Taylor Swift opened up the MTV Video Music Awards tonight (Aug. 26) with not one but two songs including “You Need to Calm Down” and “Lover” which Swift has never performed live before until tonight, live from Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, which marks Swift’s first performance on the show since the infamous Kayne West interruption and her performance of “Bad Blood” in 2015. This performance marks Swift’s first major televised performance following the release of her highly anticipated album, Lover.
The performance included a set similar to her music video for “You Need To Calm Down” even including actors and actresses from her music video of the aforementioned song before stripping down the set for an acoustic guitar performance of her latest single and the title track to her new album “Lover.”
How can we possibly calm down after @TaylorSwift13‘s #VMAs performance?! ?✨ pic.twitter.com/a2mDA4Coby
— MTV (@MTV) August 27, 2019
NOW THAT IS HOW YOU OPEN THE #VMAS ?@taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/Qk8upfNSCn
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) August 27, 2019
Taylor is tied for the most nominations in 2019 with 10 nominations in categories that include Video of the Year, Song of the Year, and Video For Good for her singles “Me!” and “You Need to Calm Down.” Since 2008, Swift has won 7 MTV VMAs overall, including 3 Best Female Video awards (“You Belong with Me,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Blank Space”), 2 Best Collaboration awards (“Bad Blood,” “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever”), and 1 Video of the Year award (“Bad Blood”). 2019 ties for the most nominations Taylor has received in one year. In 2015, she also received 10 nominations, split between “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood.” 2019’s “You Need To Calm Down” received 7 VMAs nominations, which is Taylor’s second most nominated song, her first being 2015’s “Bad Blood,” which received 8 nominations.
Swift’s Red Carpet Arrival:
My breath = taken.
Don’t miss Taylor’s opening @vmas performance TONIGHT at 8p on MTV! ? pic.twitter.com/1v3BqPGGky
— MTV (@MTV) August 26, 2019
