Why Miley Cyrus Skipped the 2023 MTV VMAs Despite Being Nominated for 5 Awards

Five MTV VMA nominations ended up not bringing Miley Cyrus out to this year’s ceremony. The “Used to be Young” singer was not pH๏τographed on the carpet or in the auditorium during the Newark, New Jersey, show.

Cyrus didn’t personally disclose the exact reason for her absence, but it’s worth noting that she was nominated in the night’s most compeтιтive categories. She may have opted not to go under the ᴀssumption that she was not a frontrunner for the top honors.

Her song “Flowers” is up for Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Song, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. As of 9:25 P.M., Song of the Year and Best Pop Song have already gone to Taylor Swift.

However, “Flowers” still marks a milestone for Cyrus.

The song, one of Cyrus’ biggest singles in her career, wasn’t initially written to be the positive, single anthem it ended up becoming. It also wasn’t meant to elicit the fan theories saying the track is about Cyrus’ ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth.

Cyrus explained to British Vogue in May, in regard to the fan theories, “I never need to be a master at the craft of tricking an audience. It will set itself on fire all by itself.”

She explained that, at first, “I wrote it in a really different way. The chorus was originally: ‘I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand, but I can’t love me better than you can.’ It used to be more, like, 1950s. The saddest song. Like: ‘Sure, I can be my own lover, but you’re so much better.’” The song she ended up with “is a little fake it till you make it, which I’m a big fan of.”

She said she had a feeling the song would be a hit but also accepts the fleeting attention of the music industry. When Lil Nas X asked her on the night “Flowers” came out if she was anxious about its performance, she told him, “No. I might be No. 1 now, but No. 2 is on its way.” She continued, “Everything is seasonal. A lot of headlines [recently] have said, ‘This is Miley’s moment.’ And I’m like, ‘That’s exactly what it is. It’s a moment. And it will be over.’ That’s not pessimistic. That’s honest, and that’s OK with me. I actually prefer it. I don’t like to stay big.”