11 Minutes
A night of spectacle: Ariana Grande takes Video of the Year at the 2025 VMAs
Ariana Grande returned to the VMA stage in unmistakable fashion, claiming the evening’s top honor — Video of the Year — for her cinematic short film 'Brighter Days Ahead.' The award, presented at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, capped a night that blended music, theater and storytelling and reinforced Grande’s dual identity as both a pop superstar and a performer with deep roots in musical theater and film.
Joined onstage by director Christian Breslauer, Grande used her acceptance speech to thank fans, collaborators and the intimate support network that has shaped her creative life. The video, which casts Grande in an extensive prosthetic transformation as an elderly woman named Peaches, combines intimate family storytelling with high-concept visuals. It’s a project that asks viewers to sit with grief, memory and the messy work of healing — all while wrapped in the heightened aesthetics of a major pop production.
Why this win matters
Video of the Year at the VMAs has long been the barometer for how pop culture and visual artistry intersect. Past winners — from groundbreaking videos that launched conversations about identity and spectacle to narrative pieces that read like short films — have shown that the prize often goes to work that extends beyond a single song. Grande’s victory acknowledges a music video that behaves like contemporary cinema: it stages character arcs, employs narrative devices (memory erasure, point-of-view shifts), and uses makeup and casting (including the candid presence of Grande’s real father) to blur the boundaries between autobiography and fiction.
This is also Grande’s most visible return to the VMAs since 2020. The win for 'Brighter Days Ahead,' paired with her Best Pop Artist trophy earlier in the night, signals that her career reinvigoration — spanning music, stage and screen — is resonating with both fans and industry voters.
A music video that reads like a short film
'Brighter Days Ahead' functions like a short film more than a performance clip. Grande’s prosthetic-laden portrayal of Peaches explores a speculative procedure to erase a painful relationship from memory and forces her to revisit pivotal scenes in her life. The twist — a memory experienced from the perspective of her father grieving her death — adds emotional gravity and complexity. Such narrative risks are rarer in mainstream pop videos, which more commonly favor choreography, fashion moments or viral-ready snippets. Grande and Breslauer opted for a tender, cinematic approach that invites repeat viewing to unpack its layers.
The video’s themes echo classic cinematic explorations of memory, such as Michael Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But where Gondry’s film centers around surreal editing and fractured timelines, Grande’s short keeps its heart firmly in pop-music storytelling: emotional clarity, melodic anchor points and an eye for moments that will trend on social platforms. The result is a piece that can live in film festival conversations as comfortably as it can dominate streaming playlists.
Behind the scenes: prosthetics, family and collaboration
Two striking production choices anchored the piece. First, the prosthetic makeup that ages Grande into Peaches is central to the video’s emotional work; it allows the audience to see Grande as someone other than herself while retaining the embodied performance of a singer-actor. Second, casting her father, Edward Butera, in a pivotal role added a real-life texture that elevated the film’s intimacy. Those decisions — practical effects and familial casting — distinguish the video from CGI-heavy contemporaries and underline a tactile, human approach to pop visuals.
Christian Breslauer, who joined Grande onstage, has built a reputation for translating pop songs into vivid, cinematic narratives. Working with a director comfortable with action, close-ups and character beats helped Grande transform a single song into a layered short story.
Comparisons and lineage: where 'Brighter Days Ahead' sits in pop-video history
To understand the video’s place in the wider landscape, it helps to compare it with recent and historical music videos that have blurred music and cinema:
- Ariana Grande’s own past videos: Recall the playful world-building of 'Thank U, Next,' which used cinematic references and meta-humor to create cultural moments. 'Brighter Days Ahead' trades spectacle for inwardness, showing Grande’s range as a visual storyteller.
- Kendrick Lamar and cinematic rap narratives: Kendrick’s videos often read like social-realist short films with political punch. While Grande’s video is intimate rather than polemical, both approaches show the music video as a tool for complex storytelling.
- Lady Gaga’s theatrical visuals: Gaga, another VMA winner this year, consistently merges fashion, performance and narrative. Grande’s latest work shares a theatrical ambition, though its emotional scaffold is smaller and more private.
These comparisons highlight a trend: artists are increasingly commissioning music videos that are unabashedly cinematic, prioritizing character, narrative, and production craft over purely viral choreography. In a streaming age where music video budgets remain significant, the medium is returning to an era where directors, make-up teams, and performers collaborate to produce works that can live beyond 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
Industry perspective and cultural impact
The VMA win has ripple effects. From a marketing standpoint, a Video of the Year award increases streams, drives social engagement and creates press opportunities for both the song and related projects. For Grande, this comes at a pivotal moment: she is about to step back into the world of cinema with Wicked: For Good (reprising Glinda) and is poised to launch the Eternal Sunshine tour in June 2026. The VMA recognition aligns neatly with a multiplatform strategy that places her in movies, theaters, and arenas.
