Bebe Rexha, left, and David Guetta accept the ‘Best Collaboration’ award at the 2022 European MTV Awards in Dusseldorf, Germany, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Taylor Swift won big at Sunday’s MTV EMAs. Swift, who led the nominations along with Harry Styles with seven apiece, walked away with four wins, including best artist, best video and best long-form video. Currently topping the charts with ‘Anti-Hero’ from her record-breaking new album ‘Midnights’, Swift made a surprise appearance at the awards in Dusseldorf to gather her lead, the latest in a long series of awards for the singer and songwriter. Accepting her first award of the night she said “the fans are the only reason any of this is happening for me”. David Guetta and Bebe Rexha opened the show with their hit collaboration “I’m Good (Blue),” a track that almost went unreleased. Rexha explained on the carpet “we had no idea it would blow up and go viral on TikTok. And here we interpret it and are nominated for ‘Best Collab’”. Muse, who returned to the EMAs for a fiery rendition of “Will of the People,” later won best rock performance. They dedicated their award to the people of Ukraine and the women of Iran. This year’s show was hosted by newlyweds Rita Ora and Taika Waititi. Ora didn’t disappoint with several outfit changes, and Waititi joked that she was channeling her inner pop star. The absent Nicki Minaj also came out on top with a trio of awards for best song, best hip-hop and a category called super freaky girl. Styles, who is currently touring the US, won best live performance. Following their Eurovision win in May, Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra gave one of the most powerful and emotional performances of the night, turning the auditorium blue and yellow in support of Ukraine. Speaking on the red carpet, frontman Oleg Psyuk explained that with their newfound fame they would be able to support and raise awareness of the plight of the Ukrainian people “It is important for us to be the voice of Ukraine, to have the opportunity to meet all over the world, to play and tell about Ukraine, to tell about the war, to tell about our culture, the culture that is fighting against at the war”. British rapper Stormzy performed the ballad ‘Fire Babe’, released this week from his highly anticipated third album ‘This is What I Mean’. OneRepublic performed their Top Gun: Maverick tune “I Ain’t Worried,” with a special video intro from the man himself, Tom Cruise, which they said wasn’t easy to come by. Other performers of the night included Ava Max who sparkled in a giant diamond singing “Million Dollar Baby” and Tate McRae who performed a medley of her hits “she’s all i wanna be” and “uh oh”. A fan-voted 17 gender-neutral categories were announced during the night. The show, broadcast from the PSD Bank Dome, will be shown in more than 170 countries.
