Ariana Grande brought her fashion A-game to the MTV VMAs stage on Sunday night! The Grammy-winning singer, 27, looked fierce in a plunging purple crop top and matching mini skirt for her performance of “Rain On Me” with Lady Gaga. Ariana danced in white platform heels with front buckles, while her poker straight pigtails swung around behind her. The dynamic duo “masked up” (as Gaga said) on stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ahead of her “Rain On Me” performance, Ariana took to Instagram to preview her long pigtails. In a series of photos, she posed in a matching leather Mugler top and skirt with white Giuseppe Zanotti “Bebe” platform heels. She captioned one of her two posts with a sweet message to Lady Gaga.
“Happy VMA day [SIC] so excited for u see our first ‘Rain On Me’ performance tonight! @ladygaga is f–king incredible and I’m so honored to share this moment with her and u all,” Ariana wrote. She went on to thank MTV for “being so diligent in making this such a safe & healthy experience for all of the performers and crew involved.”
Ariana and Gaga performed on one of Gaga’s futuristic Chromatica sets, which included a slew of moving parts and backup dancers. Other artists who took the stage before the pair included: Maluma and Roddy Ricch, BTS, The Weeknd and Miley Cyrus. All of tonight’s performances were filmed from various locations around New York City with limited or no fans due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 MTV VMAs, hosted by Keke Palmer, were initially scheduled to take place live from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
“Rain On Me” is one of many hits on Gaga’s sixth studio album, Chromatica, which released on May 29. The electric performance marks Gaga’s first time back on the MTV VMAs stage since 2013. Ariana last performed at the 2018 show with an angelic rendition of her hit, “God is a woman.”
Both Ariana and Gaga are nominated for a whopping nine VMAs each — the most of any other artist. The duo’s hit collaboration, “Rain On Me” won “Song of the Year,” “Best Collab,” and “Best Cinematography.” The song was also nominated in “Video of the Year,” “Best Pop,” “Best Visual Effects” and “Best Choreography” categories. Additionally, Ariana and Justin Bieber took home the Moon Person for “Best Video From Home” for their joint hit, “Stuck With U.”
Meanwhile, Gaga herself won the coveted “Artist of the Year” award, as well as the first ever Tricon Award. The prestigious honor recognizes artists who are accomplished across three or more disciplines. Gaga was also nominated for “Best Quarantine Performance” for her rendition of “Smile,” which she performed at the One World: Together at Home concert in April.