Katy Perry gave a defiant speech while accepting the MTV Video Vanguard Award at the 2024 MTV Video Awards, telling critics to “touch the grass” and that “there are no incidents that last a decade.”
“I’m so excited when I look around at music today and see all the amazing young artists working with confidence, agency, vulnerability and authenticity,” she said after her epic performance. “I’ve heard so many do this, don’t say that, wear less, wear more now, hey. Don’t cut your hair. One of the biggest reasons I’m standing here right now is because I’ve learned how to block out all the noise, which every artist in this industry has to constantly battle, especially women. I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, do whatever it takes to stay true to yourself and true to your art. Turn off social media, protect your mental health. Stop. Touch the grass. And do what you were born to do, just like you were born to do this.”
The emotional speech followed a medley of her biggest hits along with tracks from her upcoming album “143,” which is due out Sept. 20. The performance, hosted by her husband Orlando Bloom, was a victory lap of sorts, with Perry floating above her backup dancers and bringing out Dwecky as a special guest.
Perry began her speech by asking the audience if they believed she performed “on the first day of my period.” She then referred to her legacy since her 2008 debut with “One of the Boys,” saying, “There's a lot of things that have to come together in order for you to have a long, successful career as an artist.”
After thanking her team, family, Katy Cats and the LGBTQ+ community, she gave a shoutout to Bloom for “doing the dishes” — a reference to a viral line in a recent interview in which she said she would reward a man with sexual favors for doing daily chores — as well as her daughter Daisy.
Among the songs she performed were “E.T.”, “California Gurls” and “I Kissed a Girl,” as well as new songs like “Lifetimes” and “I'm His, He's Mine.” The latter, featuring Dwecky, is set to be released Friday.
