The British singer opened the show with a two-song set before circling back later for a George Michael tribute, all while chasing a Song of the Year win that would be a first for a British female solo act.
Raye had two jobs at the Peacock Theater on Sunday night, and she did both without breaking a sweat.
The 28-year-old opened her VMAs set with "I Will Overcome" before sliding straight into "Where Is My Husband!", the song that's put her in the Song of the Year race. Just Jared called the vocals incredible, and going by the reaction online, nobody's arguing.
She wasn't done. Later in the broadcast, Raye joined Sombr and Teddy Swims for a tribute to George Michael, a slot that puts her on stage twice in one night at an awards show that's usually stingy with repeat appearances.
That's a busy Sunday even by VMA standards, and it comes on the back of a nomination haul that's quietly one of the more interesting stories of the night. "Where Is My Husband!" is up for Song of the Year, and "Click Clack Symphony" is nominated for Best Visual Effects. If she takes the top one, Raye becomes the first British female solo artist to win Song of the Year at the VMAs, full stop.
That's not a small footnote. The VMAs have handed out that category since the late 1980s, and British women haven't cracked it solo. Adele's come close before, Dua Lipa's had nominations, but the trophy has stayed elsewhere. A Raye win would close that out on a night when Madonna is already leading the field with 11 nominations and Taylor Swift is nine deep and picking up a new Artist Director Honors trophy on top of it.
Raye showed up early too, in a Georges Hobeika Fall 2027 Couture gown paired with Angara jewelry, before the performances even started. It's the kind of carpet-to-stage-to-stage night that doesn't happen for most nominees, who usually get one shot and sit for the rest of the show.
The VMAs aired live on CBS and MTV from 7:30 p.m. ET, with Snoop Dogg hosting for the first time despite a VMA history that goes back to 1994. Madonna opened proceedings, returning to the stage after more than two decades away from the show.
Where all this lands for Raye depends on how the Song of the Year vote goes, and CBS hadn't wrapped the winners list as of the broadcast. But between two performances and two nominations, she's already had the kind of night most artists get once a decade, if that. The category result, whenever it's confirmed, will tell us whether it was a great night or a historic one.
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