan” ARTIST OF THE YEAR WINNER: Camila Cabello Ariana Grande Bruno Mars Cardi B Drake Post Malone SONG OF THE YEAR WINNER: Post Malone ft. 21 Savage – “rockstar” Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” Drake – “God's Plan” Dua Lipa – “New Rules” Ed Sheeran – “Perfect” BEST NEW ARTIST (Presented by Taco Bell®) WINNER: Cardi B Bazzi Chloe x Halle Hayley Kiyoko Lil Pump Lil Uzi Vert BEST COLLABORATION WINNER: Jennifer Lopez ft. DJ Khaled & Cardi B – “Dinero” Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line – “Meant to Be” Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” The Carters – “APES**T” Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid – “1-800-273-8255” N.E.R.D & Rihanna – “Lemon” PUSH ARTIST OF THE YEAR WINNER: APRIL 2018 – Hayley Kiyoko JULY 2018 – Chloe x Halle JUNE 2018 – Sigrid MAY 2018 – Lil Xan MARCH 2018 – Jessie Reyez FEBRUARY 2018 – Tee Grizzley JANUARY 2018 – Bishop Briggs DECEMBER 2017 – Grace VanderWaal NOVEMBER 2017 – Why Don’t We OCTOBER 2017 – PRETTYMUCH SEPTEMBER 2017 – SZA AUGUST 2017 – Kacy Hill JULY 2017 – Khalid JUNE 2017 – Kyle MAY 2017 – Noah Cyrus BEST POP WINNER: Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” Demi Lovato – “Sorry Not Sorry” Ed Sheeran – “Perfect” P!nk – “What About Us” Shawn Mendes – “In My Blood” BEST HIP HOP WINNER: Nicki Minaj – “Chun-Li” Cardi B ft. 21 Savage – “Bartier Cardi” The Carters – “APES**T” Drake – “God's Plan” J. Cole – “ATM” Migos ft. Drake – “Walk It Talk It” BEST LATIN WINNER: J Balvin, Willy William – “Mi Gente” Daddy Yankee – “Dura” Jennifer Lopez ft. DJ Khaled & Cardi B – “Dinero” Luis Fonsi, Demi Lovato – “Échame La Culpa” Maluma – “Felices los 4” Shakira ft. Maluma – “Chantaje” BEST DANCE WINNER: Avicii ft. Rita Ora – “Lonely Together” Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa – “One Kiss” The Chainsmokers – “Everybody Hates Me” David Guetta & Sia – “Flames” Marshmello ft. Khalid – “Silence” Zedd & Liam Payne – “Get Low (Street Video)” BEST ROCK WINNER: Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes” Fall Out Boy – “Champion” Foo Fighters – “The Sky Is A Neighborhood” Linkin Park – “One More Light” Panic! At The Disco – “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” Thirty Seconds to Mars – “Walk On Water” VIDEO WITH A MESSAGE WINNER: Childish Gambino – “This Is America” Dej Loaf and Leon Bridges – “Liberated” Drake – ‘God’s Plan” Janelle Monáe ft. Grimes – “PYNK” Jessie Reyez – “Gatekeeper” Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid – “1-800-273-8255” BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY WINNER: The Carters – “APES**T” – Cinematography by Benoit Debie Alessia Cara – “Growing Pains” – Cinematography by Pau Castejón Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” – Cinematography by Scott Cunningham Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – Cinematography by Larkin Seiple Eminem ft. Ed Sheeran – “River” – Cinematography by Frank Mobilio & Patrick Meller Shawn Mendes – “In My Blood” – Cinematography by Jonathan Sela BEST DIRECTION WINNER: Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – Directed by Hiro Murai The Carters – “APES**T” – Directed by Ricky Saiz Drake – “God's Plan” – Directed by Karena Evans Ed Sheeran – “Perfect” – Directed by Jason Koenig Justin Timberlake ft. Chris Stapleton – “Say Something” – Directed by Arturo Perez Jr. Shawn Mendes – “In My Blood” – Directed by Jay Martin BEST ART DIRECTION WINNER: The Carters – “APES**T” – Art Direction by Jan Houlevigue, The Louvre Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – Art Direction by Jason Kisvarday J. Cole – “ATM” – Art Direction by Miles Mullin Janelle Monáe – “Make Me Feel” – Art Direction by Pepper Nguyen SZA – “The Weekend” – Art Direction by SZA and Solange Taylor Swift – “Look What You Made Me Do” – Art Direction by Brett Hess BEST VISUAL EFFECTS WINNER: Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “All The Stars” – Visual Effects by Loris Paillier for BUF Paris Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” – Visual Effects by Vidal and Loris Paillier for Buf Avicii ft. Rita Ora – “Lonely Together” – Visual Effects by KPP Eminem ft. Beyoncé – “Walk On Water” – Visual Effects Supervisor Rich Lee for Drive Studios Maroon 5 – “Wait” – Visual Effects by TIMBER Taylor Swift – “Look What You Made Me Do” – Visual Effects by Ingenuity Studios BEST CHOREOGRAPHY WINNER: Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – Choreography by Sherrie Silver Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” – Choreography by Phil Tayag & Bruno Mars Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” – Choreography by Calvit Hodge, Sara Bivens & Galen Hooks The Carters – “APES**T” – Choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Jaquel Knight Dua Lipa – “IDGAF” – Choreography by Marion Motin Justin Timberlake – “Filthy” – Choreography by Marty Kudelka, AJ Harpold, Tracy Phillips, and Ivan Koumaev BEST EDITING WINNER: N.E.R.D & Rihanna – “Lemon” – Editing by Taylor Ward Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” – Editing by Jacquelyn London The Carters – “APES**T” – Taylor Ward and Sam Ostrove Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – Editing by Ernie Gilbert Janelle Monáe – “Make Me Feel” – Editing by Deji Laray Taylor Swift – “Look What You Made Me Do” – Editing by Chancler Haynes for Cosmo SONG OF SUMMER WINNER: Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin – "I Like It" Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa – "One Kiss" DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo – "No Brainer" Drake – "In My Feelings" Ella Mai – "Boo’d Up" Juice WRLD – "Lucid Dreams" Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B – "Girls Like You" Post Malone – "Better Now"<doc-sep>The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards are broadcasting live tonight, August 20, from New York‘s Radio City Music Hall. Below, check out a list of all of tonight’s award winners. The most-nominated artist was Cardi B, who got 12 nods. The Carters (Beyoncé and JAY-Z) received eight nominations; Drake also got eight; and Childish Gambino got seven. The 2018 show was opened by Cardi B, making her first performance since giving birth to her daughter Kulture. Other performers tonight included Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Logic and Ryan Tedder, and Jennifer Lopez, who was given the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Follow all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards. Video of the Year: Camila Cabello – “Havana” [ft. Young Thug] Best Collaboration: Jennifer Lopez – “Dinero” [ft. DJ Khaled & Cardi B] Best New Artist: Cardi B Artist of the Year: Camila Cabello Best Latin Video: J Balvin – “Mi Gente” [ft. Willy William] Song of the Year: Post Malone – “rockstar” [ft. 21 Savage] Best Pop Video: Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” Best Hip Hop Video: Nicki Minaj – “Chun-Li” Push Artist of the Year: Hayley Kiyoko Song of Summer: Cardi B / Bad Bunny / J Balvin: “I Like It” Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award: Jennifer Lopez Best Dance Video: Avicii ft. Rita Ora – “Lonely Together” Best Rock Video: Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes” Video With a Message: Childish Gambino – “This Is America” Best Cinematography: The Carters – “APES**T” Best Direction: Childish Gambino – “This Is America” Best Art Direction: The Carters – “APES**T” Best Visual Effects: Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “All The Stars” Best Choreography: Childish Gambino – “This Is America” Best Editing: N.E.R.D – “Lemon” [ft. Rihanna]<doc-sep>Though the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards weren’t completely devoid of spectacle, the ceremony ended up being a mix of the baffling and the unmemorable. Aside from some of the performances, the ups and downs were precipitous, as the stacked list of nominees yielded fairly lukewarm wins. Overall, it was what the ceremony lacked — a sense of cohesion or drama, somebody to properly shepherd an Aretha Franklin tribute, and any of the musical beef that’s made the show so exciting in past years — that stood out. The final Aerosmith-Post Malone performance, complete with pre-punched holes in the fake Marshall speakers onstage, served as a strange cherry on top of the cake. Here are six winners and two losers from the night. Winner: the Backstreet Boys During the preshow, one-time VMA MVPs the Backstreet Boys started off the night by singing their recent single “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” on top of New York City’s Radio City Music Hall sign in a performance that seemed a little cramped at best. During the ceremony, they came down from the sign to present the award for Song of the Year, singing snippets from each nominee in one of the cuter segments of the telecast. During the bit, A.J. McLean noted that one of the nominees, Camila Cabello’s “Havana,” was his daughter’s favorite song, inducing awws from the audience while serving as a general reminder of how much time has passed since the Backstreet Boys were at the peak of their popularity. Despite being reminded that we all must die eventually, it was still nice to see the Backstreet Boys in good health and good humor, even if they didn’t get to properly perform during the main ceremony. Winner: Jennifer Lopez Not long after Shawn Mendes gave the first performance of the show, each subsequent moment began to bleed into the next in a dull haze — Tiffany Haddish made fun of Fifth Harmony during a bit with Kevin Hart, Nicki Minaj won the award for