Ranked: The best pop girly performances at the VMAs you absolutely *need* to watch

The MTV VMAs 2024, against all odds and with the awards show kinda losing its relevancy, finally proved why it is so iconic with a load of main pop girls of right now utterly nailing it. Everyone who you’d want there was there, and these eight performances all showed you why the night is always full of the most talked about numbers with out of this world polish and staging. Here’s a rundown of the best pop girl performances from the VMAs 2024, ranked from worst to best.

8. LISA – New Woman / Rockstar

LISA from BLACKPINK has well and truly proved herself as a force going solo from the group, and both these bangers prove why. Really wish she got ROSALÍA in to do New Woman with her, though – would have absolutely shredded.

7. Halsey – Ego

Halsey full performance of ego at the VMA’s pic.twitter.com/HFryED9daj

— Halsey_fanpageiichliwp (@halsey_fanpage) September 12, 2024

Halsey is always at her best when she’s in her rock era. Her last album was amazing, and I’m glad she said recently that her favourite song of hers is Nightmare – because it is. Ego is the best from her current album cycle and she seems right at home in this grungy performance where she looks sick, plays guitar and sounds great vocally.

6. Megan Thee Stallion – Medley

I always forget how great a performer Meg is til I watch her kill it again – just relentlessly fun, insane flow and so much energy. Smashed it.

5. Camila Cabello – June Gloom and GODSPEED

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Extremely iconic to me that Camila Cabello, Sabrina Carpenter and Shawn Mendes not only all attended this VMAs, but all performed too. Better still that both of these songs are ALLEGEDLY about Mendes, and not only is the drama juicy but the tracks slap too. Camila’s performance of GODSPEED looked literally like therapy for her, liberating her as she says goodbye to an ex.

This era of Camila has been so underrated and marred by unfair Charli theft allegations – I hope this moving and excitingly staged performance wins people back round.

4. Karol G – Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido

Karol G just absolutely blows it out of the water. She did last year, she did this year. The song is a fucking BANGER.

3. Chappell Roan

What an insanely great year Chappell Roan has had. And if it wasn’t down to this special song, all the other great tracks she has that have risen up the charts may never have been heard by the masses. Watching Chappell perform this huge song in front of a burning medieval spectacle whilst dressed as Joan of Arc is utterly thrilling.

2. Katy Perry – Medley

It’s no secret to anyone that so far Katy Perry’s comeback album era has been disastrous. Two critically panned singles that have not only been a flop with critics and a flop in the charts – but universally loathed in online stan circles too. It’s just been rough. Thank god then, that with Katy Perry accepting the Vanguard award at the VMAs she got to perform a medley of hits to prove why she IS an icon – and not much that she releases these days will ever change how important her music was to the early 2010s.

She also previewed her third single from the era, featuring the ever amazing Doechii and it far and away sounds like the best from the record yet. The visuals of the medley were amazing, Katy sounded excellent and it’s the kind of great showing she really needed right now. It’s nice getting her ranked amongst the VMAs performances as one of the best.

1. Sabrina Carpenter – Please Please Please, Taste, Espresso

Imagine having the year where you have three songs of the summer and get to perform a medley of them? Truly iconic – and the best of all the ranked VMAs performances has got to go to Sabrina. I love that all three of these bangers hit number one and did so doing something completely different. Her live vocals sound insane. It’s gorgeous and pretty whilst also never taking itself too seriously – aka, she necks off with an alien. Something for everyone. What a perfect pop star.

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