Katy Perry takes break from stepping on rakes to pick up MTV Video Vanguard award

Fresh off a persistent habit of stepping in it in the run-up to the release of 143, Katy Perry is getting an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award

By William Hughes  |  August 15, 2024 | 6:08pm
Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Music News Katy Perry
Katy Perry takes break from stepping on rakes to pick up MTV Video Vanguard award

It’s not just us, right? The long, slow launch of Katy Perry’s upcoming album, 143, has felt just a little bit cursed. First, Perry got dragged for the first video and single from the album, “Women’s World,” which most people found to be tone-deaf, throwback in nature, and kind of reductive. Then, her second video for the album, “Lifetimes,” got hit with an even more specific complaint: An accusation of possible environmental “infringement” from the Environment Department of Spain’s Balearic Islands. It’s enough to make a pop star ask why she ever left the American Idol desk (or invoked the wrath of the pop culture gods by working with Dr. Luke on this latest album, take your pick.)

Now, though, it sounds like Perry might actually be getting a win: She’s just been announced as the recipient of MTV’s Video Vanguard award, essentially the lifetime achievement award at the network’s long-running Video Music Awards. Given that you could argue pretty strongly that the music video is Perry’s primary artistic medium—she won the VMA for best video with “Firework” back in 2011—this feels like a pretty natural honor for her to end up picking up, joining a list of winners that includes Michael Jackson (for whom the award is named), David Bowie, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, and several other big names in music. Per Billboard, the in-no-way-cursed Perry will receive the award at this year’s VMAs on, uh… September 11.

Which, of course, there’s no reason to be in any way superstitious about! You gotta hold the VMAs on some Wednesday, after all! We’re not clenching our teeth in contact anxiety, you are! Anyway, in addition to getting her Moonman statue, Perry will also perform a career-spanning medley of her works, and will not, at any point, step on any rakes, have any anvils dropped on her head, or suffer any other comedic slapstick mishaps our brains can supply. 143 itself releases on September 20, finally freeing us all from worrying about what the next shoe to drop will be.

 
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