MTV’s 2025 Video Music Awards, held on September 7th, spawned a shed load of viral clips from the West’s biggest and brightest stars. But when rising British pop singer Lola Young rocked up to perform her first UK #1 single, “Messy,” her fans noticed something incredibly ‘off’ about her performance…
Lola’s VMA show has already topped 512,000 YouTube views in just two weeks. Music Man readers can watch the moment unfold in the video below!
This performance begins just like any other. Well, just about. A huge Doritos® logo steals all focus in the first moments, projected on the floor of the ironically named Extended Play Stage, which was officially presented by the US tortilla chip brand. This shouldn’t have mattered too much. But paired with other odd snippets (which we’ll get to later), it becomes the first sign of disrespect towards what could be a career-defining, US-breaking performance for Lola Young.
Let’s give a bit of context: “Messy” is a two-verse, three-chorus song. Its lyrics revolve around trying, failing, and never being good enough for those around you. However, the VMAs cut Lola’s breakout hit to merely a verse and a chorus—half the length of the original—while fellow stars were allowed full sets with multiple songs and the opportunity to make some true music history in the process.
Watching the set, Lola appears visibly downcast, a little shaken and off-center as she sings her fragmented hit. Her bold voice and authentic tones steal fans’ hearts, but as Lola walks from one stage to the next, singing her chorus through the crowd, she emanates a crestfallen atmosphere, seeming bummed while not entirely throwing herself into the performance. The line “I want to be me, is that not allowed?” resonates with eerie strength.
By her final lines, Lola belts her hit with full soul, weaving in some incredible vocal runs, yet it seems entirely out of place. No adequate emotional buildup – simply verse, chorus, belt. As stunning as Lola’s vocals are, viewers can’t escape the feeling that she’s trying to prove herself worthy in the unexpectedly short segment of time she has been allotted.
The final frames reveal it all, with Lola seemingly on the verge of tears after what could have been the performance of a lifetime. Sure, Lola absolutely nailed the verse and chorus she was allowed to sing. But fans feel she was robbed.
Viewers have been busy sharing their thoughts and conspiracies in the comments section of this viral vid, with top commenters writing:
“Did they seriously start her performance off with an advertisement on her stage and only gave her 60 seconds to perform??? Absolutely outrageous and disrespectful to her as an artist.”
“Can’t believe they didn’t let her sing the whole song! It was one of the biggest songs of the year! WTF?!”
“She deserves the award… and a lot more time to perform. Something is off here.”
“I’ve watched so many of her performances and although she did great here as well, I can’t help but notice she seems down/bummed or restricted? She’s incredible!”
We’re not sure what the deal is with this performance – if or why Lola’s set was cut to half-length, seemingly at short enough notice to throw off Lola’s emotions. But we’re taking the side of the fans on this one: perhaps the VMAs should be giving rising artists the space to shine which they deserve, over the constant prioritization of established multi-millionaire artists.