A historic night time on the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards as Mariah Carey claims her long-overdue Vanguard Award with a efficiency that spanned her profession

Mariah Carey lastly had her MTV second. On September 7, on the UBS Area in Elmont, New York, the pop and R&B legend acquired the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — her first-ever MTV VMA trophy. The win got here after a long time of shaping music video tradition, 9 prior nominations and not using a victory, and a profession that has stretched throughout greater than 30 years. For her devoted followers, often known as the Lambily, the second felt like vindication. For MTV, it was an opportunity to rewrite historical past and proper a obvious oversight.

Carey, 56, marked the event with a career-spanning medley that reminded viewers why she stays one of the influential artists in pop historical past. Wearing a shimmering gold catsuit that caught each highlight, she cycled via fan favorites like “Fantasy,” “Honey,” “Heartbreaker,” “Obsessed,” “It’s Like That,” and the emotional powerhouse “We Belong Collectively.” She even included her latest single “Sugar Candy” from her upcoming album Right here For It All, tying her legendary previous to her still-active current.

A Efficiency Designed Round Storytelling

Not like the tightly choreographed routines of her youthful friends, Carey’s set leaned into theatrical staging and visible storytelling. Every track got here with its personal set design, evoking the music movies that helped cement her standing as a popular culture icon.

• “Sugar Candy” opened with a pastel-colored, bedroom-inspired scene. Smooth lights and dancers surrounded Carey, setting a flirtatious, playful tone.
• “Fantasy” switched to carnival visuals, full with roller-skating dancers circling her in tribute to the long-lasting amusement park setting of the unique video.
• “Honey” went glamorous, with masked dancers nodding to the masquerade aesthetic of the late ‘90s.
• “Heartbreaker” amped up the vitality, glowing in pink and neon to simulate a nightclub vibe. Carey delivered the cheeky verses with smirks and sass.
• “Obsessed” leaned darkish and confrontational, with dancers surrounding her like paparazzi. She leaned into the diss-track fringe of the 2009 hit.
• “It’s Like That” mashed up parts of “Breakdown” and “Kind Harmful” for a hybrid that bridged her older R&B taste with fashionable entice prospers.
• “We Belong Collectively” closed the set in emotional style, with Carey switching right into a flowing robe as mist stuffed the stage and a dwell string ensemble underscored her hovering vocals.

The efficiency ended with pyrotechnics and Carey stretching her arms vast, basking in applause because the display screen behind her lit up with “Video Vanguard.”

A Lengthy-Overdue Honor

For years, Carey’s omission from VMA wins had been a sore spot amongst followers. She had been nominated 9 instances — for classics like “One Candy Day” and “We Belong Collectively” — however by no means walked away with a trophy. Her music movies, nevertheless, had been undeniably formative. Honey introduced spy-thriller motion into R&B visuals. Fantasy set the template for frolicsome, high-concept movies with hip-hop cameos. Obsessed grew to become a meme years after its launch due to its cinematic storytelling.

The Video Vanguard Award has lately gone to contemporaries like Jennifer Lopez, Missy Elliott, and Shakira, elevating the query: why not Mariah? MTV answered that query this yr, lastly awarding her the respect.

Launched by Ariana Grande, Carey accepted the award with equal elements shade and sincerity. She playfully jabbed MTV for “taking so lengthy” to acknowledge her contributions, then rapidly turned heartfelt, thanking her followers for his or her loyalty throughout a long time of chart dominance, reinventions, and private ups and downs.

“This one’s for the Lambily,” she mentioned, her voice breaking barely. “You’ve been with me via each period. Thanks for by no means letting go.”

Balancing Legacy and Longevity

Mariah Carey’s VMA set was not about athletic choreography or viral dance moments. As a substitute, it was a showcase of vocal precision, diva vitality, and the sheer weight of her catalog. At 56, Carey delivered whistle notes that reminded everybody of her technical items, even when her motion remained minimal. Critics referred to as elements of the efficiency “low vitality,” however followers countered that she’s by no means been about choreography — her energy has all the time been her voice and her visuals.

This medley additionally doubled as a promo for her upcoming album Right here For It All, due September 26, proving that she’s not simply performing for nostalgia. By mixing new materials with classics, Carey reminded audiences she’s nonetheless an energetic power in music — not a legacy act content material to coast.

Blended However Passionate Reactions

On X (previously Twitter), reactions poured in inside minutes.

Followers celebrated her long-overdue recognition:

• “WE DID IT LAMBS!!!!! Mariah Carey simply gained her first #VMAs… I’m so completely happy for you my queen.”
• “The VMAs wouldn’t be ICONIC with out MARIAH CAREY PERFORMING AND RECEIVING THE VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD.”

Others defended her fashion in opposition to critics demanding extra motion:

• “Why are individuals anticipating her to bop like Beyoncé? She’s all the time had two left toes… her mom was an opera singer, she’s not meant to bop. She’s meant to sing.”

However some had been underwhelmed by her stage presence:

• “It is a nice combine… however mama give me some stage presence????”
• “She gave extra vitality on her speech than this efficiency.”

Accusations of lip-syncing surfaced too, although many attendees insisted she sang dwell with mild backing tracks. The chatter was polarized however energetic — which, for Carey, is par for the course.

Why It Issues

Mariah Carey’s Vanguard Award wasn’t nearly one night time on the VMAs. It was about re-centering her place in pop historical past. Her movies pushed boundaries, her collaborations formed the crossover between pop and hip-hop, and her voice stays unmatched. The truth that she gained her first VMA in 2025, after greater than three a long time of dominance, says as a lot about MTV’s historical past of overlooking girls — and significantly girls of colour — because it does about Carey’s resilience.

Ultimately, the efficiency and award cemented her as not only a hitmaker, however a video innovator whose affect might be seen in each new era of artists. As she continues into her fourth decade in music, Mariah Carey lastly bought the flowers she has lengthy deserved.