On September 14, 1984, the music industry saw the dawn of a new era with the very first MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The event, broadcast live on MTV, was a celebration of the growing influence of music videos on both the music industry and popular culture. The VMAs introduced a new way for fans to connect with their favorite artists and completely reshaped the way music was consumed.
The first VMAs featured performances by some of the biggest names in music, including Madonna, who performed her now-iconic “Like a Virgin” in a wedding dress, and Michael Jackson, who took home a slew of awards for his groundbreaking Thriller music videos. Other notable performers included Prince and Cyndi Lauper, both of whom captured the bold, colorful aesthetic of the ’80s.
The VMAs quickly became an essential part of the pop culture landscape, offering more than just music performances; it became a platform for artists to push the boundaries of self-expression. For Madonna, her performance at the first VMAs catapulted her into superstardom, and she would go on to define the decade’s pop music scene with her daring fashion and ever-evolving image. Michael Jackson, already a superstar, solidified his status as the King of Pop, while other performers like Prince and Lauper capitalized on the exposure to build massive careers.
Behind the scenes, the creation of the VMAs marked a shift in the relationship between music and television. The introduction of visually-driven awards ceremonies, as well as the growing influence of music videos in the MTV era, would have lasting effects on the way artists and their music were marketed, setting the stage for the highly visual, performance-focused music world we know today.