Last night, A-listers including Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, LL Cool J, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, J Balvin and more took over UBS Arena for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. Celebs and fans throughout the arena celebrated the year in music with the BACARDÍ Rum Moonwalk Mojito, the official cocktail of the VMAs.
As the Official Spirits Partner of the 2025 VMAs, BACARDÍ and MTV celebrated the breakthrough artists shaping the future of music by presenting the MTV PUSH Performance of the Year category, in addition to staging a special edition MTV Live digital concert featuring Amaarae, Justine Skye, and Kyle Dion. During the ceremony, the rum brand dedicated their ad time during the broadcast to showcase these up-and-coming artists, with clips of their MTV Live performances taking place in lieu of traditional ads.
The best star-studded moments of the night included:
Fresh off the Love Island reunion, Olandria and Nic made their red carpet debut, before heading into the BACARDÍ suite to sip on Moonwalk Mojitos and watch the show. BACARDÍ sponsored the MTV PUSH Performance of the Year category, celebrating standout performances by emerging musical artists Video Vanguard Award recipient, Mariah Carey performed a medley of career-defining hits including It’s Like That – featuring the iconic lyric that name drops BACARDÍ: “I came to have a party, open off the BACARDÍ.” BACARDÍ Rum invited attendees to raise a glass in honor of this year’s artists with an in-show toast Back on the carpet for year two with BACARDÍ Rum, music industry veteran & celebrity influencer Carter Gregory interviewed the night’s top stars, including J Balvin, Sexyy Red, Alix Earle, Tate McRae, Rebecca Black, sombr, Zara Larsson, Nic Vansteenberghe, and Justine Skye – who was also spotlighted in one of the BACARDÍ x MTV Live ads that aired during the show. Jamaican singer-songwriter Shenseea, who performed at a BACARDÍ Rum and MTV pre-VMA party on Thursday, surprised a group in the BACARDÍ fan pit with tickets to attend the awards ceremony.