The Video Music Awards have a reputation for pop culture mayhem. Like Kanye’s onstage interruption of Swift to defend his stance on Beyonce’s recent art. Or Britney Spears and Madonna’s controversial kiss.
Taylor Swifts 2023 VMAs Dominance
And even Fiona Apple’s famous “this world is bullshit” speech. This year’s VMAs seemed relatively low-key, and that was thanks to the star power of Taylor Swift. The “Look What You Made Me Do” singer dominated the evening.
She claimed five of the nine awards she won at Newark’s Prudential Center on Tuesday night. Her haul included song of the year for Anti-Hero and video of the year for All Too Well: The Short Film. It also included best direction for the clip, a nod she shared with director Daniel Lieberman.
It was the third time Swift won the top prize at the show. She also won it in 2015 for Bad Blood and last year for All Too Well. The 29-year-old’s record nine-trophy haul tied her with Peter Gabriel for the most wins in a single night.
While the rest of the competition was stiff, Swift’s dominance was undeniable. She beat Sam Smith, Kim Petras, Doja Cat, and Nicki Minaj in the Artist of the Year category alone. Taylor was the only woman to win in four categories this year.
She also has a commanding lead on the all-time VMAs leaderboard with 23 total wins. Swift’s other high point came when she won the award for Video of the Year. Her friendship-braceleted childhood idols, the reunited NSync, presented her with the award.
She glowed throughout the entire presentation. It was a clear reminder that she occupies a rare space in popular culture that only a handful of artists have ever visited.
