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MTV VMAs 2020: CNCO bags Best Quarantine Performance award, Internet asks 'how did they beat Chloe x Halle?'

As soon as the award was announced, fans broke the internet arguing if CNCO was the most deserving candidate for the award which had other nominees such as Chloe x Halle

Talent knows no boundaries. Even the Covid-19 pandemic could not stop the musical talent, which is why the MTV Video Music Awards 2020 kicked off on August 30 with two brand new categories: 'Best Music Video From Home' and 'Best Quarantine Performance'. Latin American boy band CNCO bagged the Best Quarantine Performance award for their 'MTV Unplugged At Home' video. These awards recognize the creativity of the artists as they remain connected with their fans despite the pandemic shutting the world down. Announcing the winners VMA tweeted: "The VMA for Best Quarantine Performances goes to CNCO." 

CNCO bagged the award despite tough competition from Chloe X Halle for 'Do It' (from MTV Prom-Athon), DJ D-Nice for Club MTV Presents for ‘DanceTogether’, John Legend for ‘Together At Home’ Concert Series, Lady Gaga for ‘Smile’ from One World: Together At Home and Post Malone for ‘Nirvana Tribute’. As soon as the award was announced, fans broke the internet arguing if CNCO was the most deserving candidate for the award which had other artists such as Chloe x Halle. While some came in support for CNCO, others wanted Chloe x Halle to win and felt CNCO did not put much effort into their quarantine entry. Many felt they were just lip-syncing the song. 
 
A fan tweeted how it is difficult for a band like them to find a place in an industry ruled by other notable stars and icons. "Wow CNCO won the VMA for Best Quarantine Performance!!! Congrats! I’m so proud of them!! That’s really huge! We didn’t get to see them accept, but I’m sure it was great!" 

A fan wrote in praise, “I’m super proud of CNCO for them winning their first-ever VMA. Big things coming for them."

A fan arguably said, “I don't know CNCO that much and they seem like good guys who are really talented BUT how did they beat Chloe x Halle for best performance?” 

Another concurred, “Who is CNCO for Chloe x Halle to lose…”

An enraged user wrote, “CNCO's lipsyncing is actually painful to watch... Or my phone is messing up and the audio is late idk.”

A user wrote how people must not compare bands. "Guys we just enjoyed an amazing VMA's where both groups were shown and did amazing. Let's look at that and not negative and OLD things. It should be left in the past especially if it ended on a positive note. #CNCO #BTS."

Others vouched for more recognition for the band. "I may have left the CNCO fandom but they’re still my boys and I'm incredibly proud on how far they’ve come, this VMA means so much to them and I hope I get to see them win a lot more in the future bc they deserve this recognition, they’re so so talented.” 

The Rise of CNCO

CNCO has been expanding its footprint since the group’s formation in 2015 during the Simon Cowell-created and Ricky Martin-produced Spanish-language singing competition, 'La Banda' as reported by Rolling Stone. The site further notes that the boy band has significantly diverged from the White boy band line ups of the 1990s and 2000s and is ready for a global takeover besides other bands in the league like BTS, PrettyMuch and Why Don’t We.

With all band members coming from completely varied cultures, they brought Latino representation to the mainstream pop scene, Rolling Stone underscores. The band’s two albums, ‘Primera Cita’ (2016) and ‘CNCO’ (2018), debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as per Rolling Stone. While the band became a sensation in Spanish-language countries at an early stage, it wasn’t until 2017 that they first dabbled in Spanglish with a remix of their single, ‘Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos),’ and then with ‘Hey DJ’ in 2018. Since then, the band has never looked back. It has embarked on a glorious journey winning several coveted honors like Premios Juventud, Latin American Music Award, Premios Lo Nuestro, Billboard Latin Music Award and Latin AMAs to mention some.