Entertainment

The MTV VMAs Performers List Is In

by Kadeen Griffiths

If you basically live your life from award show to award show like I do, then you've probably been wondering why MTV hadn't announced the list of 2015 VMAs performers just yet. The Video Music Awards will take place on Sunday, Aug. 30, and you would think that we would be very familiar with who we'll be seeing grace the stage for something other than an award by now. Our prayers were finally answered on Tuesday, when it was revealed that Pharrell will perform at the 2015 MTV VMAs, amongst other big names like Demi Lovato, Macklemore, and A$AP Rocky. In fact, the VMAs performers are an interesting blend of big names and up-and-comers that will make for a more entertaining show all around, and I can now understand why MTV wanted to tease this information for as long as possible. Some things are really worth waiting for.

The full list of performers is Pharrell, Demi Lovato, The Weeknd, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Tori Kelly, A$AP Rocky, and Twenty One Pilots. As we already know, Miley Cyrus will be hosting, and Kanye West will be receiving the prestigious Vanguard Award that, in 2014, went to Beyoncé. So, basically, this is going to be the greatest Video Music Awards ever, but don't take my word for it. What is each performer bringing to the VMAs table? Check out the handy guide below that will remind you that a show put on by any of these performers is a show you need to check out immediately.

Pharrell

Every time you thought you were sick of hearing "Happy" every single second of every single day, Pharrell would bust out a brand new performance of the song that made you jump onto your feet and start dancing like it was the first time you'd ever heard it. Do you want drama? Do you want action? Do you want a song that will get stuck in your head for an actual year? Then you need to check out whatever Pharrell is bringing to the VMAs this year.

Demi Lovato

Exactly how many of your faves decided to perform their new single at L.A. Pride and then turn that into a music video? Demi Lovato brings two things to the table: color and energy. She's incredibly passionate about a lot of issues, very passionate in her relationship with Wilmer Valderrama, and very passionate about her music. She throws her entire self into singing every song that she sings, and that just makes the concert even better.

The Weeknd

The Weeknd just lights up a stage, which is just to be expected from someone who has collaborated with both Ariana Grande and Drake. When he's crooning at you, the rest of the world falls away as if you're listening to a John Legend song or something. And that voice! OK, so I pretty much can't praise the Weeknd enough; even if he just got on stage and hummed for about 30 minutes, it would still qualify as a great performance to me.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

You have to admire a pair of performers who have won four Grammys even with a song like "Thrift Shop" on their singles list. (Don't look at me like that. It's a song about buying old clothes or stealing your grandparents' clothes, and everyone still sang it for weeks.) The chemistry between Macklemore and Lewis is usually the best part of their performances for me. The two men work so well together, and so well off each other, that you can't drag your eyes away.

Tori Kelly

Tori Kelly is an amazing songwriter with an even more amazing voice, and that shows in every single one of her performances. She only released her debut album two months ago and she's already performing at the MTV VMAs. Can we take a moment to appreciate how great that career trajectory is? She's a fairly new artist that has been getting a lot of buzz, and she more than lives up to the hype.

A$AP Rocky

Like most rappers, A$AP Rocky is incredibly passionate about whatever rap he's shouting at you into the microphone. I'm not sure what kind of performance we'll see from him at the MTV VMAs, but I can already tell it's going to be unforgettable. It might even be the second best performance of the night — after Kanye's, of course.

Twenty One Pilots

Anyone who remembers Twenty One Pilots from the MTV Movie Awards should be as excited as I am, especially since they were described as "one of the best kept secrets in music." I might best know them as that band that opened for Fall Out Boy one time, but Twenty One Pilots is an insanely good band in their own right whose music is quite unlike anything else out there.

With this awesome list of performers, there's pretty much no reason not to tune in to the VMAs on Sunday.