It was a star-studded night at the 2021 MTV VMAs—but some celebs were noticeably absent.
Lorde was among the artists missing from the Sept. 12 award show. On Sept. 3, the official Twitter account for the VMAs confirmed the “Royals” star be unable to perform this year “due to a change in production elements.”
In a newsletter sent out to fans a few days later, the New Zealand singer-songwriter assured fans she was A-OK with the change. “I saw some people were very concerned about me pulling out of the VMAs, you’re so sweet, I’m totally fine!” she wrote per Entertainment Tonight. “It’s just that we were planning this insanely amazing many-bodied intimate dance performance, not fully understanding the (very necessary!) safety protocols that are in place, and the masking and distancing just meant it wasn’t gonna be what I dreamed, and you know I can’t make something less than outstanding for you guys.”
