Taylor Swift, Tyla and Sabrina Carpenter were among the big winners at the 2024 MTV EMAs, which also included a poignant tribute to Liam Payne, almost one month on from the singer’s death in Argentina.

“I just want to take a moment to remember someone that was very, very dear to us. We lost him recently, and he was a big part of the MTV world and my world, and I think a lot of yours at home and everybody in here tonight,” said the show’s host Rita Ora, who duetted with the former One Direction vocalist on 2018’s “For You (Fifty Shades Freed).”

“He had the biggest heart and was always the first person to offer help in any way that he could,” said a tearful Ora. “He brought so much joy to every room he walked into, and he left such a mark on this world,” said the visibly moved host.

The EMAs show, which was staged at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, on Sunday (Nov. 10), also featured a brief video tribute to Payne.

Swift, who was not present in Manchester, won the most awards on the night, taking home prizes for best artist, best live, best U.S. act and best video for her Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone.

“I have to say thank you so much to Post Malone for being the most amazing co-star possible,” said Swift in a video acceptance speech.

Just behind Swift with three awards was Tyla, who took home trophies for best Afrobeats, best R&B and best African act. The South African singer, who was honored with a global impact award at Billboard’s R&B No. 1s event in New York earlier this year, also delivered one of the night’s standout performances, flanked by writhing dancers for a lively two-song medley of “Push 2 Start” and “Water.”

“I can’t believe it,” said Tyla accepting the best afrobeats prize from LL Cool J. “Literally, all the nominees, they are insane. They have taken Afrobeats so far and I’m so honored to be winning this award… Afrobeats has opened so many doors for African music, so thank you so much to Afrobeats.”

Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, who both did not attend the show, won best song for “Espresso” and the award best pop, respectively. Billie Eilish and Charli xcx, who were also absent, failed to win in any of the five categories they were each nominated.

Benson Boone opened the two-hour show, which was being held in the U.K. for the first time since 2017, with an impassioned energetic run through “Slow It Down” and “Beautiful Things” that began with the 22-year-old suspended in the air as he played a golden grand piano. Later in the evening, Boone collected his first EMA award in the form of the best new act title.

Making their U.K. live debut, K-pop band LE SSERAFIM delivered an energetic performance of “Chasing Lightning” and “CRAZY”, the title track from their latest EP, which topped Billboard’s Top Album Sales in September.

The five-piece pop group, who made their Coachella debut this year, were rewarded for their efforts with the best push award, one of three prizes they were nominated for in the lead up to Sunday’s show.

Other memorable performances included Shawn Mendes playing his new single “Heart of Gold,” Mexican trio The Warning with a raucous, pyrotechnic-accompanied rendition of “Automatic Sun” and Best U.K. and Ireland act winner Raye, joined by a 30-piece choir for a stirring medley of “Escapism, “Oscar Winning Tears” and “Body Dysmorphia.”

Meanwhile, best Latin recipient Peso Pluma was joined by Estevan Plazola for a rousing performance of their hit single collaboration “Hollywood.”

Busta Rhymes won the global icon award, EMAs top honor, previously received by Queen, Eminem, Janet Jackson, U2 and Whitney Houston, among others.

“Thirty-four years of professionally recording, this is the first time I’m getting an award from MTV. And it feels fucking incredible,” said Rhymes collecting the icon trophy from British rapper Little Simz.

The Brooklyn-born rapper went on to play glowing tribute to “one of my heroes” LL Cool J, who was at the ceremony on presenting duties, before performing a collection of his greatest hits, including “Scenario,” “Put Your Hands Where The Eyes Can See,” “Do The BusABus Pt.2,” “Break Ya Neck” and “Pass The Courvoisier”.

“LL Cool J was the template that I followed,” said Rhymes in a lengthy eight-minute-long acceptance speech that also saw him thank his mother and Public Enemy’s Chuck D for supporting him at the start of his career.

“I learned how to become the embodiment of Busta Rhymes because I love to bust rhymes for real and I love hip-hop for real,” he told the audience.

“Busta Rhymes is a true creative visionary who has made a massive impact on the musical landscape and pop culture,” Bruce Gillmer, the event’s executive producer and president of music and chief content officer for music at MTV parent company Paramount+, told Billboard in the run up to Sunday’s ceremony.

