LOS ANGELES. – Shakira crowd-surfed her way to a lifetime achievement prize at the MTV Video Music Awards, as she performed a career-spanning medley of hits.
The Colombian star put on a spectacular show that saw her dance with knives, writhe in a fake cave and play a fiery guitar solo during Objection (Tango).
Presenting her award, Wyclef Jean said: “Latin music would not be the global force that it is without Shakira.”
Taylor Swift was the night’s other big winner, earning nine Moon Man trophies.
The star won in all but two of the categories where she was nominated, including the night’s biggest award – video of the year – in recognition of the self-directed promo for Anti-Hero.
She is the first artist to win video of the year twice in a row, and extended her record for the most wins in that category to four – after previously winning for Bad Blood, You Need to Calm Down and All Too Well: The Short Film.
The star, who is in the middle of the first $1bn stadium tour in history, also took home prizes for song of the year, best pop, best direction, best cinematography and best visual effects, all for Anti-Hero,
She was also awarded album of the year for Midnights, plus artist of the year and show of the summer.
The 33-year-old dedicated her wins to the art of songwriting.
“I love making pop music, I love making pop music videos, I also love making country,” she told a star-studded crowd at New Jersey’s Prudential Center.
“I love slinking around different genres, and the only reason I’m allowed to do that is because you, the fans, gave me the opportunity to do this.”
She also had words for boy band ‘NSync, who reunited to present one of her prizes.
“You guys are pop personified so to receive this from your golden pop hands is really, it’s too much,” she told the group.
Other winners on the night included rapper Ice Spice, who took home best new artist, and K-pop group Blackpink, who became the first girl band to pick up best group since TLC 24 years ago.
It’s the fifth time in a row that a South Korean band has won the prize, with Blackpink taking the place of boy band BTS, who are currently on hiatus.
However, BTS’s youngest member Jungkook picked up song of the summer for his solo hit Seven, featuring US rapper Latto.
This was one of the only categories where Swift was defeated, the other being best video editing, which went to Olivia Rodrigo’s Vampire.
The night’s only dedicated K-Pop award went to eight-piece boy band Stray Kids for their single S-Class, which they also performed.
Shakira won the Vanguard Award 33 years after she released her first album, Magia, at the age of 13.
Since then, she has scored several multi-platinum hits including Whenever, Wherever, Hips Don’t Lie, Beautiful Liar, Waka Waka and this year’s viral hit Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol 53. – BBC