The boy banders get some sage advice from Taylor Swift, Green Day in VMA-themed special, 'One Direction: My First Time.' By Jocelyn Vena
One Direction Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
On Thursday night, all five guys of One Direction sat down for the "One Direction: My First Time" special, not only excitedly looking to the future and their VMA performance on September 6, but also taking a stroll down memory lane, recalling some of the greatest first-time performances from this year's other performers.
The show kicked off by remembering Rihanna's star-making first time, back in 2007, when she performed her track "Shut Up and Drive." Liam Payne asked, "Don't you think it's so weird to be put in the same category as Rihanna?" (The guys are nominated against her in the Best Pop Video category.)
The show then traveled back to 1999, when Eminem assaulted the VMAs with his definitive track "My Name Is." Niall Horan said, "That Eminem performance was absolutely amazing."
Green Day are set to take the stage this year, but they first performed on the show the same year Harry Styles was born, back in 1994. They played the song "Armatage Shanks," but they weren't originally supposed to. "We were supposed to play 'Basket Case,' but we snuck in that song 'cause we wanted to put a new song in," Billie Joe Armstrong recalled. "We were being a little bit rebellious."
With so many performances leaving such an indelible mark on the show's history, Horan noted, "I'm really excited to add our name to the history books when we perform at this year's VMAs."
Kanye West showed the world what he was made of back in 2004, when he spit his moving "Jesus Walks." Surrounded by fans, 2 Chainz recalled, "That was another thing that was creative [and] unique."
Liam said that perhaps he would take a note or two from that performance. "I think it would be so much fun to walk through the fans," he shared. "Just to see what would happen."
In 2003, Beyoncé went solo for the first time at the VMAs when she (with an assist from Jay-Z) performed "Crazy in Love." "Very well done," Owl City's Adam Young said. "The production was insane. I feel like that level of production is something you don't see much anymore."
Pink has also been known for her high production values. And in 2002, she was already the stuff of legend with her first time on the VMAs. "Being a part of the VMAs, for me, is extra special 'cause my mom never used to let me watch MTV. I would watch it anyway. She would also try and ground me. I would just sneak out my window and go to someone's house who had MTV," she recalled. "So to be on MTV is quite ironic."
She added, "I remember 'Just Like a Pill.' I was in very, very tight leather. I was afraid they were going to shoot me from behind 'cause in my mind I'm a beached whale. ... I was really dumb and really young and really cute and I was really drunk."
In 2001, Alicia Keys kicked off her storied VMA career when she performed the unforgettable "Fallin'." "Oh my goodness, the first time I performed at the VMAs it was crazy. It was my very first everything. I mean, it was like a whirlwind, crazy, dreamlike state. [It] was definitely crazy, but incredible because I remember being really charged up."
And, One Direction might want to take note, Keys added, "It's like one of the coolest shows to do. I couldn't believe I was there."
Niall seemed impressed by the scale of Keys' first performance on the show, sharing in the special, "We could, if we had one of those big epic songs, we could have choir."
As the special neared its end, Louis Tomlinson had a special message for the fans, "We've had an incredible year, and we have you guys to thank for that."
Then the guys shared some behind-the-scenes footage featuring some of their lovably goofy shenanigans. Zayn Malik shared, "I always wanted a brother, and I get to tour with these guys all the time."
Before the special wrapped up, Taylor Swift broke down her memorable 2009 first time, when she took over the streets of the Big Apple for "You Belong With Me."
"Performing at the VMAs for the first time, for me, was a really crazy experience. It was a crazy night in general for a lot of reasons, and my performance came at a really interesting time," she shared, referring to the infamous Kanye West cameo during her VMA acceptance speech earlier in the night. "So I definitely knew I wanted to nail it,"
Swift will once again take the stage this year, performing her hit single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" for the first time.
"Thinking about topping that performance, it's going to be hard, but I'm up for the challenge."
Well, hopefully the guys of One Direction are as well. Zayn added, "We really have some major shoes to fill."
The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards will air live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 6, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Head to VMA.MTV.com or text BNA to 22444 (message and data rates may apply) to vote for Best New Artist all the way through the show! Get the latest VMA updates sent right to your inbox: Sign up for the MTV News alert.
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