In a MTV VMAs night filled with shocking events, from Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus settling their beef to Kanye West accepting his Video Vanguard Award, someone had to bring the MTV show back to reality, and that job went to Pharrell, who took to downtown Los Angeles to bring his new single "Freedom" to the masses.
Tackling the same stage as Demi Lovato and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Pharrell gave L.A. a little more of a serious feeling as he gets out of the boxes and categories with "Freedom." Pharrell performed on a simple stage as fans waved hundreds of flags in the audience and background dancers snapped their fingers in accordance with the beat.
In a largely divisive night, Pharrell's mission seemed to be to bring people together as he powered through the R&B anthem, which introducer John Legend likened to Nina Simone and Bob Dylan. It's a heavy cross to bear, but Pharrell took on the cultural importance with a note of seriousness as he screamed out the lyrics to "Freedom" when it reached its massive, swelling chorus.
He paused at the end of the performance, with his finger held to his temple, just to offer up some emphasis to those involved in the night.
Watch Pharrell perform "Freedom" at the 2015 MTV VMAs below:
Pharrell is just one of many performers at tonight's VMAs. He join the likes of Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Iggy Azalea, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Tori Kelly, Twenty One Pilots with A$AP Rocky and more.