The show also contained a succession of playful references to the musical heritage of host city of Manchester with the Hacienda night club’s famous yellow and black striped branding and the distinctive opening riff of New Order’s “Blue Monday” recurring motifs throughout the evening.

Local band Blossoms, from the nearby town of Stockport, also made a cameo joking with host Ora as she served champagne in a bar style setting, while one of the show’s more surreal moments featured Ora chatting with Happy Mondays’ founder members Shaun Ryder and Bez, with the latter in characteristically uncontrollable, highly spirited form.

In addition to marking the 30th anniversary of MTV’s EMAs, which first took place in Berlin in 1994, Sunday’s show was the first EMAs since 2022 after last year’s event in Paris was cancelled due to global security reasons in connection with the Israel-Hamas war.

Pet Shop Boys were joined by members of the Manchester Camerata orchestra (wearing the band’s iconic cone hats) to close the show with a stirring cover of David Bowie’s “All The Young Dudes” followed by the band’s debut hit “West End Girls,” first released in 1984.

Full list of 2024 MTV EMA nominees and winners

Global Icon Award

Busta Rhymes

MTV EMA Pop Pioneers Award

Pet Shop Boys

Best Song

Ariana Grande – we can’t be friends (wait for your love)

Benson Boone – Beautiful Things

Beyoncé – TEXAS HOLD ‘EM

Billie Eilish – BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!

WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso

Best Video

Ariana Grande – we can’t be friends (wait for your love)

Charli xcx – 360

Eminem – Houdini

Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

LISA ft. Rosalía – NEW WOMAN

WINNER: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – Fortnight

Best Artist

Beyoncé

Billie Eilish

Post Malone

RAYE

Sabrina Carpenter

WINNER: Taylor Swift

Best Collaboration

Charli xcx & Billie Eilish – Guess featuring Billie Eilish

Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar – Like That

Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars – Die With A Smile

WINNER: LISA ft. Rosalía – NEW WOMAN

Peso Pluma, Anitta – BELLAKEO

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – Fortnight

Best New

Ayra Starr

WINNER: Benson Boone

Chappell Roan

LE SSERAFIM

Teddy Swims

The Last Dinner Party

Tyla

Best Pop

WINNER: Ariana Grande

Billie Eilish

Camila Cabello

Charli xcx

Dua Lipa

Sabrina Carpenter

Taylor Swift

Best Afrobeats

Asake

Ayra Starr

Burna Boy

Rema

Tems

WINNER: Tyla

Best Rock

Bon Jovi

Coldplay

Green Day

Kings of Leon

Lenny Kravitz

WINNER: Liam Gallagher

The Killers

Best Latin

Anitta

Bad Bunny

KAROL G

WINNER: Peso Pluma

Rauw Alejandro

Shakira

Best K-Pop

WINNER: Jimin

Jung Kook

LE SSERAFIM

LISA

NewJeans

Stray Kids

Best Alternative

Fontaines D.C.

Hozier

WINNER: Imagine Dragons

Lana Del Rey

Twenty One Pilots

YUNGBLUD

Best Electronic

WINNER: Calvin Harris

David Guetta

Disclosure

DJ Snake

Fred Again..

