MTV Video Music Awards: Host Miley Cyrus Reveals What to Expect
The singer and the show's producers open up about tonight's show.
August 30, 2015, 12:01 AM ET
• 4 min read
— -- Two years after the twerk heard 'round the world, and a year after she won the top prize, Miley Cyrus returns to the MTV Video Music Awards tonight as the host.
Complaining that last year's show had "no energy," she told The New York Times this year's installment will be "psychedelic and raw."
"What I’m trying to do is create my Instagram -- which people love to think is so freaky -- in real life," she said. "It’s letting people into my world."
Cyrus explained that the decision to have her host came from Van Toffler, one of the show's executive producers, who is leaving the company.
"He's leaving, so he can’t get fired. He was like, 'I want to do something crazy -- I want you to host the VMAs, because I want that to be my last shebang.'" she said. "It’s like 'Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.'"
Added Toffler in an interview with ABC News: "She has a nice, fun history with the show, but she’s grown up since then."
The singer insisted that for her hosting gig, she wouldn't let the producers make jokes about her 2013 performance with Robin Thicke, which shocked the world at the time. Cyrus, now 22, said she still doesn't understand the hype around her dance moves.
"When you look at it now, it looks like I’m playing hopscotch," she said. "Compared to what I do now, it looks like nothing. I can’t believe that was a big deal. It wasn’t shocking at all."
So what is she planning to do? No jokes, and no actual monologue, she tells the paper, just "fun skits." And of course, there will be plenty of performances, including those by Cyrus, Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award recipient Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber and Nick Jonas.
"There’s always mayhem... we particularly like to put the combustible elements in one room together and then stand back, ‘cause that’s what makes a show really special," said Toffler. "People feel the stage is special when they go up there to perform... they’re mindful of the heritage of the prior performances in the show and... they feel like, 'I wanna create a moment.'"
"It's gonna be a wild and crazy night," agreed executive producer Garrett English. "There are gonna be moments that will be resonating for days to come, I'm sure."
The 2015 MTV VMAs will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, August 30, at 9 p.m. ET. The pre-show starts at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Here's a full list of nominees:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Beyoncé -- “7/11”Ed Sheeran -- “Thinking Out Loud”Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar -- “Bad Blood”Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars -- “Uptown Funk”Kendrick Lamar -- “Alright”BEST MALE VIDEO
Ed Sheeran -- “Thinking Out Loud”Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars -- “Uptown Funk”Kendrick Lamar -- “Alright”The Weeknd -- “Earned It”Nick Jonas -- “Chains”BEST FEMALE VIDEO
Beyoncé -- “7/11”Taylor Swift -- “Blank Space”Nicki Minaj -- “Anaconda”Sia -- “Elastic Heart”Ellie Goulding -- “Love Me Like You Do”BEST HIP HOP VIDEO
Fetty Wap -- “Trap Queen”Nicki Minaj -- “Anaconda”Kendrick Lamar -- “Alright”Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth -- “See You Again”Big Sean ft. E-40 -- “IDFWU”BEST POP VIDEO
Beyoncé -- “7/11”Ed Sheeran -- “Thinking Out Loud”Taylor Swift -- “Blank Space”Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars -- “Uptown Funk”Maroon 5 -- “Sugar”BEST ROCK VIDEO
Hozier -- “Take Me to Church”Fall Out Boy -- “Uma Thurman”Florence + the Machine -- “Ship to Wreck”Walk the Moon -- “Shut Up and Dance”Arctic Monkeys -- “Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?”ARTIST TO WATCH
Fetty Wap -- “Trap Queen”Vance Joy -- “Riptide”George Ezra -- “Budapest”James Bay -- “Hold Back The River”FKA Twigs -- “Pendulum”BEST COLLABORATION
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar -- “Bad Blood”Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars -- “Uptown Funk”Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth -- “See You Again”Ariana Grande & The Weeknd -- “Love Me Harder”Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj -- “Bang Bang"VIDEO WITH A SOCIAL MESSAGE
Jennifer Hudson -- “I Still Love You”Colbie Caillat -- “Try”Big Sean ft. Kanye West and John Legend -- “One Man Can Change the World”Rihanna -- “American Oxygen”Wale -- “The White Shoes”BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Beyoncé -- “7/11” (Beyoncé, Chris Grant, Additional choreography: Gabriel Valenciano)OK Go -- “I Won’t Let You Down” (OK Go, air:man and Mori Harano)Chet Faker -- “Gold” (Ryan Heffington)Ed Sheeran -- “Don’t” (Nappy Tabs)Flying Lotus ft. Kendrick Lamar -- “Never Catch Me” (Keone and Mari Madrid)BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Flying Lotus ft. Kendrick Lamar -- “Never Catch Me” (Larkin Sieple)Ed Sheeran -- “Thinking Out Loud” (Daniel Pearl)Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar -- “Bad Blood” (Christopher Probst)FKA Twigs -- “Two Weeks” (Justin Brown)Alt-J -- “Left Hand Free” (Mike Simpson)BEST DIRECTION
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar -- “Bad Blood” (Joseph Kahn)Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars -- “Uptown Funk” (Bruno Mars & Cameron Duddy)Kendrick Lamar -- “Alright” (Colin Tilley & The Little Homies)Hozier -- “Take Me to Church” (Brendan Canty and Conal Thomson of Feel Good Lost)Childish Gambino -- “Sober” (Hiro Murai)BEST EDITING
Beyoncé -- “7/11” (Beyoncé, Ed Burke, Jonathan Wing)Ed Sheeran -- “Don’t” (Jacquelyn London)Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar -- “Bad Blood” (Chancler Haynes at Cosmo Street)A$AP Rocky -- “L$D” (Dexter Navy)Skrillex & Diplo -- “Where Are U Now" with Justin Bieber (Brewer)BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar -- “Bad Blood” (Ingenuity Studios)FKA Twigs -- “Two Weeks” (Gloria FX, Tomash Kuzmytskyi, and Max Chyzhevskyy)Childish Gambino -- “Telegraph Ave.” (Gloria FX)Skrillex & Diplo -- “Where Are U Now" with Justin Bieber (Brewer)Tyler, the Creator -- “F****** Young/Death Camp” (Gloria FX)