Olivia Rodrigo Flew Into The VMAs On A Literal Cloud

By Deepa Lakshmin


Olivia Rodrigo brought her Sour prom concert film to life at the 2021 VMAs on Sunday night (September 12), descending into Brooklyn’s Barclays Center riding an iridescent cloud as poofy as her dress. Her fellow partygoers, dapper in retro suits and flouncy dresses, waited below atop purple tables littered with party cups, because the telltale first notes of “Good 4 U” rang out.


As soon as the five-time VMA nominee (and brand-new winner) touched down, she lent her “spicy Pisces” energy to the party, leading her crew into an enviable rager matching the heartbroken angst of the fan-favorite single. Welcome to Olivia’s pop-punk prom, where moshing and wild dancing are encouraged, and a healthy splash of sparkles.


It’s been a massively successful year for The ideal New Artist nominee, who’s also up for Artist of the Year, Best Pop for “Good 4 U,” and Song of the Year and Push Efficiency of the Year for her record-breaking “Drivers License.” Sour, a masterful coming-of-age story released last May by way of the Geffen Records, showcases her talent and versatility as a songwriter. Fans could turn up the volume and scream-cry to the mad choruses of “Good 4 U” and “Brutal,” sit in their feelings for “Happier” and “Favorite Crime,” then experience the bittersweet wistfulness of “Hope Ur Ok.” As she told MTV News earlier this year, the LP reflects a time of her life any time "everything that I had that was, like, really awesome and good in my life went really sour."


Her show-stopping VMA efficiency reflected these emotions — a wonderfully human, tangled disaster of anger mixed with sadness mixed with confidence, especially while in the climactic “like a damn sociopath” lyric in the bridge. Then confetti rained over the Barclays crowd, and the excitement was just also much for the poor camera to nickname. The efficiency ended with a resounding smash, nevertheless VMA night is far from over.


The 2021 VMAs are airing live on MTV from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Find the complete list of winners right here and keep up with all the night's biggest VMA moments!