How Taylor Swift surpassed Beyoncé's MTV VMAs record

Originally appeared on E! Online

Taylor Swift is on a winning streak.

The "Blank Space" singer just surpassed Beyoncé as the winningest solo artist in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards.

During the 2024 MTV VMAs at New York's UBS Arena, Swift notched seven Moon Persons to add to the 23 she already had in possession going into the Sept. 11 ceremony. (Click here to see the complete list of winners.)

Her new hardware pushed Swift to 30 total wins, topping the "Cuff It" artist's previous record of 26 wins as a solo artist, which includes the non-competitive "Video Vanguard Award."

It also means Swift and Beyoncé now tie as the record holder for most overall wins with 30 each. (Bey holds 26 as a solo artist, two with Destiny's Child and two as The Carters with husband Jay-Z.)

At this year's show, Swift led the pack of nominees with 12 nods, including "Video of the Year" and "Song of the Year" for her "Tortured Poets Department" single "Fortnight" with Post Malone.

Meanwhile, Beyoncé racked up a total of three nominations, with her Cowboy Carter track "Texas Hold 'Em" facing off against Swift — as well as works from Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar, Jack Harlow and Teddy Swims — in the Song of the Year category.

And this year's ceremony is a notable one for both Swift, 34, and Beyoncé, 43. After all, it falls 15 years after Kanye West crashed Swift's award acceptance speech to proclaim that Beyoncé's “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" should have won the prize for Best Female Video over "You Belong With Me."

"Yo, Taylor," the rapper said after jumping onstage at the 2009 MTV VMAs and taking the microphone from the Fearless artist. "I’m really happy for you. Imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time."

So, when the spotlight was on Beyoncé during her "Video of the Year" win at the end of the night, she invited Swift to the stage to finish her interrupted speech.

"I remember being 17 years old, up for my first MTV award with Destiny's Child and it was one of the most exciting moments of my life," Beyoncé noted at the time. "So, I'd like Taylor to come out and have her moment."

Since then, the two performers have only continued to raise each other up. In fact, Beyoncé was on hand to personally congratulate Swift during the Los Angeles premiere of her "Eras Tour" documentary in October, while the "Karma" singer flew to London a month later for the debut of "Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé."

"She’s the most precious gem of a person — warm and open and funny," Swift said of the "Crazy in Love" hitmaker in a December Time interview. "And she’s such a great disrupter of music-industry norms. She taught every artist how to flip the table and challenge archaic business practices."