Taylor Swift becomes most awarded artist in MTV VMAs history

Taylor Swift won Video of the Year at the MTV VMAs for The Fate of Ophelia, a video she directed herself. The prize made her the most awarded artist in the show's history, with 31 wins, moving past Beyonce. She had arrived at the Los Angeles ceremony as the joint most successful artist in VMAs history.

The night was presented as a celebration of leading female artists. Madonna, described as the original queen of pop, helped open the event and appeared with Sabrina Carpenter to collect the best collaboration award. Madonna teased Carpenter about how they came to work together, recalling that contact was slow at first before they were in the studio within weeks.

Swift dedicated her award to Dolly Parton, calling her the ultimate showgirl. There was also a tribute from Kacey Musgraves, while the ceremony featured performances from British singers RAYE and Sienna Spiro. Spiro won best new artist and thanked the fans and voters, saying she could not believe the result.

Swift also used the show to reveal a star-studded video for her new song Patient Zero. The win capped a night that underlined her place in pop history, not only as a singer-songwriter but as a director.