The BLACKPINK singer took home her first Moonman for "Dream" featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi, opening a night where she's up for three more awards.
Lisa didn't have to wait long. She was the first winner announced at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, picking up Best Pop for "Dream," her collaboration with Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi.
She went up when Teyana Taylor called her name, and by the time she got to the mic, the emotion had clearly caught up with her. "Sawatdee kha, everyone," she opened, using the Thai greeting before thanking her collaborators on the track. "All those late night dreams brought me here today, so thank you for the inspiration," she said, before turning to her fanbase. "Thank you to my Lilies, I wouldn't be here without you guys."
It's her first VMA win in four years of trying. Lisa's first nomination came in 2022, for "Lalisa" in the Best K-Pop category, and this marks her third straight year in the running at the show. This time she's up for three more Moonmen before the night is out, all for "Dream": Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best K-Pop, where she's competing against BLACKPINK's own group entry for "Jump."
Red carpet, and a busy fortnight ahead
Before any of that, she'd made her entrance in an all-red look built around a fur coat from Quine Li, layered over a piece from The Attico. It's the kind of arrival photo that tends to circulate for days, and by the time she picked up the award, the carpet moment had already done its job.
She was also billed to perform on the night, likely her new single "SaWaDiKa," which dropped earlier this month. And there's more coming. A documentary called Always Lalisa is set to hit theaters in a couple of weeks, adding to what's already a packed run for the 29-year-old, between the VMA nominations, the new single and now a feature-length film built around her.
The VMAs themselves ran into a delayed start on air before Snoop Dogg, hosting for the night, got things moving from the Peacock Theater. Best Pop was a stacked category this year, with Lisa's win coming ahead of entries from Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae and Taylor Swift, whose "The Fate of Ophelia" was nominated in the same field.
For Lisa, the win closes out a four-year wait but opens a longer night. Three more categories to get through, a performance still to come, and a documentary release now just weeks away. Whether "Dream" sweeps further or the other nominations go elsewhere is still to be decided as the ceremony plays out.
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