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Rihanna To Receive VMA Lifetime Achievement Award At MTV Music Awards 2016: Will She Perform Her Hit ‘Work’?

By Amanda Katherine
Published on: 07:52 PST, Aug 26, 2016

Rihanna will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 MTV Music Video Awards. The lifetime achievement award celebrates Rihanna’s outstanding career achievement by the age of 28 — the same age as a lot of musicians who are just getting started with their careers. Fans are hopeful that the singer will perform her hit song “Work” at the music award show.

The 2016 MTV Music Video Award show will take over Madison Square Garden for the first time on August 28.

The president and CEO of Madison Square Garden Co. gave a statement that mentioned they were very happy to be hosting the VMAs for the first time this year.

“Madison Square Garden has been known throughout its history for inspiring the greatest performers, sports icons to break records and make history. We have no doubt that the MTV VMAs — so celebrated for its exciting and unexpected mix of music and entertainment — will add an unforgettable chapter to that unparalleled legacy.”

The preshow festivities will be held on the streets of Manhattan and will feature three live performances.

Rihanna will be honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. The executive producer of the show and MTV’s senior vice president of programming, events, and live production, Garret English, explained why Rihanna was chosen this year, via Newsday.

“The Video Vanguard is about a body of work, but it doesn’t have to be at the culmination of one’s career. It’s about the scope of her career, and the scope of her impact is massive.”

Plans for the star’s performance are still unknown, but Rihanna has tweeted that she was honored to be receiving the award.

Past recipients of the Vanguard Award include U2, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, and the Beastie Boys. The first award given out by MTV was given to both the Beatles and David Bowie.

The Vanguard Award goes to artists who are continuing to pioneer the medium of making influential and outstanding music videos. The Vanguard Award, also known as the Lifetime Achievement Award, was renamed in 1991 as the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. The award is also frequently given out to video directors.

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Rihanna has a handful of hits that have been nominated for VMAs this year, including her collab with Calvin Harris on “This Is What You Came For,” “Needed Me” from her album Anti, and her duet with Drake, “Too Good.”

In Rihanna’s music video for the song “Needed Me,” she is seen aboard yachts and motorcycles, showing off her explicit tats in see-through and barely-there clothing.

MTV is excited for the award show on Sunday, and with each year comes a new bar of excellence to set.

“The culture of our show is always challenging. We know what this show means to our artists. Taking the VMA stage sets an incredibly high bar for what that performance means. Each time you come back, the bar gets higher and higher. That’s the exciting part.”

Rihanna is a two-time VMA Video of The Year award winner. At 28-years-old, she is the youngest solo artist to have 14 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Rihanna has also reached that milestone in the fastest amount of time.

The international superstar has sold more than 61 million albums and 215 million tracks worldwide. She has won eight Grammy awards and 14 Billboard Music Awards.

Rih Rih has been a busy girl this year and is currently touring on the international leg of her “Anti World Tour.”

Rihanna is truly a musical icon of our time and deserving of this achievement award.

[Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]

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