Swedish House Mafia

Best Hip-Hop

Central Cee

WINNER: Eminem

Kendrick Lamar

Megan Thee Stallion

Nicki Minaj

Travis Scott

Best R&B

Kehlani

SZA

Tinashe

WINNER: Tyla

USHER

Victoria Monét

Best Live

Adele

Coldplay

Doja Cat

RAYE

WINNER: Taylor Swift

Travis Scott

Best Push

Ayra Starr

Chappell Roan

Coco Jones

Flyana Boss

Jessie Murph

Laufey

WINNER: LE SSERAFIM

Mark Ambor

Shaboozey

Teddy Swims

The Warning

Victoria Monét

Biggest Fans

Anitta

Ariana Grande

Beyoncé

Billie Eilish

Chappell Roan

Charli xcx

Katy Perry

WINNER: LISA

Nicki Minaj

Sabrina Carpenter

Shawn Mendes

Taylor Swift

Full list of 2024 MTV EMA Worldwide Winners

Best African Act – Tyla

Best Asia Act – BINI

Best Australian Act – Sia

Best Austrian Act – RAF Camora

Best Brasilian Act – Pabllo Vittar

Best Canadian Act – Shawn Mendes

Best Caribbean Act – Young Miko

Best Dutch Act – Roxy Dekker

Best French Act – Pierre Garnier

Best German Act – Ayliva

Best India Act – Mali

Best Israeli Act – Noa Kirel

Best Italian Act – Annalisa

Best Lat Am Central Act – Manuel Turizo

Best Lat Am North Act – Yerimua

Best Lat Am South Act – Dillom

Best Nordic Act – Zara Larsson

Best Polish Act – Daria Zawiałow

Best Portuguese Act – Bárbara Bandeira

Best Spanish Act – Lola Indigo

Best Swiss Act – Nemo

Best UK & Ireland Act – Raye

Best US Act – Taylor Swift

A month and a half after his fifth solo album, Luck and Strange, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart, David Gilmour is in New York City for a five-night run at Madison Square Garden.

Prior to Saturday (Nov. 9) evening’s show beginning in earnest, bassist Guy Pratt (who also plays in Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets band) came out to politely but firmly urge the audience to stay “present” throughout the show and avoid the urge to watch the entire thing through the screen of a cell phone – and more importantly, keep your phone’s flashlight off (“David hates that”). Whether the MSG crowd was made up of exceptionally good listeners or just folks who are less inclined to capture every moment of their lives for the ‘Gram is up for debate, but the Gen X and Boomer heavy audience by and large obliged – a small miracle in 2024.

Gilmour’s Luck and Strange Tour is different from most concert tours these days in another notable respect, too. While he’s far from the only classic rocker still on the road, the English legend – best known as part of Pink Floyd, one of the most adventurous, influential and commercially successful rock bands to start in the ‘60s and endure as a major force for decades to follow – is one of the few arena-headlining veterans known primarily as a guitarist. Yes, he sang lead (“Breathe,” “Wish You Were Here”) or shared vocals (“Time,” “Comfortably Numb”) on several of Pink Floyd’s most beloved songs, but Gilmour’s most distinctive form of expression is his guitar playing. And on the Luck and Strange Tour, the 78-year-old axeman demonstrates what many an aging bluesman before him has proven – the years might wear on the vocal cords, but the guitar chords speak out as clearly as ever.

The blues are a foundational element of Gilmour’s playing, as is folk (he’s cited Pete Seeger and Joni Mitchell as stylistic influences). When he’s playing, those earthy, organic genres help tether him to planet earth as his mournful, lonely guitar solos echo throughout the depths of space. It’s a sublime juxtaposition, and one that hit especially hard Saturday night during the expressive instrumental “Marooned,” one of four songs from Floyd’s 1994 album The Division Bell in his setlist. Similarly effective was Atom Heart Mother’s “Fat Old Sun,” which Gilmour imbued with a country flavor while playing acoustic before switching to the electric for an extended, psychedelic outro.

The songs from The Dark Side of the Moon in the first half of his set got the biggest roar of approval, and while it was immensely satisfying to hear faithful renderings of tunes like “Breathe (In the Air)” and “Time,” his stripped-down take on “The Great Gig in the Sky” during the night’s second half was arguably more memorable. With Gilmour on the steel guitar, touring band member Louise Marshall played a baby grand while harmonizing with the Webb Sisters and Romany Gilmour (David’s 22-year-old daughter) on the wordless vocal classic; for a few minutes, it felt less like a famed arena and more like an intimate living room jam session.

In addition to providing backup vocals, Romany Gilmour sang lead while plucking the harp on “Between Two Points,” a cover of a Montgolfier Brothers song that appears on the Luck and Strange album. Famous artists bringing out their kids for a guest spot can be a dicey proposition, but Romany possesses a somber, clear phrasing that (not unlike their father’s guitar solos) is deployed in an understated, direct fashion; it captivates you while hollowing out your insides. That performance was one of the show’s absolute standout moments – which is even more of an achievement given that the song hails from a new album and hasn’t benefitted from years of familiarity.

This tour’s visuals aren’t quite as theatrical or prop heavy as what former bandmate Roger Waters brings to the road (but Gilmour is less extreme than Waters is several different respects these days). Still, the Luck and Strange Tour boasts its fair share of production flourishes, from bouncing inflatable balls during “High Hopes” to harrowing video animations to blazing green lasers.

