It was a bright and shining moment for singer-songwriter Dove Cameron as she took the stage at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) and dedicated her win to the ‘queer kids.’
The 26-year old thanked the LGBTQ youth who made her ‘overtly queer’ music’ go viral after she won the award for Best New Artist.
Dove Cameron wins big at the VMAs
Cameron had beaten other favorites to win for the award of Best New Artist, including the k-pop group Seventeen and Eurovision winner Måneskin.
Cameron said, “I want to dedicate this to all the queer kids out there who don’t feel that they can take up space and inhabit the fullness of who they are.”
“Thank you for getting an overtly queer song onto mainstream radio,” she added. “Thank you for supporting me as the artist I am, and I hope you can give others the same privilege as myself.”
During the pre-show event, Cameron performed a medley of her hit singles, “Boyfriend” and “Breakfast,” together with backup dancers as same-gender partners behind her.
Afterwards, the performers took of their jackets with the message at the back of their shirts: “Your voice is your power. Vote.”
Going viral and taking the spotlight
The former Disney actress shared a snippet of her song, “Boyfriend,” from her debut album on TikTok, which the LGBTQ community quickly made viral with their own videos, lipsyncs, and reactions.
Speaking on the song’s popularity, Cameron said on Twitter: “This means more to me than anything. I feel this in my entire body.”
“Queer representation in music, releasing songs the way straight artists release sexy love songs about the objects of their affection MATTERS,” she said.
After its initial drop, the song was released ten days after, turning it into Cameron’s first UK chart entry and reaching No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 last March.
“I can’t believe we just finished and dropped this song in 10 days time because you guys liked 9 seconds of it… with no promo because we were so unprepared,” she said on Twitter.
She added, “I’m so grateful to you guys for literally making all of this happen thank you so much I’m genuinely shocked and confused.”
Dove Cameron on creating an LGBTQ anthem
Cameron had first confessed being bisexual on Instagram in 2019. However, she never meant her song to become an LGBTQ anthem or a favorite of the community.
Speaking to Billboard, she said: “I can recognize that it looks so intentional, like I was like, ‘Now I’m gonna dye my hair and write a queer anthem,’ but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“I wrote it being like, ‘I don’t even know if this is good,” and then put it away and wrote a bunch of other songs where my sexuality isn’t the focal point,” she added.
However, seeing the acceptance of the song has been “healing” for her, she said, as it marries both her public persona and who she’s always known herself to be.
“For the most part, people are very kind and very receptive, and I think that’s a testament to where we are right now with this younger generation and their own queer experiences,” she said.