Ariana Grande took home the trophy for Video of the Year for Brighter Days Ahead at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday. She accepted the honor alongside filmmaker Christian Breslauer, who co-directed 26-minute short film with her.
Minutes after winning the Best Pop award, Grande quipped that the awards show’s producers were raising the microphone to comic heights. “Does this get taller every time?” she joked. “Is this intentional?”
She delivered the rest of her acceptance speech at an impressive clip, like listening to a podcast at triple speed or Busta Rhymes rap at his regular speed, since she knew she took up a huge chunk of time reading her handwritten speech for “Best Pop.” Foremost, she thanked her fans for standing by her.
“Art has been a safe space for me since I was a kid,” she said. “I’m so grateful that I get to do this with my life and to have such fiercely loving and supportive fans. Thank you for growing with me and being so supportive of me as a human being, navigating in real time which creative itch needs to be scratched next, whether it’s acting music, musical theater, or a little bit of tour.
“This project is about the hard work that is healing all different kinds of trauma and coming home to our young selves and creating safety in our own lives, which is a lifelong process and a daily exercise,” she continued. “If you’re on that journey, please continue onward, because I promise there are brighter days ahead.”
Breslauer used his time at the mic to thank Grande and his team.
Grande’s Brighter Days Ahead visual was a mammoth undertaking, more short film than music video. Grande and Christian Breslauer’s visual drew inspiration from Michel Gondry’s 2004 sci-fi-inflected romance, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which also inspired the name of Grande’s album, Eternal Sunshine).
The primetime TV length short is a sequel to the “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” video, in which Grande stars as a character named Peaches, who’s agreed to a procedure that would see her erase all memories of an ex, played by Evan Peters. “Brighter Days” picks up 70 years later and finds Peaches undergoing another procedure, where she’ll get to relive curated moments from her life, both happy and heartbreaking. As she watches each one, songs from Eternal Sunshine accompany every memory.
Video of the Year was one of seven nominations Grande received this year at the VMAs. Brighter Days Ahead was took home trophies for Best Pop and Best Long Form Video, and was nominated but did not win in several technical awards, including Best Direction. Grande won Best Pop Artist, as well.