During her acceptance speech for The Fate of Ophelia, Swift called Parton the ultimate showgirl and highlighted the qualities that made her such an enduring figure in music. She praised Parton’s songwriting, storytelling, gratitude, and connection with fans. The dedication came following Parton’s death in August 2026 at age 80.

Swift also had a major night of her own. She received the inaugural Artist Director Honors and won Best Direction for Opalite. She also premiered the music video for Patient Zero during the ceremony.

Those victories brought Swift’s career total to 33 VMAs, making her the most awarded artist in the history of the event.

Parton’s legacy was recognized elsewhere during the ceremony as well. Kacey Musgraves performed I Will Always Love You as part of a separate tribute celebrating Parton’s music and lasting influence.

The casting announcement confirms Carpenter will play Ginger Rogers opposite Tom Holland as Astaire. Margaret Qualley is also part of the cast, taking the role of Adele Astaire, Fred’s older sister and early dance partner.

The still-untitled project will be directed by Paul King and draws from Kathleen Riley’s biography The Astaires: Fred & Adele. The story is expected to explore the successful stage partnership between Fred and Adele before Astaire established himself as a Hollywood star.

Carpenter’s role brings her into the story as Rogers, whose partnership with Astaire became one of the most recognizable in classic Hollywood. The pair appeared together in a series of celebrated musical films during the 1930s.

For Carpenter, the project also represents a notable return to feature-film acting as her music career continues to reach a global audience.

A release date for the Fred Astaire biopic has not yet been announced.

At the September 27 ceremony, organizers announced Madonna as the night’s leading winner with seven awards. Her victories included Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter for Bring Your Love, and Best Dance for Confessions II – The Film. She also opened the VMAs for a record fifth time, returning to the show as a performer for the first time in 23 years.

Taylor Swift had a historic night of her own. The ceremony named her the first recipient of the Artist Director Honors, recognizing her work as a director and visual storyteller.

Swift also won Video of the Year for The Fate of Ophelia and Best Direction for Opalite. Those competitive victories brought her career total to 32 VMAs.

Elsewhere, Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award, while Sienna Spiro was named Best New Artist.

During the opening-night performance, Rodrigo began Drop Dead surrounded by pink flowers, setting up a production filled with changing seasons, rain, snow, and confetti. The 23-song set also included Drivers License, Favorite Crime, All-American Bitch and Expectations.

Some of the night’s most memorable moments came away from the main stage. Rodrigo moved between multiple performance areas and spent time interacting closely with fans. She also led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to her mother, Jenny.

The Cure delivered the show’s biggest visual transformation. Rodrigo performed under falling rain as her dress gradually dissolved, revealing a red bodysuit underneath.

Wolf Alice opened the Hartford show. The Unraveled Tour continues across North America before heading to Europe.

During the broadcast, KATSEYE performed Animal and Hootie Frutti, two tracks from their EP Wild. Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel and Yoonchae Jeung took the stage, while Manon Bannerman and Sophia Laforteza remain on hiatus.

The episode also gave KATSEYE a place in the comedy lineup. A sketch drew inspiration from The Debut: Dream Academy, the competition series that led to the group’s formation.

The SNL appearance comes during a busy stretch for KATSEYE. Wild reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, giving the group another major chart milestone as their U.S. profile continues to expand.

KATSEYE is also on the road with the Wildworld Tour, extending a period that has included new music, television appearances, and live performances.

The newly unveiled track list shows SZA appearing on See You In My Dreams, while Mars joins Monét for That’s Why I Love You. Tiller is featured on Single, and Lucky Daye appears on Maybe. Monét’s daughter Hazel also has a guest appearance, continuing the family connection heard in her previous work.

Fans have already received an early look at the project through songs including Let Me, Reach Out, and Juicy. The album follows the successful Jaguar II era, which brought Monét wider recognition and multiple Grammy wins.

The release also arrives just weeks before Monét is scheduled to begin a North American tour in late October, giving the new material a quick path from the studio to the stage.

Spotify confirmed that Swift became its most-streamed female artist in a single day this year. The platform also announced that Patient Zero, one of the new tracks on the expanded release, became the most-streamed song by a female artist in a single day in 2026 so far.

The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore arrived September 25 with four additional songs: Patient Zero, Babylon, Pink Clouding, and Cleveland!. The expanded edition gives listeners more material connected to the original album.

Swift is also bringing Patient Zero to the screen. She directed the song’s upcoming music video, which features Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell. The video is scheduled to premiere during the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on September 27, adding another major moment to the song’s rollout.

During the opening-night performance at PeoplesBank Arena, Rodrigo delivered a roughly two-hour set featuring recent material alongside some of the biggest songs from her catalog. Newer tracks included Drop Dead, U + Me = <3, Stupid Song, Honeybee, Less and The Cure.

Familiar favorites also had a major presence. Drivers License, Vampire, Good 4 U, Deja Vu and Traitor were among the songs included, connecting the latest chapter of Rodrigo’s career with the music that first established her as a major pop artist.

The concert followed a seasonal structure, moving through sections themed around Spring, Summer, Summer Twilight, Autumn and Winter before returning to Spring. Drop Dead opened the performance, while Expectations closed the night.

One notable omission was What’s Wrong With Me, even though most of Rodrigo’s newest album made the setlist.

During the pre-game entertainment on Saturday, the Australian pop star delivered a roughly 20-minute set in front of more than 100,000 spectators. The performance marked her first appearance at an AFL Grand Final and gave the Melbourne-born singer a major hometown stage.

Minogue moved through songs spanning several eras of her career, including Love at First Sight, In Your Eyes, Spinning Around, Padam Padam, The Loco-Motion and Can’t Get You Out of My Head.

The production featured dancers, costume changes and pyrotechnics, while guest appearances added another Australian connection to the show. G Flip, William Barton and Dom Dolla joined the event’s entertainment lineup.

For the finale, Minogue was elevated above the stadium as she performed Can’t Get You Out of My Head, closing a set built around familiar hits and a strong connection to Melbourne.

At the ceremony, actor Danny DeVito introduced and inducted SZA, recognizing her connection to the state where she grew up. Born in St. Louis, SZA was raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, and attended Columbia High School. In her acceptance speech, she reflected on her years in the area, including the jobs she held before finding success in music.

SZA also spoke about the importance of community and celebrated New Jersey’s cultural influence. She acknowledged fellow Columbia High School graduate Lauryn Hill, another artist with deep ties to the state.

The induction arrives after years of commercial and critical success for SZA. Her catalog includes the albums Ctrl and SOS, while her career has brought multiple Grammy Awards, major streaming milestones, and recognition across the music industry.