Ariana Grande won the most prestigious award at the MTV Video Music Awards, taking home the Video of the Year award for "Brighter Days Ahead," which also won Best Pop Song at the ceremony near New York City.

Visibly moved as she accepted the night's most prestigious award, the 32-year-old singer, songwriter, and actress expressed her deep gratitude to her fans, whom she described as "extremely loving and supportive."

"Thank you for growing with me and supporting me as a person," said Grande, who thanked her "therapist and gay people" while accepting her first award earlier in the evening.

Lady Gaga was the other big winner, beating out industry giants such as Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd for the top artist honor.

The 39-year-old singer interrupted her concert series to accept the Artist of the Year award on stage, and also won the Best Collaboration award with Bruno Mars for "Die with a Smile," AFP reported.

Rose, who is pursuing a solo career after rising to fame with K-pop group Blackpink, won Song of the Year for "APT," also co-written with Bruno Mars.

Sabrina Carpenter won Album of the Year for "Short n' Sweet."

The evening was marked by a nostalgic aesthetic with performances by veterans such as Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, and Ricky Martin, while newer artists such as Doja Cat and Tate McRae incorporated choreography heavily borrowed from the 80s and 90s.

Notably, rapper Kendrick Lamar, who dominated the last Grammy Awards with five wins, left empty-handed despite numerous nominations.

Unlike last year's ceremony, which took place during the election season and at which winner Taylor Swift urged fans to vote for Kamala Harris, this year's event seemed to carefully avoid political messages. | BGNES