Mariah Carey commands the stage at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. This year’s event was held on September 7th, 2025 at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. The National Trust awardee delivered a spellbinding Penn Quarter performance that proved all at once the timeless singer’s extraordinary journey. Fans cheered as she ran through a selection of her classics. This was her first nomination, presentation, and performance in two decades at the VMAs. As expected, both the artist and her rabidly loyal fanbase could not have been more excited at this most anticipated comeback.
Carey’s show-stopping performance opened with upbeat versions of “Sugar Sweet,” “Fantasy,” and “Honey,” bringing the audience to their feet immediately. After that transition, it was a smooth transition as she became her British self-evidently named alter ego, Bianca, to perform tracks, “Obsessed” and “It’s Like That.” Decked out in a breathtaking, shimmering gold bodysuit, Carey owned the stage with her trademark sass and impressive vocal chops.
Beyond her thrilling showstopping number, Carey was honored throughout the night. She received her first-ever Moon Person statue, taking home the award for Best R&B Video for her single “Type Dangerous.” On top of all that, Carey was recently awarded the illustrious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. This honor is a deserved tribute to her far-reaching influence on pop culture and music videos during her storied professional career.
Ariana Grande introduced Carey’s performance and later returned to present her with the Vanguard Award. While accepting, Carey thanked MTV and Grande for the help with her iconic return.
“Thank you, MTV, for playing my videos. And to our fans, the Lambily, I love you so much,” – Mariah Carey
Carey said that connecting her history of music and video, which has gone through many evolutions, was important to her.
“After all this time, I’ve learned that music evolves, videos evolve — but the fun, that is eternal,” – Mariah Carey
In addition to her performance, Alison teased with talk about her forthcoming album “Here For It All” due out March 22. It’s coming out in only two weeks time!
“And by the way, my new album, ‘Here For It All,’ is out in two weeks…. Thank you,” – Mariah Carey
The history of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award is truly deep and storied. It was the first to honor iconic musicians such as David Bowie and The Beatles as far back as 1984. Carey has now become one of a very select few of past recipients. This very exclusive list of honorees includes superstars such as Katy Perry, Shakira, Beyoncé and more! Her efforts got a high-profile boost when she gave the same award to LL Cool J when he hosted this year’s VMAs.
