Britney Spears’ legacy, no matter how tumultuous, is immortal and will always be there. And the VMAs proved it. Not one, not two, not three, but 4 major names in pop and rap paid direct, unforgettable tribute to the Princess of Pop. It’s definitely a departure from the montage of VMA performances from her early years that took center stage in the pre-show. While Sabrina Carpenter’s power-packed performance had a nod to one of Britney’s biggest career hits, Megan Thee Stallion brought out the big guns – we mean a dragon – taking it back to the Y2K era. K-pop idol Lisa also gave a little throwback detail in this regard. Let’s figure it out!
Sabrina Carpenter
We could tell Sabrina’s fabulous VMAs lap was full of Easter eggs, but the new pop hitmaker wanted the world to know which icons she was paying homage to. The Taste singer hit the red carpet wearing a dazzling pearled archival Bob Mackie gown, which, coincidentally, Madonna wore to the Oscars in 1991. Her stage performance, one of the event’s highlights – it was pretty clear from the start that the spirit of Britney’s heritage had blessed the stage. Sitting gracefully on a bejewelled swing in front of a larger-than-life figure of an astronaut, an overture of iconic dialogue from the 2000 evergreen hit Oops I Did It Again Which were something like, “But I thought the old lady dropped it in the ocean at the end.”
Not only that, but she also shared a little kiss with one of her background dancers, a reference to a little moment between Britney and Madonna at the 2003 VMAs.
Lisa
Although in a very subtle way, Lisa also paid tribute to Britney in her own way when she came on stage to perform her hit songs New Woman And RockstarThe K-pop idol proudly showed off the head mic. For those who didn’t live through the early 2000s, which was Britney’s peak era, the head mic was a must-have item for all of her live performances. Lisa wearing the head mic back then is believed to be part of a list of tributes prepared in Britney’s honor.
Megan Thee Stallion
If there was one person who was committed to making sure no one missed Britney’s big callback, which was actually a major undercurrent throughout the night, it was Megan Thee Stallion. At one point in the night, the rapper wore a forest green bikini blouse and tassel-adorned booty shorts. There was a very sexy-looking python wrapped around her. Confused? In 2001, Britney appeared in this exact same outfit for her VMA performance when she sang Out Loud I’m your slave,
While this call back was iconic, it wasn’t the only thing Megan had to offer. The rapper was featured at the forefront of a Pepsi ad that aired earlier in the night, which also featured Travis Kelce, Josh Allen, Justin Jefferson and Derrick Henry in gladiator attire. It was a reference to a very popular 2004 ad that featured Britney, Beyoncé and P!nk on screen together.
Tate McRae
Last but not least, we have Greedy Singer Tate McRae. Tate exuded grunge chic in her transparent, lace-up Roberto Cavalli dress. While it wasn’t vintage, the mini did resemble Britney’s 2001 Dolce & Gabbana VMA look. Interestingly, as Tate began to rock the stage, her bubbly yet disheveled style and dance moves earned her many comparisons to the young Britney, which she has always referred to as “obviously an honor.”
Did you miss seeing Britney at the VMAs this year?
