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Mariah Carey has been honored with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).
Pop star Ariana Grande introduced the five-time Grammy winner, calling her a “queen.” Dressed in a gold shimmery bodysuit, Carey delivered a powerful speech to the audience on Sunday night, September 7, 2025. She said:
“Thank you so much MTV for giving me the Vanguard Award. I can’t believe I’m getting my first VMA tonight. I just have one question. What in the Sam Hill were you waiting for? I'm kidding. I love you.”
She added that, “music videos are my way of life, of bringing music to my own life.”
Since her debut in 1990, Mariah Carey has been nominated for nine VMAs, however, her first win came on September 7, 2025. As the 56-year-old accepted the award, she reflected on her MTV history. It included her presenting LL Cool J his Vanguard award in 1997, and opening with Whitney Houston in 1998 with a “faux standoff.”
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Mariah Carey makes history at VMAs 2025
Mariah Carey made history at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards by winning her first-ever VMA. Her appearance on the grand event came after 20 years. Carey last performed at the MTV VMAs in 2005, promoting her then-new album, The Emancipation of Mimi, which reportedly became the best-selling album in the US that year.
During her acceptance speech for this year’s Vanguard Award, the singer added:
“Many movies visualizing the sheer fantasy of it all. And let's be honest, sometimes there's just an excuse to bring the drama and do things I wouldn't do in real life. After all this time, I've learned that music evolves, videos evolve, but the fun, that is eternal. Thank you, MTV for playing my videos, and to my fans, the Lambily, I love you so much.”
In addition to the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, Mariah Carey also won Best R&B for her 2025 song Type Dangerous. The track is part of her 16th studio album, Here for It All. The lead single was released on June 6, 2025. Her album is scheduled to be dropped on September 26.
According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, Type Dangerous debuted at 95 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The song is co-written by Anderson .Paak, with the music video being directed by Joseph Kahn.
At the VMAs 2025, Mariah Carey began her set by performing a series of hits such as Sugar Sweet, Honey, Obsessed, Heartbreaker, Fantasy, It's Like That, and We Belong Together. At the beginning of her performance, Carey was dressed in a gold silk rob and gradually transitioned into shimmery gold bodysuit.
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Carey made her VMAs debut in 1991 when she performed Emotions. Her masterful performance during that time is still known as a key milestone in her career.
Katy Perry, Shakira, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, LL Cool J, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott, and Michael Jackson are some of the earlier recipients of the Vanguard Award.
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