For the encore, Gilmour and his band performed “Comfortably Numb” from what looked like a prison cell of white lights. By that point, the crowd had collectively decided it was time to ignore Pratt’s exhortations and get those phones out – but really, who could get mad? Despite the show featuring eight songs from a brand-new solo album, damn near everyone at MSG on Saturday stayed present, riveted and mostly seated until the very end. Were folks comfortable? Yes. Numb? Hardly.

Following The Tortured Poets Department‘s monochrome “shades of greige,” will Taylor Swift’s next era be “in screaming color”?

The Eras Tour — where Swift is known to keep fans guessing what color outfits she’ll wear, and has been debuting particularly bright and colorful dresses over the past few weeks across North America — is on break this weekend, but Swift still stepped out in a multicolor new dress while in New York City.

Friday night (Nov. 8), Swift was photographed arriving at a dinner spot in Manhattan. She exited a car wearing a familiar Vivienne Westwood silhouette: a style called the Sunday dress, revived from Vivienne Westwood’s Spring-Summer 1997 collection (and worn by Swift previously, just in more subtle colorways). On this Friday night she wore a version of the dress with a simple, striped skirt that turns bold and colorful when it reaches a corset-inspired bodice. The dress bodice brings to mind an art canvas, with yellow and red paint mixing together to make orange, all laid atop the blue striped fabric of the skirt.

Meanwhile, on stage for the final leg of the Eras Tour, Swift has been embracing vibrancy in a series of new, multicolored dresses worn during her acoustic surprise songs set. She’s been cycling through these latest Roberto Cavalli looks since wearing them for the first time in Miami and New Orleans, in October. (At football game sightings she’s mostly gone for a more subdued look: a lot of black, mixed with Chiefs red.)

The Eras Tour, which highlights music from the early days of Swift’s career through 2024, officially wraps on Dec. 8. She has not yet announced what’s in store after it ends, but she’s been known to drop hints in what she wears.

Here’s a quick roundup of the very colorful dresses Swift has recently debuted:

Arriving to dinner with friends in a dress that’s a surrealist dreamscape on top and utilitarian stripes on the bottom, Swift wore a Vivienne Westwood design in an unexpected color combination. She accessorized her Nov. 8 street style in New York with a pair of Aquazzura velvet heeled sandals in burgundy, a small, black Vivienne Westwood purse and a vintage statement necklace featuring a large coin as its centerpiece.

One of Swift’s new dresses worn while singing her show’s surprise songs is this custom, multicolored gown from Roberto Cavalli, with hot red-orange fading into a muted yellow, and then to royal blue. She’s only worn this design very recently, while nearing the end of her Eras Tour. Here, she’s pictured in it on Oct. 25 in New Orleans.

Also courtesy of Roberto Cavalli is the same dress style as above, but in a pink-and-blue color scheme that mashes into purple in some spots. The photo below is from her acoustic set on Nov. 1 in Indianapolis.

On Nov. 5, Roberto Cavalli creative director Fausto Puglisi posted a photo on Instagram of a bright yellow, orange and pink gown worn by Swift (in the same style shown above), which has only been seen on stage this fall during her acoustic set. “My new sunset, new orchid, new tropical dream,” he captioned the image, which you can see here.

Deep into a slideshow of pictures from her recent weekend of concerts in New Orleans, on Oct. 29, Swift also included a picture of herself in a new dress on Instagram, wearing another Roberto Cavalli gown that she’s added to her Eras wardrobe options for surprise song time. This one was in blue and purple. See the dress here (shown in the 14th photo in the set).

Snoop Dogg and his wife, Shante Broadus, were honored with the Black Love Award at the 2024 Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala.

The legendary hip-hop artist and his spouse accepted the award during Femme it Forward’s third annual gala, held on Friday (Nov. 8) at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

In his acceptance speech, Snoop reflected on the significance of the award. “This is beautiful because throughout my career I’ve been nominated and won a lot of awards, but there’s nothing like an award that brings you back home to the stage to let people know that this is the reason why you are so successful,” the rapper shared, standing beside Shante, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

He continued, “I’ve been nominated for 20 Grammys and never won one, but this right here, this feels better than one. And to the couples out there tonight, it’s always going to be rocky, it’s always going to be hard, but if it’s true love, and it’s meant to be, it’s going to always be good news. That’s real love. Black love.”

