Elsewhere during the show, Rosé and Bruno Mars scooped Song of the Year for “APT,” while Lady Gaga won Artist of the Year.
Despite the evening being full of delightful surprises, Mariah’s performance was a long time coming in more ways than one. MTV announced she’d receive the honor—one previously awarded to Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson—last month, teasing her “show-stopping, career-spanning medley performance.”
Especially showstopping indeed, considering the “Fantasy” singer last performed at the event, hosted by LL Cool J this year, back in 2005 to promote her then-new The Emancipation of Mimi album.
The honor is also extra special for Mariah—mom to 14-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex Nick Cannon—because she is now the oldest ever recipient of the Vanguard honor, having it bestowed on her at age 56, over 35 years into her pop career.
But despite the rare accolade, Mariah is probably paying no mind to that milestone. After all, she famously doesn’t believe in the concepts of birthdays, or time.
As she wrote in a 2019 post shared to X“Time is not something I acknowledge.”
