Justin Timberlake To Perform At VMAs, Receive Vanguard Award
Justin Timberlake has been added to the lineup for the MTV Video Music Awards later this month.
Timberlake is tied with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for the nominations, with six each. Timberlake is nominated for Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Editing, and Best Pop video for “Mirrors.” He is also nominated for Best Collaboration and Best Direction for “Suit & Tie,” which features Jay-Z.
The 32-year-old will also receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, which is also awarded as the Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was renamed after Michael Jackson in 1991, and is awarded to artists who have made a profound impact on MTV culture. Jackson took home the award in 1984 for “Thriller,” which became the first music video to be inducted into the National Film Register.
Timberlake will join David Bowie, The Beatles, Madonna, Peter Gabriel, and ex-girlfriend Britney Spears, among others, as a Vanguard recipient.
Timberlake recently released the first single from The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2, the disco-flavored Take Back The Night. He debuted the video on July 30. However, he wasn’t aware that the song title was also the name of a sexual assault awareness organization, the Take Back The Night Foundation. Executive director Katherine Koestner said everyone was shocked because the group usually gets asked when people want to use the name.
“Normally entities as large as Justin Timberlake do very kind and thoughtful things to support our cause,” she said.
Timberlake apologized for the misunderstanding.
“I wanted to take this opportunity to let all know that neither my song nor its lyrics have any association with the organization,” he said. “As I’ve learned more about The Take Back The Night Foundation, I’m moved by its efforts to stop violence against women, create safe communities and encourage respectful relationships for women — Something we all should rally around.”
The MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday, August 25 at 9 pm.
[Photo credit: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com]