Katy Perry received the Video Vanguard Award at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, September 11.
Before taking the stage at the UBS Arena in New York to perform a mashup of her greatest hits over the years, Perry, 39, was introduced by her fiancé, Orlando Bloom.
“You fell in love with her as Katy Perry. I fell in love with her as Kathryn Hudson. You know her as a global superstar who brings love, light and her unique sense of humor into every song she writes and every music video she creates,” Bloom, 47, said. “I know her as a mother and partner who brings that same love, joy and adventure to our family. In moments when we have most needed it, her music and the remarkable worlds she creates have brought a sense of joy and laughter, inspiring generations of people from all over the world.”
He continued: “She loves with her whole heart and it’s kind of irresistible. I see it reflected everywhere — in our home, in her love for her work and especially in her love for her fans. Congratulations on this honor, baby. I am so proud of you.”
Perry accepted the award from Bloom as he gave her a big smooch. The trophy honors musicians who have made a profound impact on music videos and pop culture.
“Thank you MTV for always believing in my weirdness from day one and helping artists extend their worlds beyond a song,” Perry said in her speech. “There are so many things that have to align to have a successful career as an artist. There are no decade-long accidents.”
The singer also thanked her team, record label, friends, family and the various acts she’s worked with over the years. Perry also thanked her daughter, Daisy, whom she welcomed with Bloom in August 2020.
Perry is the first artist in VMAs history to win the Video Vanguard Award and Video of the Year as well as host the show. Perry previously took home Video of the Year for “Firework” in 2011 and hosted and performed at the ceremony in 2017. Wednesday marks her first time returning to the awards show since her hosting gig.
Perry’s other past accolades from the VMAs include Best Collaboration and Best Special Effects for “E.T.” in 2011, Best Art Direction for “Wide Awake” in 2012 and Best Female Video for “Dark Horse” in 2014.
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“Katy is a musical powerhouse and true pop culture icon. With her game-changing creative vision, she has become a global phenomenon and taken over the world’s biggest stages. Katy’s prowess will be on full display live on the VMAs with a can’t-miss, career-encompassing performance celebrating her biggest moments and chart-topping hits,” Bruce Gillmer, a president and chief content officer at Paramount+, said in an August statement.
The honor comes as Perry prepares to release her first album in four years. In July, she announced her upcoming record, titled 143, will drop on September 20.
“I set out to create a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic 143 numerical expression of love as a throughline message,” she said in a statement at the time.
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The album’s title, 143, is code for “I love you.” Perry previously teased how her daughter, Daisy, inspired her new project.
“What she has given me in my life [is] the unconditional love that I was always searching for,” she told E! News in April. “Yes, that is where I am creating from. Just like wholeness, happiness and just true full love.”
In July, Perry hinted at how the sound of her upcoming album differed from her past work.
“It’s three different parts: one part super dance, one part quintessentially me, pop, and the other part is very rhythmic,” she explained on the “Official Big Top 40” at the time. “So [the first single] ‘Woman’s World’ is quintessentially me, it’s pop, it’s nostalgic of a certain pop time. But the next things we’re going onto are going to be in the dance arena.”
