Surprising MTV VMAs 2025: Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat and others are shining with dramatic awards, dazzling performance, and memorable red carpet fashions.
Most recent news on the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, which was on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at the UBS arena, Elmont, New York, and hosted by LL Cool J.
Highlights & Headlines
- Big Winners & New Categories
- Lady Gaga had the night with the highest number of nominations and she won Artist of the Year, surpassing other artists including Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, and The Weeknd.
- New fan-voted categories were introduced: Best Pop Artist and Best Country Artist and Megan Moroney won the latter category.
- Other notable winners:
o Best K-Pop: Lisa of Born Again” (feat.) Doja Cat & Raye).
o Best New Artist: Alex Warren.
o Song of the Summer: Tate McRae and Just Keep Watching.
o Best Alternative: Sombr of Back to Friend.
- Legacy Honors & Tributes
- Mariah Carey won her first-ever Video Vanguard Award, performed a medley, and won Best R&B as well with Type Dangerous.
- Busta Rhymes was a winner of the Rock the Bells Visionary Award.
- Ricky Martin was given Latin Icon Award.
- In tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, who died on July 22, 2025, a moving tribute was honored, featuring Yungblud, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Nuno Bettencourt.
- Appearances and Showstopping Moments.
- Lady Gaga (live at her concert in Madison Square Garden) performed theatrical, spine-chilling at the VMAs, but performed no more than 15 minutes, then rushed off to her own concert (the opening of her song Abracadabra and the Dead Dance).
- On her way to take the Artist of the Year award, Gaga used a moving shoutout to her fans (Little Monsters) and fiancee Michael Polansky.
- Red Carpet Glamor
- Lady Gaga made a splash in a dramatic, fashion oriented appearance.
- Some of the biggest arrivals were Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Katseye (K-pop), Tate McRae, Paris and Nicky Hilton among others.
- Jessica Simpson first appeared on red carpet in 6 years, in a corseted gown by Christian Siriano, alongside sister Ashlee Simpson–both were also presenters.
- Who Was Missing
- Travis Scott, who is nominated three times (including Best Hip-Hop Song and two in Best Afrobeats Song), was conspicuously missing, as was his co-parent Kylie Jenner.
- Taylor Swift who was also nominated in major categories did not turn up since she had other engagements in her project the life of a showgirl.
highlights of the 2025 MTV VMAs, with the emphasis on the winners, performances, and memorable fashion:
Winners Highlights
- Artist of the Year: Lady Gaga-the first of the evening with 12 nominations and the win.
- Best Album: Sabrina Carpenter of Short n Sweet.
- Best Push Performance (MTV Push Performance): Katseye with Touch.
- Song of the Year: APT. by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars.
- Legacy Awards:
o Video Vanguard Award: Mariah Carey.
o Rock the Bells Visionary Award: Busta Rhymes.
o Latin Icon Award: Ricky Martin.
Performances – Bold and Emotional.
- Mariah Carey only made a first appearance in the VMAs in 2005. She opened with a glamorous champagne feathered silk robe to play “Sugar Sweet” followed by a shiny gold rhinestone romper to play a song collection of hits such as: Dreamlover, Heartbreaker, and We Belong Together. She shut out with jewellery and glimmering knee-high boots.
- Doja Cat opened the stage with an ’80s inspired performance of Jealous Type- full of dancers, technicolor effects, a sheer crop top, baggy skater pants and checkered Vans. Her fashion, too, was right up-to-date: a Balmain mini dress of harlequin, Chopard diamonds, a crystal clutch shaped like a lipstick by Judith Leiber.
- Sabrina Carpenter gave an energetic and poignant performance of the song Tears, with the accompaniment of drag and ball artists such as Honey Balenciaga, Symone and Willam. This was one of the most culturally touching points of the night with LGBTQ+ affirming signs, and one of them was In Trans We Trust.
- Lady Gaga pre-taped her performance of Abracadabra owing to her touring schedule so that she can only show real-life presence during a short time before moving back to her NYC concert.
- Doja cat established the mood, her diamonds-covered, pink Balmain mini in all its 1980s flashy excess.
- Tate McRae made a splash in an almost entirely custom Ludovic de Saint Sernin gown, which was a mixture of sultry and elegant.
- Ariana Grande wore a vintage Fendi polka-dot dress full of Swarovski runs, which Law Roach designed in a full gown.
- Sabrina Carpenter was a doll in a sheer crimson Valentino lace gown and pink fur steal, with Tiffany Co. accessories, which made old-Hollywood feels and with a modern twist.
- Ciara was a mini-bomber-meets-minidress hybrid in Schiaparelli.
- Tyla went retro-glam -Chanel and Pandora accents.
- Lenny Kravitz wore a shirtless St. Laurent checked suit–daring, provocative, legendary.
- Katseye arrived in a dramatic fashion in co-ordinated Dolce & Gabbana lingerie-inspired minis.
- Conan Gray was a surprise star in a 30-lb nautical denim dress by Erik Charlotte (full of puff sleeves, ruffles, and platform boots) one of the most discussed fashion statements of the night.
- Lady Gaga did not walk the carpet, but made a big entrance on the stage in a gothic Marc Jacobs tulle dress- a nod to theatrical glam which reflected her Artist of the Year win.
Conclusion
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards is another reason why it is considered to be one of the most dynamic and culturally defining nights in music. With Lady Gaga record-breaking victories and a legacy-affirming Vanguard appearance by Mariah Carey, boundary-pushing turns by Doja Cat and Sabrina Carpenter, the evening was all nostalgia and break new ground. The statement itself on the red carpet ( Ariana Grande in a vintage glam and Conan Gray in an avant-garde denim gown ) turned the event into a spectacle outside the music. It will be remembered that the 2025 VMAs was a night that honored both stars and pioneers, but it also defined what music television will be like in the new millennium.
Also read- Emmy Awards 2025