Since we’ve last talked, award shows have been on the rise. The MTV awards shocked many with absolutely stunning performances, and the Emmy Awards had their youngest winner at just fifteen. 

The MTV Awards was absolutely star-studded. This year, performers like Conan Gray, Sabrina Carpenter, and Ricky Martin took the stage, leaving audiences —both in person and at home— wonderstruck. From categories like Artist of the Year and Song of the Year, the event was heavily anticipated. However, the biggest takeaway in terms of public discourse were the performers.

Conan Gray, an indie artist, performed new songs from his album Wishbone. When he performed Vodka Cranberry, he hit his infamous high note, shocking everyone in the audience, including Frankie and Ariana Grande. The next day, fans noted that the family followed the up-and-coming star. 

Another amazing performance was Sabrina Carpenter’s. She performed her new song Tears off of her new album Man’s Best Friend with a group of drag queens. At the end of her performance, she used visuals saying things such as “Protect the dolls.” While it’s not the biggest stand, her stand for the LGBTQ+ community has been very well received. 

Moving into the actor’s field, the Emmy Awards recently made history. Owen Cooper, a fifteen year old actor, earned the honor of being the youngest winner ever in the category for outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or TV movie. He won this award for his performance in Adolescence. The internet has come out in big favor of him, making jokes about what they were doing instead at fifteen.

Ultimately, the past two weeks have been the rise of award shows. With wonderful, captivating performances, audiences are actually invested in award shows that last year, they wouldn’t have tuned into. It’s safe to say award shows are seeing a rise!