Best Hip-Hop Video, and a terrifying zygote named Bazzi took the stage and brought with him the promise of darkness and that this would all be over soon. Thank god, then, that Jennifer Lopez was present to inject a jolt of life into the proceedings. As the recipient of this year’s Video Vanguard Award, J. Lo was on hand to perform a medley of some of her greatest hits, and though she started a little shaky with “Waiting for Tonight,” she soon found her groove and brought out the showmanship that garnered her the honor in the first place. She hit her moves, settling in with “On the Floor” and giving energetic renditions of her peak dance hits like “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and “Jenny From the Block.” And with rapid-fire set changes including cameos from DJ Khaled and Ja Rule, she was the first performer to bring the promise of something exciting. Lopez made us remember that she’s a true entertainer while underscoring that everything else about the 2018 VMAs was missing the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent that she has in spades. Winner: Ja Rule Bafflingly, most of the cutaway reaction shots during the ceremony featured either empty seats or people looking half-enthused at best. The major exception to the rule was Ja Rule, who was at the show to perform “I’m Real” and “Ain’t It Funny” with Lopez. Every shot of Ja Rule in the audience showed him grooving along to the performances and generally just looking happy to be in the room. Whether or not that good-natured display is enough to earn back the goodwill he lost over last year’s Fyre Festival debacle (which resulted in eight lawsuits) is unclear, but at least somebody at the VMAs was having a good time. Winner: anyone with a crush on Shawn Mendes Shawn Mendes was specifically designed and created to induce crushes. The 6-foot-2, aggressively pleasant Canadian has slowly been shifting his image from “bubblegum teenage dream” to “sensitive and sensual crooner.” At no point during the VMAs was that more evident than during his performance of “In My Blood,” complete with a wet T-shirt contest for one: The performance was laced with a little awkwardness (you could tell that Mendes was slightly uncomfortable and nervous), but it showed off the vocals that have made him a stan-worthy star. He couldn’t totally hide his earnest charm — something that feels a little more natural and believable than the sexy persona he’s trying to adopt. Not that his fans will have any problem with the latter. Loser: the production and direction of the show Lopez and Mendes gave good performances, but if you were watching at home, it was a frustrating experience. There were pans away from tight choreographed pieces and wide shots of more intimate moments. It’s unclear who, if anyone, was calling the shots from the production booth. While J. Lo’s energy was enough to sustain the momentum during her performance, the lack of organization was especially evident in the “Push Artist” segments, where new and upcoming artists were given a verse or two to sing their catchy hooks. Poor Hayley Kiyoko, a singer who grew up idolizing and incorporating boy-band choreography — uninspired camerawork flattened her performance into static pulp fit for the food court at the mall. And there was this strange moment where a barely mic’d Mendes presented Lopez with her Video Vanguard Award, with all sorts of commotion going on in the background and a woman almost crossing into the shot: No one is expecting exquisite cinematography from the VMA crew, but if MTV wants to tout performances (since these awards don’t hold the clout of Grammys), it should do a better job of showcasing them. Winner: moms Even though Cardi B opened the show by pretending to breastfeed, we never would have expected that the VMAs would be such a big night for moms. Throughout the evening, several mom shoutouts lent a sweetly sentimental tone to the telecast. During her acceptance speech for Best New Artist, Cardi B noted that people had called her decision to have a baby a potential death knell for her career. “You know, I had a baby, I carried a baby,” she said, defiant. “I am still winning awards!” And while accepting the Video Vanguard Award, Lopez also spoke about having her children, calling them her “two little angels” and crediting them with changing her life. She also thanked her mother, Lupe, “the original dancing queen.” The theme of motherhood continued with Ariana Grande’s performance of “God Is a Woman,” in which she brought her mother and grandmother onstage; and with Camila Cabello, who took home Artist of the Year and Video of the Year after bringing her mother as her date to the awards ceremony. Loser: Madonna and her Aretha Franklin tribute Aretha Franklin died less than a week before the VMAs, and