The “2013 MTV EMA” music party ship landed upon Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome on Sunday, November 10th, and it was a night to remember! As promised by intergalactic MC Redfoo of LMFAO, the “2013 MTV EMA” was a ridiculously fun musical extravaganza that featured eye-popping performances and celebrated the hottest artists from around the globe.
The awards for the world’s biggest night in music were evenly distributed, with EMA Global Icon Eminem topping the list with two wins, also nabbing Best Hip Hop and thus securing an even stronger hold on his title as the artist with the most EMAs ever. His surprise performance of “Berzerk” made fans in the Ziggo Dome go exactly that – berserk! – as he unexpectedly emerged from a giant boombox mid-show, and demonstrated his lyrical dominance with a performance of “Rap God.”
EMA darling and three-time past winner Katy Perry picked up her first Best Female award, while Miley Cyrus won her first-ever EMA for Best Video for “Wrecking Ball.” Bruno Mars was victorious in the Best Song category for “Locked Out Of Heaven,” and Justin Bieber kept his Best Male win streak going for a fourth straight year. Tokio Hotel fans rejoiced at the news that they helped their favorite band snag Biggest Fans, and Directioners everywhere celebrated as One Direction nabbed their first ever Best Pop EMA. Chris Lee of China kept Asia on top as she was named Best Worldwide Act; an artist from Asia has won the title in each of the three years the Worldwide Act award has existed.
Right from the opening moments of the “2013 MTV EMA,” Miley Cyrus once again had tongues wagging as she descended from the top of the enormous spaceship-inspired set on a space-age throne for a quick rendition of “We Can’t Stop.” Joining her onstage for an up-close-and-personal, twerktastic dance-off was Little Britney, and their very intimate interplay set Twitter afire. Cyrus returned to the stage later, performing amongst the audience, putting on a raw, soulful performance of “Wrecking Ball” and again displaying her range as an entertainer.
Radiating endless energy and winning charisma, the evening’s MC Redfoo kicked off the party in the right way, rocking a “Men in Black” suit and shades – only to have his clothes fly off and reveal his omnipresent Speedo. Redfoo’s hit song “Let’s Get Ridiculous” got the audience rocking and really set the mood, as he made glitter splay from his fly, went crowd-surfing with a sumo wrestler (donned in leopard skin, of course), had more outrageous outfit changes than any other EMA host in history, danced with Ylvis (the duo behind the viral video hit “What the Fox Say”), and finally got abducted by aliens at the event’s end.
Not to be outdone, Katy Perry put on an incredible spectacle as she sang “Unconditionally” suspended from the ceiling 30 feet in the air, as if she were a giant maypole with dancers prancing beneath her giant skirt. The performance’s big finale revealed her in a mirrored bodysuit that reflected the multitude of lasers lighting up the Ziggo Dome.
Bruno Mars dazzled the EMA audience with a very classy and stylized performance of “Gorilla,” accompanied by a world-class band, neon lights and a very talented pole dancer. Adding to the sexy vibe was Robin Thicke, who was surrounded by scantily clad women covered in gold and silver body paint for his rendition of “Feels Good,” and he was later joined onstage by recording artist and model Iggy Azalea for “Blurred Lines.”
The Killers rocked out to a medley of their favorite hits, “Shot at the Night” and “Mr. Brightside,” in a setting inspired by Queen’s huge stadium rock shows of the ’70s, while Kings of Leon performed “Beautiful War” amongst a plethora of stunning pyrotechnics. Chart-topping Swedish duo Icona Pop was fun and fabulous as they had the whole audience dancing to their hit “I Love It.”
The “2013 MTV EMA” was such a massive show – and MTV was so determined to bring an amazing event to Amsterdam – that it showcased fantastic performances from two other venues in the city. World famous DJ/producer Afrojack held an awesome EDM party at the popular Melkweg club. Snoop Dogg and 7 Days of Funk collaborated with Afrojack at the Melkweg for a special, funked-out performance of “Gin and Juice” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Snoop’s record-breaking album Doggystyle. Meanwhile, one of the year’s biggest emerging acts Imagine Dragons performed an incredible version of one of the biggest hits of the year, “Radioactive,” from the EMA rock stage at the Music Hall.
Special guest Ron Burgundy of Anchorman 2 (Will Ferrell) was featured throughout the evening in hilarious vignettes, as he cavorted through the streets of Amsterdam, enjoying cycling, clogs, canals, and special brownies, and explored the very action-packed area he mistakenly thought was called the “Burgundy Light District.” As backstage host, Ariana Grande, one of today’s hottest new voices and star of the hit Nickelodeon show Sam & Cat, gave a star’s-eye view of all the night’s space-loving fun.
Presenters at the “2013 MTV EMA” included Thirty Seconds To Mars frontmanJared Leto, whose band won the award for Best Alternative; Breaking Bad‘s RJ Mitte; acclaimed singer-songwriter and actress Bridgit Mendler; Iggy Azalea; singer Rita Ora; rapper/producer Dizzee Rascal; singer/songwriter Ellie Goulding; Dutch singer/actress Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones); and Teen Wolf‘sColton Haynes.
Fans around the world cast a staggering, record-breaking 292 million votes to help decide the “2013 MTV EMA” winners. The ”2013 MTV EMA” award winners are:
BEST SONG
Bruno Mars – “Locked Out Of Heaven”
BEST VIDEO
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”
BEST NEW
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
BEST FEMALE
Katy Perry
BEST MALE
Justin Bieber
BEST POP
One Direction
BEST LIVE
Beyoncé
BEST HIP HOP
Eminem
BEST ROCK
Green Day
BEST ELECTRONIC
Avicii
BEST ALTERNATIVE
Thirty Seconds To Mars
BEST LOOK
Harry Styles
BIGGEST FANS
Tokio Hotel
BEST WORLD STAGE
Linkin Park – Mexico 2012
BEST PUSH
Austin Mahone – April 2013
BEST WORLDWIDE ACT
李宇春Chris Lee (Mainland China/Hong Kong/Southeast Asia/Taiwan)
GLOBAL ICON
Eminem