--- title: How Ariana Grande Turned Her VMAs Song Into a Family Affair description: The 'Sweetener' singer brought up the women in her family for her performance of "God Is a Woman" at the 2018 MTV VMAs on Monday night. canonical: https://time.com/5373291/ariana-grande-vmas-family/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-21T16:46:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:02:48.570Z og:title: Here's the Story Behind Ariana Grande's VMAs Power Posse og:description: The "God Is a Woman" singer brought her family to the stage for her performance og:url: https://time.com/5373291/ariana-grande-vmas-family/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt475cafb213f17930/69893844db2987405826078d/ariana-grande-vmas-family.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: 2018 MTV Video Music Awards - Show og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's the Story Behind Ariana Grande's VMAs Power Posse twitter:description: The "God Is a Woman" singer brought her family to the stage for her performance twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt475cafb213f17930/69893844db2987405826078d/ariana-grande-vmas-family.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Explaining Ariana Grande's Power Woman Posse Who Stole the Show During Her VMAs Performance > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=97a2a756-2156-42f9-bc82-e052d137af1b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=97a2a756-2156-42f9-bc82-e052d137af1b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=97a2a756-2156-42f9-bc82-e052d137af1b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=97a2a756-2156-42f9-bc82-e052d137af1b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Celebrities Walk the 2018 VMAs Pink Carpet [Watch (HLS stream): Celebrities Walk the 2018 VMAs Pink Carpet](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uNvctn9I.m3u8) (1:49)  _Published 2018-08-21. 2018 Video Music Awards Red Carpet_  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Aug 21, 2018 4:46 PM UTC  Lani Grande, Marjorie Grande, Ariana Grande, and Joan Grande onstage during 2018 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 20, 2018 in New York City. Lani Grande, Marjorie Grande, Ariana Grande, and Joan Grande onstage during 2018 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 20, 2018 in New York City. John Shearer—Getty Images for MTV  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Aug 21, 2018 4:46 PM UTC For [Ariana Grande’s](http://time.com/5372771/vmas-2018-ariana-grande-nicki-minaj/) performance of [“God Is a Woman”](http://time.com/5337217/5-songs-you-need-to-listen-to-this-week-57/item/god-is-a-woman-ariana-grande/) at the [2018 MTV Video Music Awards](http://time.com/5371991/vmas-2018-recap/) at Radio City Music Hall on Monday night, it wasn’t enough just for the [_Sweetener_](http://time.com/collection-post/5277962/ariana-grande-next-generation-leaders/) star to recreate a decadent “Last Supper”-style tableau of dancers and gilded costumery, replete with Grecian columns and celestial skies swirling in the background. Grande decided to bring home the message of the song even further by inviting up her family onto the stage for the end of the song, too. She welcomed aunt Lani Grande, grandmother Marjorie Grande and mom Joan Grande to center stage towards the end of the performance, joining hands with her grandmother and mom as she continued to sing the anthem praising womanhood. The entire performance kept the female-forward message strong: she was backed by an inclusive mix of dancers, all of them women, as they re-enacted the ode to spiritual femininity. Besides putting on a glittering show for the audience, which included her fiancé [Pete Davidson](http://time.com/5372525/ariana-grande-pete-davidson-2018-mtv-vmas-red-carpet/) in the front row, Grande also took home an award during the course of the evening — for her new album’s lead single [“No Tears Left to Cry,”](http://time.com/5247823/5-songs-you-need-to-listen-to-this-week-49/item/no-tears-left-to-cry-ariana-grande/) which nabbed the Best Pop trophy. During an awards show devoid of much of the star power and surprises of years past, Grande’s touching tribute to her family was a standout moment. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5373291/ariana-grande-vmas-family/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5373291/ariana-grande-vmas-family/"},"headline":"Explaining Ariana Grande's Power Woman Posse Who Stole the Show During Her VMAs Performance","datePublished":"2018-08-21T16:46:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:02:48.570Z","description":"God is all of the women in Grande's life","url":"https://time.com/5373291/ariana-grande-vmas-family/","keywords":["Newsfeed","awards","Ariana Grande"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt475cafb213f17930/69893844db2987405826078d/ariana-grande-vmas-family.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt475cafb213f17930/69893844db2987405826078d/ariana-grande-vmas-family.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2018 MTV Video Music Awards - Show","caption":"2018 MTV Video Music Awards - Show","creditText":"John Shearer—Getty Images for MTV","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5373291/ariana-grande-vmas-family/","name":"Explaining Ariana Grande's Power Woman Posse Who Stole the Show During Her VMAs Performance"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Celebrities Walk the 2018 VMAs Pink Carpet","description":"2018 Video Music Awards Red Carpet","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/uNvctn9I/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-08-21T03:08:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uNvctn9I.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5373291/ariana-grande-vmas-family/","duration":"PT1M49S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5373291/ariana-grande-vmas-family/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```