Culturally, the video and the acceptance speech — including Grande’s candid shout-outs to her therapists and the LGBTQ+ community — reiterate the celebrity-as-ally and mental-health-aware persona that many contemporary stars cultivate. That messaging resonates strongly with younger audiences who expect transparency and vulnerability from public figures.
Fan and critical reception
On social media, reactions ranged from ecstatic fandom to thoughtful analysis. Fans praised the emotional honesty, prosthetic transformation, and the cameo from Grande’s father. Critics highlighted the video’s restraint: it doesn’t rely on spectacle alone but leans into storytelling and performance. Memes and reaction videos proliferated, proving that even narrative-driven music videos can generate viral content when they include a powerful emotional hook.
Film and music critics also took notice. Many pointed out the skillful balance between pop accessibility and cinematic ambition, noting that the piece could be dissected for its editing choices, costume design, and use of point-of-view to create empathy.
"Grande’s work here is a reminder that pop music can be a gateway to serious cinematic storytelling," says film critic Anna Kovacs. "The video’s success lies in its respect for audience intelligence — it trusts viewers to hold space for sadness and complexity while still delivering a cathartic musical payoff."
What this means for music video trends
'Brighter Days Ahead' strengthens several ongoing trends in the music and film crossover:
- Narrative-first videos: More artists are commissioning videos that tell stories rather than stage performances. This drives collaboration between film directors and musicians.
- Practical effects and artisanal makeup: In an age of digital effects, the tactile appeal of prosthetics and practical makeup remains powerful. They offer authenticity and often age better than purely digital face-altering techniques.
- Cross-promotion with film and theater projects: Artists who work in multiple media — stage, screen, music — are finding synergies that expand audience reach. Grande’s simultaneous movement between a major film role and a major tour exemplifies this.
- Mental health and conversation in pop art: Songs and visuals exploring trauma, healing, and therapy resonate widely and shape fan engagement in ways that traditional pop nostalgia no longer guarantees.
Context within the 2025 VMAs
The 2025 VMAs were notable beyond Grande’s wins. Lady Gaga took Artist of the Year, Sabrina Carpenter won Album of the Year, and Alex Warren earned Best New Artist — all signposts of a VMA season that favored both established icons and rising voices. LL Cool J served as host, steering the evening’s tempo and cultural touchpoints.
For Grande, the night represented a consolidated return: awards, public recognition, and renewed momentum headed into both film and touring seasons.
Looking forward: what’s next for Grande and the medium?
Ariana Grande is slated to reprise Glinda in Wicked: For Good, which hits theaters in late November, and to begin the Eternal Sunshine tour on June 6, 2026. Both projects position her to translate the emotional and theatrical skills showcased in 'Brighter Days Ahead' into live and cinematic contexts. For filmmakers and music-video directors, the success of this piece suggests a richer funding ecosystem for ambitious music videos — especially those that can double as promotional partners for film and live projects.
From a cultural perspective, the win also underscores a greater acceptance of hybrid artistry. Pop stars are no longer expected merely to sing or sell records; they are encouraged to be crossover performers, actors, and auteurs who play a role in shaping the stories that audiences consume across screens.
Final takeaways
'Brighter Days Ahead' is an important artifact of contemporary pop culture: a music video that dares to be cinematic, intimate and narrative-driven. Its success at the VMAs reflects both Ariana Grande’s evolving artistic identity and the industry’s appetite for music videos that can operate like short films — emotionally resonant, visually compelling, and culturally consequential.
As audiences continue to seek authenticity and narrative depth from artists, projects like Grande’s will likely become benchmarks for how music and film intersect in the streaming era. Whether viewed as a music video, a short film, or a promotional bridge to larger projects, 'Brighter Days Ahead' has already proven to be a conversation starter and a career milestone.
Conclusion
Ariana Grande’s Video of the Year win is more than a trophy; it’s an acknowledgement that pop music can carry cinematic ambition and emotional nuance at scale. The piece’s blend of practical effects, autobiographical touches, and theatrical sensibility makes it a modern example of how music videos can still surprise and move us. For filmmakers, musicians, and fans alike, the video and its recognition at the 2025 VMAs suggest a promising future for collaborative, story-driven music cinema — brighter days indeed for an art form that keeps reinventing itself.
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