On Sunday night, the petite pop star performed her new single ‘Tears’ off of her freshly released album ‘Man’s Bestfriend’.
The onstage performance— with all its sparks and colors, features several backup support from Drag Race performers made famous by RuPaul’s Drag Race, as well as a dramatic stage set evoking a city nightlife scene — complete with rainbow lighting and protest signs.
While Colman Domingo, who appeared on the ‘Tears’ MV, did not make a cameo at the VMAs, Carpenter re-created a vibrant city set on stage—filled with the same glam, sparkle, and drag queens.
Carpenter emerged from the stage in what seemed to be a sparkling silver fringed poncho top, which she later shed to reveal a matching fringed bra and bedazzled black tights during a rain-splattered dance break—a nod to Britney Spears’s iconic 2001 performance of “Baby One More Time”.
During the quick mid-performance costume change, the queens appeared, delivering an energetic yet powerful message. With picket signs that read “Protect Trans Rights,” “Dolls Dolls Dolls,” “Love each other,” and the cheeky phrase “If you hate, you’ll never get laid” on one hand, Carpenter and the queens truly created a bold yet fun statement on stage.
It comes at a time when many in the trans community are raising concerns about state and national legislative efforts to limit gender identity care.
Carpenter is a well-known ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, and her performance Sunday night felt inspired by the music video for “Tears.”
“How can I be so self-aware and yet so blind and so stupid at the same time? Women are the smartest and the dumbest, in my experience. It’s like they are dumb exactly when they want to be. I think that that’s kind of a theme that I tackle throughout the whole album, just because it’s a little bit more about the reflection of my own choices and these relationships and how I get into them and how I get out of them,” Carpenter said during an interview with NPR talking about her recent album.
“I think even with my last record, it was sort of like there was a little bit more spite towards people. That hurt my feelings. And I think this one was a little bit more like, you know what? Can’t be that mad because I am putting myself in these positions to kind of experience these things. So yeah, I think it’s just like 2 percent healed, which gives me a lot more room to grow.”
Carpenter’s return to the VMAs stage follows the recent release of her seventh studio album, a 38-minute project that marks a bold, experimental turn. The singer branches into country, R&B, and disco influences while lyrically unpacking the aftermath of a failed relationship