By Armando

Kendrick Lamar was the big winner at 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, winning 6 including top prize video of the year for “HUMBLE.” Lamar also won awards for best hip hop video, best direction, best cinematography, best art direction, best visual effects. Lamar also kicked off the three-hour show with a spectacular and powerful performance of “Humble” and “DNA” backed by break-dancing ninjas on fire.

But it was Ed Sheeran who beat out Lamar for Artist of the Year, VMA’s new gender neutral award established by MTV to eliminated gender categories. “Thank you to all the fans. Thank you to my record label. Jason Koenig, who made my videos on this album. Yeah, cheers!” Sheeran said. The star also performed his massive hit, “Shape of You” and was later joined by rapper Lil Uzi Vert.

Other big winners include Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Llif3” as Song of Summer, Khalid for Best New Artist, and Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane for “Down”.

Taylor Swift also won for her collaboration video with Zayn, “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever”. The song was recorded for the soundtrack to the 2017 film Fifty Shades Darker. Though she was a no-show during the night, Swift debuted the controversial video for her newest single “Look What You Made Me Do.”

In between the fun performances and lighthearted speeches, the night also had a few strong messaging about social issues: Jared Leto delivered an emotional tribute to Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell, both of whom committed suicide this year, and Logic performed “1-800-273-8255” accompanied by Alessia Cara and Khalid promoting suicide prevention (the song is named after the National Suicide Hotline).

P!nk also took to the stage to perform a career spanning medley of “Get The Party Started,” “Raise Your Glass,” “So What,” among others, as well as her latest single “What About Us.” Shortly after, Ellen DeGeneres appeared onstage to present the singer with the Video Vanguard award.

In one of the night’s most moving moment, P!nk told a heartfelt story about her daughter Willow who was in the crowd, and gave a speech about body image and acceptance. “We don’t change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl,” P!nk declared to cheers. “And we help other people to change so they can see more kinds of beauty.”

2017 Video Music Awards was hosted by Katty Perry, marking the first time for Perry as host of the event.

See below for red carpet arrivals @ the Forum in Inglewood, California, for the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards.

Red carpet arrivals @ the Forum in Inglewood, California, for the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. 

Photographer Armando
AIPhotoImaging.com