The 2024 Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala, hosted by Saweetie, also honored other musical artists, including Jill Scott, Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, GloRilla, Doechii, Lady London and Nija.

Saweetie, who was also presented with an award, expressed gratitude in her speech. “I’d like to thank God because without prayer and faith, I would have lost my mind a long time ago,” the rapper said. “We all know this because we know how crazy this industry can get, but tonight this room is safe. Thank you all for allowing us to be vulnerable.”

Femme it Forward founder Heather Lowery, in her opening remarks, seemed to acknowledge the emotional impact of the 2024 U.S. presidential election results, particularly among supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris.

“To the women and girls who are overqualified and undervalued, can you all stand if you’ve felt this way at any point in your journey?” Lowery said, according to THR. “We want to hold space for you tonight and remind you we see you, we honor you, and you are more than enough. You are the reason why we are here tonight. I know we’ve all been overwhelmed with so many emotions over the last few days. I want you to treat your grief the same way you would treat your garden. Nurture it. Give it space, give it time, let it bloom.”

Other notable honors during Friday’s gala included the My Sister’s Keeper Award presented to siblings Chloe and Halle Bailey; the Visionary Award for Doechii; the Big Femme Energy honor for GloRilla; and the Muse Award for Jill Scott.

The federal judge overseeing Sean “Diddy” Combs’ racketeering and sex trafficking case has denied his request for a gag order against his victims and their lawyers, ruling the demand “unprecedented” and “unwarranted.”

Attorneys for the embattled rapper claimed last month that “inflammatory extrajudicial statements” from victims and their attorneys were hurting his chances of a fair trial, but Judge Arun Subramanian ruled Friday (Nov. 8) that such “an extreme remedy” would threaten free speech.

“The court has an affirmative constitutional duty to ensure that Combs receives a fair trial,” the judge wrote. “But this essential … requirement must be balanced with the protections the First Amendment affords to those claiming to be Combs’s victims.”

“The unprecedented relief that Combs seeks on this motion is unwarranted,” the judge added.

Combs, also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, was once one of the most powerful men in the music industry. But in September, he was indicted by federal prosecutors on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking over what they say was a sprawling criminal operation aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” If convicted on all the charges, he faces a potential sentence of life in prison.

Last month, following the latest wave of civil abuse lawsuits against Combs, his lawyer asked Judge Subramanian to issue a sweeping gag order, claiming the lawyers behind the civil cases had made “shockingly prejudicial and false allegations” about him.

“Mr. Combs has a constitutional right to a fair trial, free from the influence of prejudicial statements in the press,” his attorney Marc Agnifilo wrote in the Oct. 20 motion. “These prospective witnesses and their lawyers have made numerous inflammatory extrajudicial statements aimed at assassinating Mr. Combs’s character in the press.”

But in Friday’s decision, Judge Subramanian ruled that the order Combs was seeking was “incredibly broad” and would have “sweeping First Amendment implications.”

“Not all alleged victims will be participants in this case, and a blanket restriction on their speech will silence individuals who may never have anything to do with the proceedings here,” the judge wrote.

The judge said he had “already taken steps to limit what can be said publicly” about the case and was “open to other tailored proposals that will help ensure a fair trial.” He also said Combs could take specific actions in the various civil lawsuits he was facing if the lawyers in those cases misbehave. But he said he could not do anything close to what Combs was seeking.

“A gag order … is an extreme remedy to be issued only as a last resort,” the judge wrote. “What Combs seeks goes even further.”

Separately on Friday, Combs’ lawyers also renewed their request that he be released from jail on a $50 million bond while he awaits trial. That request has been repeatedly denied since Combs was arrested, but the new filing cited the fact that former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries — another high-profile defendant accused of sex trafficking in New York — was immediately released on a $10 million bond after he was arrested last month.

“The government recently successfully requested pretrial release for two similarly situated defendants, including a CEO accused of sex trafficking dozens of young men, including through witness intimidation,” Agnifilo wrote in the new motion. “The conditions of release requested in Jeffries pale in comparison to the conditions proposed by Mr. Combs here.”