It was revealed a couple weeks ago that Shakira would be the recipient of this year’s Video Vanguard Award at the 2023 MTV VMAs. Well, the Video Music Awards went down last night (September 12) and Shakira stole the show.
She delivered a ten-minute medley of career-spanning hits, consisting of “She Wolf,” “Te felicito/TQG,” Objection (Tango),” Ojos así/Whenever, Wherever,” “Hips Don’t Lie,” and “BZRP Music Sessions #53.” The performance utilized a number of striking set pieces and even saw Shakira do some crowd-surfing towards the end.
.@SHAKIRA
DID
She lit the #VMAs stage on
with her Vanguard performance!! pic.twitter.com/RgaXbHkmId
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) September 13, 2023
Aside from the performance, Shakira also gave a brief speech to accept the Video Vanguard Award. As Billboard notes, in her two-minute speech, she thanked people who have helped bring her music videos to life, her label Sony Music, and her sons Milan and Sasha “for making me happy and making me feel that mom can do anything.”
She wrapped up by thanking her fans, saying, “Thank you so much for being my army and helping me fight all my battles.” She then added in Spanish, “This is for you my people […] Thank you for inspiring me and for injecting me with so much strength and so much desire to keep going.”
HUUUGE CONGRATS to a global legend, cultural icon, and our 2023 #VMA Vanguard recipient, @Shakira!! pic.twitter.com/JaWfPu94aM
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) September 13, 2023
Check out Shakira’s performance and acceptance speech above.