Taylor Swift to receive MTV’s first artist-director award

Taylor Swift will receive MTV’s newly created artist-director award at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 21, with the honour recognising her work behind the camera in music video production and visual storytelling.

CBS and MTV said the award is the first of its kind and celebrates musicians whose work behind the camera has contributed to music video production and visual storytelling.

The networks described the honour as recognising “a sustained and influential body of work from artists who have pushed creative boundaries and developed a clear directorial voice”.

Swift, a 14-time Grammy winner, has been nominated seven times for the VMA Best Director award and has won the category four times. Her recognised work includes the videos and films The Fate of Ophelia, Opalite and Anti-Hero.

The MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Snoop Dogg, will air live from Los Angeles on CBS and MTV and will stream on Paramount+ in the United States. The ceremony will be available internationally on Paramount+ and MTV the following day.

Beyond her directing work, Swift has won four Grammy awards for album of the year.

Her latest release, The Life of a Showgirl, sold more copies than any other album in the modern era during its first week of release, according to Billboard, citing data from Luminate, a firm that tracks music sales.