many wondered how the show would honor the legendary Queen of Soul. It seems that since Franklin’s death ultimately overshadowed the 60th birthday of another seminal artist, Madonna, the VMAs decided to take out two birds with one stone — by inviting Madonna to pay tribute to Franklin while also presenting the Video of the Year Award. Conceptually, that must have sounded like a tantalizing idea, but in practice, Madonna ended up rambling on about how hard it was for her to become the pop icon she now is. The implication was that she found inspiration in Franklin, and she did mention that she loved Franklin’s Lady Soul album, but ultimately, Madonna’s tribute to Franklin turned into a tribute to Madonna by Madonna. It came off tacky and disorganized, leaving many viewers with the belief that skipping a Franklin tribute would have been better than Madge’s slapdash one. (Technical) Winner: Camila Cabello Camila Cabello, the autonomous former member of Fifth Harmony who defected from the now-defunct group’s other four harmonies, won two of the biggest awards of the night for her body of work and her hit song “Havana”: Video of the Year and Artist of the Year.<doc-sep>
USA TODAY NEW YORK - Who won big at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards? Check out the list of winners (in bold) and nominees. Check back as we update the VMAs winners throughout the night. Red carpet:Ariana Grande, Pete Davidson kiss and more hot couples Video of the year Ariana Grande, "No Tears Left to Cry" Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B, "Finesse (Remix)" Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug, "Havana" The Carters, "APESH*T" Childish Gambino, "This Is America" Drake, "God's Plan" More:7 things you may have missed at the VMAs Artist of the year Ariana Grande Bruno Mars Camila Cabello Cardi B Drake Post Malone Song of the year Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B, "Finesse (Remix)" Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug, "Havana" Drake, "God's Plan" Dua Lipa, "New Rules" Ed Sheeran, "Perfect" Post Malone feat. 21 Savage, "Rockstar" More:Twitter takes down Backstreet Boys over 'cringey' performance Best new artist Bazzi Cardi B Chloe x Halle Hayley Kiyoko Lil Pump Lil Uzi Vert Best collaboration Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line, "Meant to Be" Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B, "Finesse (Remix)" The Carters, "APESH*T" Jennifer Lopez feat. DJ Khaled and Cardi B, "Dinero" Logic feat. Alessia Cara and Khalid, "1-800-273-8255" N.E.R.D and Rihanna, "Lemon" More:We swooned when Jennifer Lopez called A-Rod her 'twin soul' at VMAs Push artist of the year Chloe x Halle Sigrid Lil Xan Hayley Kiyoko Jessie Reyez Tee Grizzley Bishop Briggs Grace VanderWaal Why Don't We PRETTYMUCH SZA Kacy Hill Khalid KYLE Noah Cyrus More:Madonna bashed over Aretha Franklin 'tribute' Best pop Ariana Grande, "No Tears Left to Cry" Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug, "Havana" Demi Lovato, "Sorry Not Sorry" Ed Sheeran, "Perfect" Pink, "What About Us" Shawn Mendes, "In My Blood" Best hip hop Cardi B feat. 21 Savage, "Bartier Cardi" The Carters, "APESH*T" Drake, "God's Plan" J. Cole, "ATM" Migos feat. Drake, "Walk It Talk It" Nicki Minaj, "Chun-Li" More:The VMAs' most savage moments: Cardi B, Nicki Minaj and more feuding celebrities Best Latin Daddy Yankee, "Dura" J Balvin and Willy William, "Mi Gente" Jennifer Lopez feat. DJ Khaled and Cardi B, "Dinero" Luis Fonsi and Demi Lovato, "Echame La Culpa" Maluma, "Felices los 4" Shakira feat. Maluma, "Chantaje" Best dance Avicii feat. Rita Ora, "Lonely Together" Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa, "One Kiss" The Chainsmokers, "Everybody Hates Me" David Guetta and Sia, "Flames" Marshmello feat. Khalid, "Silence" Zedd and Liam Payne, "Get Low (Street Video)" Best rock Fall Out Boy, "Champion" Foo Fighters, "The Sky is a Neighborhood" Imagine Dragons, "Whatever It Takes" Linkin Park, "One More Light" Panic! At The Disco, "Say Amen (Saturday Night)" Thirty Seconds to Mars, "Walk On Water" Video with a message Childish Gamino, "This Is America" Dej Loaf and Leon Bridges, "Liberated" Drake, "God's Plan" Janelle Monáe feat. Grimes, "PYNK" Jessie Reyez, "Gatekeeper" Logic feat. Alessia Cara and Khalid, "1-800-273-8255" Song of the summer Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa, "One Kiss" Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin, "I Like It" DJ Khaled feat. Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper and Quavo, "No Brainer" Drake, "In My Feelings" Ella Mai, "Boo'd Up" Juice WRLD, "Lucid Dreams" Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, "Girls Like You" Post Malone, "Better Now" More:Kevin Hart faces boycott threats from Trump supporters after 'kneeling' jab