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MTV VMAs 2021: Justin Bieber wins Artist of the Year, fans say it was 'Olivia's year'

The Canadian singer-songwriter led the pack of nominations with seven nods including Artist of the Year and Video of the Year

Justin Bieber returned to the stage of MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) 2021 after a gap of six years and oh boy! it was a sight to behold. While the R&B star decided not to walk on the red carpet, he did perform on two of his recent chartbusters namely ‘Stay’ with The Kid Laroi and ‘Ghost’ from his latest album ‘Justice’ at the Barclays Center in New York.

The Canadian singer-songwriter led the pack of nominations with seven nods including Artist of the Year and Video of the Year.  Bieber won the biggie with Artist of the Year and also scooped Best Pop song for his single ‘Peaches’- one of the most viral songs on the Internet in 2021. Social media users, however, were not elated with the decision of Bieber winning Artist of the Year as many felt that there were several female artistes who dominated the year as compared to him.
 
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Justin Bieber wins Artist of the Year and Best Pop

Justin Bieber looked dapper in an oversized hoodie as he accepted the award. However, before grabbing his Moon Person trophies, the talented crooner showed off his skills on the stage. Bieber was the first performer of the night and he made sure he raised the bar pretty high. He first got Laroi on stage to perform their number one single ‘Stay’ and he then followed it up with ‘Ghost’ while getting decked up in all-black attire.

Bieber, who won Artist of the Year and Best Pop was also up for best collaboration, best direction, best cinematography, and best editing.  Speaking of performances, apart from Bieber, artistes like Camila Cabello, Chloe, Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, Machine Gun Kelly, Shawn Mendes, Olivia Rodrigo, and Twenty One Pilots too graced the stage.

‘Sorry but Olivia literally carried this year’

Social media users rushed to Twitter to slam Bieber as soon as he won Artist of the Year award. One user trolled the singer saying, “Justin Bieber is not the artist of the year c’mon people” followed by multiple emoticons of a laughing face. Another user asked, “What honestly did he do this year.” And, the next one added, “I'm sorry but Olivia literally carried this year.”

Meanwhile, one dragged Bieber with a tweet, “This year and last years have literally been amazing for doja wtf his one recent hit is lovely peaches.” And, one individual added, “Female artists dominate the year, the world ALL these awards were so sooo sad damn.” One user asserted, “In a list of mostly women somehow the man no one was streaming wins.” While another concluded, “It’s literally rigged scooter def held these ppl at gunpoint.” 

Hosted by Doja Cat, MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) 2021 were held on September 12, 2021, at Barclays Center, New York City in front of a live audience. The 40th edition of the coveted awards ceremony began at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT and was aired live on CTV.