VMA 2024: Tyla defeats Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Tems, wins Best Afrobeats music video

The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) winners have been announced. The award event was held on Wednesday at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, United States.

South African rising star Tyla was announced winner of “Best Afrobeats” Music Video, with her hit song “Water” beating Burna Boy, Ayra Starr and Tems.

The event, hosted by American rapper and singer Megan Thee Stallion, featured remarkable performances, memorable moments, and surprise victories across various categories.

Tyla was also nominated for Best R&B for “Water” and Best New Artist. SZA clinched the Best R&B category for “Snooze” while Chappell Roan won Best New Artist.

Best Afrobeats music video

Tyla is officially the first African female artiste to win Best Afrobeats Music Video since the category was introduced in 2023. The inaugural winner was Rema’s Calm Down ft Selena Gomez.

This year’s lineup was just as competitive, featuring artistes who have made significant strides in Afrobeats and the global music scene. Surprisingly, American singers Chris Brown and Usher made it to the nomination list in August.

The category’s star-studded nominees included Ayra Starr ft. Giveon with “Last Heartbreak Song,” Burna Boy with “City Boys,” Chris Brown for his collaboration with Davido and Lojay on “Sensational,” Usher for his track “Ruin” ft. Nigerian beatmaker Pheelz and Tems with “Love MeJeje.”

Upon receiving the iconic MTV Moon Person trophy, 22-year-old Tyla said in her speech, “This is such a big moment for African music. The global impact of’ Water’ on the world proves African music can also be pop music.”

Amapiano, not Afrobeats

In her acceptance speech, the Grammy award-winning singer addressed the growing interest in Afrobeats while emphasising the diversity of African music.

The South African-born singer stated that despite Afrobeats paving the way for Africans in the global music space, she identifies with Amapiano and the South African culture.

Tyla said, “This is so special but also bittersweet because I know there’s a tendency to group African artises under Afrobeats. Afrobeats have opened many doors for us, but African music is so diverse it’s more than just Afrobeats. I represent amapiano and my culture. This is a shout-out to my fellow VMA nominees, Burna Boy, Tems, Lojay, and Ayra Starr. Africa to the world!”

The music star’s comments sparked some backlash from Nigerians, who questioned why she accepted the award in the first place if she didn’t consider her song to be Afrobeats. Nigerian media personality Oladotun Kayode Do2tun critiqued her in an Instagram post, noting that her hit track “Water” isn’t an Amapiano track but R&B Pop.

The award-winning OAP, responding to her speech, stated, “Aunty @tyla aka am not Afrobeats, I am Amapiano. We have heard you, but your song ‘Water’ isn’t amapiano either. If you thought you were categorised in the wrong category, you should have given the award back or denounced the nomination. You clearly took an award that didn’t represent you or your sound from that statement you made.”

Do2tun argued that while Nigeria creates many great things, it often fails to retain ownership of them. He suggested that the genre should have remained as “Afrobeat” to maintain its identity, with efforts focused on educating Nigerians and the world about its distinct sound, origins, and what qualifies music to fit within the category.

Other notable wins

Another notable moment of the VMAs night saw Taylor Swift again dominate the evening, emerging as the most awarded artiste with seven wins, including the coveted Video of the Year for her collaboration with Post Malone on “Fortnight.”

Swift, who led the nominees with 12 nods, shared her excitement while on stage, reflecting on her experience working on the music video. The 34-year-old music star dedicated the awards to her boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce, who she credited with bringing joy to the shoot. Swift’s haul of awards didn’t stop there. She also won Artiste of the Year, cementing her status as a powerhouse in the music industry, with her VMAs count now reaching a staggering 30, tying with Beyoncé’s all-time solo artiste record.

Another highlight of the night was Eminem, who took home Best Hip-Hop for his track “Houdini.” The rapper delivered a powerful performance to open the show, collaborating with Jelly Roll. Other performances included Camila Cabello, Lenny Kravitz, Sabrina Carpenter and GloRilla, keeping the energy high throughout the night.

SEE THE FULL WINNERS LIST

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)”

Billie Eilish – “Lunch”

Doja Cat – “Paint The Town Red”

Eminem – “Houdini”

SZA – “Snooze”

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” *WINNER

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Ariana Grande

Bad Bunny

Eminem

Sabrina Carpenter

SZA

Taylor Swift *WINNER

SONG OF THE YEAR

Beyoncé – “Texas Hold ‘Em”

Jack Harlow – “Lovin On Me”

Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”

Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” *WINNER

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight”

Teddy Swims – “Lose Control”

BEST NEW ARTIST

Benson Boone

Chappell Roan *WINNER

Gracie Abrams

Shaboozey

Teddy Swims

Tyla

BEST COLLABORATION

Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy “

GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion – “Wanna Be”

Jessie Murph ft. Jelly Roll – “Wild Ones”

Jung Kook ft. Latto – “Seven”

Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen – “I Had Some Help”

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” *WINNER

BEST POP

Camila Cabello

Dua Lipa

Olivia Rodrigo

Sabrina Carpenter

Tate McRae

Taylor Swift *WINNER

BEST HIP-HOP

Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy “

Eminem – “Houdini” *WINNER

GloRilla – “Yeah Glo!”

