Katy Perry to receive 2024 MTV VMAs Video Vanguard Award for music video excellence

The MTV VMAs have heard Katy Perry roar, and they're responding with a pop culture honor of the highest order.

Following a 16-year career of releasing iconic music videos and No. 1 singles, Perry will receive the 2024 MTV VMAs Video Vanguard Award at the upcoming ceremony, the network announced Thursday.

Perry will also take the VMAs stage for a career-spanning performance of her biggest hits at the UBS Arena in New York.

Memorable videos from Perry's discography include the visual that accompanied her debut mainstream hit "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, followed by a string of generation-defining videos from "California Gurls" and "Teenage Dream" to "Firework," "Last Friday Night," "Roar," and "Dark Horse."

In recent years, Perry has also launched big-budget, celebrity-studded video spectacles for singles like the Nicki Minaj-assisted "Swish Swish" and "Chained to the Rhythm."

The 39-year-old's videography has amassed five MTV VMA victories in the past, and she even hosted the 2017 ceremony. She's also performed at the annual event multiple times.

Perry's roster of videos grew by two in 2024, with the release of her comeback single "Woman's World" and its follow-up 143 album cut "Lifetimes" last week. Both tracks precede the singer's sixth mainstream studio album, which is set to drop on Sept. 20.

Their respective music videos, however, have been mired in controversy. Perry's "Woman's World" video received heavy pushback after its release, with even some members of her fanbase calling out its over-the-top premise — which sees Perry pose as Rosie the Riveter before stripping down to a bikini — for being much more focused on catering to men than reflecting the song's female empowerment lyrics.

Earlier this week, her "Lifetimes" music video also came under fire after the Environment Department of the Balearic Islands claimed that her production company did not secure the proper authorization prior to filming and may have damaged a portion of protected sand dunes on the island of S'Espalmador. The Government of the Balearic Islands announced on Aug. 13 that it had launched preliminary investigation into the shoot, but noted that the case was not being considered for any "crime against the environment" charge.

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To date, Perry's work has accumulated over 115 billion streams and worldwide sales of over 70 million albums, per a press release. Her music videos have additionally posted approximately 27 billion video views.

Beginning with the release of "California Gurls" in 2010, Perry fronted a remarkable streak on the United States charts, with that song and four subsequent Teenage Dream album cuts all reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Other recent Video Vanguard Award recipients include Shakira, Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliott, and Jennifer Lopez. David Bowie, The Beatles, and director Richard Lester shared the honor at the first VMAs in 1984. The award was renamed after previous honoree Michael Jackson in 1991.

The 2024 MTV VMAs air Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. on MTV.