Rihanna is such a sweetheart. Not only will she be at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday to collect her Video Vanguard Award, but it’s also been revealed that she’ll be kicking off the show as well. She could have easily said “no, just the award, please” y’know.
MTV crafted an appropriately trippy video trumpeting RiRi’s show opening status and it’s an interesting spot to put the now-customary performance/reunion/presidential speech on the broadcast. Not that we’d moan about it popping up anywhere during the shindig, because Rihanna is an excellent recording artist (with two Video of the Year VMAs to her name) and she’d be amazing at any slot on the show. Drake would agree.
Speaking of which, Rihanna will apparently be doing a career-spanning medley in her performance. A sensible strategy considering the wealth of singles she can draw on and guest stars that could pop by. VMAs executive producer Jesse Ignjatovic is pretty confident Rihanna’s showcase performance will live up to the hype. He told Entertainment Weekly to prepare for a “holy crap” moment.
“I’m really excited because she’s taken this opportunity to inject her own creativity into it,” Ignjatovic says. “If we’re talking on Monday the 29th or after the show Sunday, everyone will be surprised with what she’s done to make this honor her own and something that’s extremely impactful.” Rihanna’s medley will touch on “the biggest tracks of her career” as well as music from her latest album, Anti. “I can tell you it’s going to be one of those holy crap VMA moments,” he says. “She’s not playing. She’s bringing it.”
For breaking VMAs coverage, come hang out in the UPROXX treehouse this Sunday night.
(Via The Fader & Entertainment Weekly)