Gunna – “Fukumean”

Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA”

Travis Scott ft. Playboi Carti – “FE!N”

BEST R&B

Alicia Keys – “Lifeline”

Muni Long – “Made For Me”

SZA – “Snooze” *WINNER

Tyla – “Water”

Usher, Summer Walker, 21 Savage – “Good Good” –

Victoria Monét – “On My Mama”

BEST ALTERNATIVE

Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things” *WINNER

Bleachers – “Tiny Moves”

Hozier – “Too Sweet”

Imagine Dragons – “Eyes Closed”

Linkin Park – “Friendly Fire”

Teddy Swims – “Lose Control (Live)”

BEST ROCK

Bon Jovi – “Legendary”

Coldplay – “Feelslikeimfallinginlove”

Green Day – “Dilemma”

Kings of Leon – “Mustang”

Lenny Kravitz – “Human” *WINNER

U2 – “Atomic City”

BEST LATIN

Anitta – “Mil Veces” *WINNER

Bad Bunny – “Monaco”

Karol G – “Mi Ex Tenia Razon”

Myke Towers – “Lala”

Peso Pluma & Anitta – “Bellakeo”

Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky”

Shakira & Cardi B – “Puntería”

BEST AFROBEATS

Ayra Starr ft. Giveon – “Last Heartbreak Song”

Burna Boy – “City Boys”

Chris Brown ft. Davido & Lojay – “Sensational”

Tems – “Love Me JeJe”

Tyla – “Water” *WINNER

Usher, Pheelz – “Ruin”

BEST K-POP

Jung Kook ft. Latto – “Seven”

Lisa – “Rockstar” *WINNER

NCT Dream – “Smoothie”

NewJeans – “Super Shy”

Stray Kids – “Lalalala”

Tomorrow X Together – “Deja vu”

VIDEO FOR GOOD

Alexander Stewart – “If You Only Knew”

Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For (From the Motion Picture “Barbie”)” *WINNER

Coldplay – “Feelslikeimfallinginlove”

Joyner Lucas & Jelly Roll – “Best for Me”

Raye – “Genesis”

Tyler Childers – “In Your Love”

BEST DIRECTION

Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Directed by Christian Breslauer

Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Directed by Alex Lockett & Margaret Qualley

Eminem – “Houdini” – Directed by Rich Lee

Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Directed by Daniel Iglesias Jr.

Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” – Directed by Bardia Zeinali

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Directed by Taylor Swift *WINNER

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Cinematography by Anatol Trofimov *WINNER

Charli XCX – “Von Dutch” – Cinematography by Jeff Bierman

Dua Lipa – “Illusion” – Cinematography by Nikita Kuzmenko

Olivia Rodrigo – “Obsessed” – Cinematography by Marz Miller

Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky” – Cinematography by Camilo Monsalve

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto

BEST EDITING

Anitta – “Mil Veces” – Editing by Nick Yumul

Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Editing by Luis Caraza Peimbert

Eminem – “Houdini” – Editing by David Checel

Lisa – “Rockstar” – Editing by Nik Kohler

Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” – Editing by Jai Shukla

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Editing by Chancler Haynes *WINNER

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Choreography by Margaret Qualley

Dua Lipa – “Houdini” – Choreography by Charm La’Donna *WINNER

Lisa – “Rockstar” – Choreography by Sean Bankhead

Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky” – Choreography by Felix ‘Fefe’ Burgos

Tate McRae – “Greedy” – Choreography by Sean Bankhead

Troye Sivan – “Rush” – Choreography by Sergio Reis, Mauro Van De Kerkhof

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Ariana Grande – “The Boy is Mine” – Visual Effects by Digital Axis

Eminem – “Houdini” – Visual Effects by Synapse Virtual Production, Louise Lee, Rich Lee, Metaphysic, Flawless Post *WINNER

Justin Timberlake – “Selfish” – Visual Effects by Candice Dragonas

Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Visual Effects by Mathematic

Olivia Rodrigo – “Get Him Back!” – Visual Effects by Cooper Vacheron, Preston Mohr, Karen Arakelian, Justin Johnson

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Visual Effects by Parliament

BEST ART DIRECTION

Charli XCX – “360” – Art Direction by Grace Surnow

Lisa – “Rockstar” – Art Direction by Pongsan Thawatwichian

Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Art Direction by Brittany Porter *WINNER

Olivia Rodrigo – “Bad Idea Right?” – Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins

Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” – Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Art Direction by Ethan Tobman