Tetris Kelly sat down with a string of artists on the VMAs 2026 red carpet and asked each of them a simple question: if you could go back and be in any music video, what would it be? The answers ranged from a sweaty dance fantasy to a confused memory of a helicopter drop.
Kelly’s Question
Kelly opened the segment with a straightforward setup. He asked each artist to imagine themselves in the recording booth of a classic video, then pressed them on the specifics. His follow-ups were often playful, sometimes baffled, and always pointed at the absurdity of the premise. The result is a series of small character portraits, each framed by Kelly’s deadpan curiosity.
Fuerza Regida’s System of Down Pick
The first answer came from JOP of Fuerza Regida, who picked “BYOB” by System of Down. Kelly corrected him gently, noting that the band is actually called System of a Down. JOP stuck to his guns anyway, admitting he didn’t know why he wanted to be in the video beyond a simple confession: he likes System of a Down.
Tyla’s Monitor Watcher
Tyla took the question literally. She said she would not actually be in the video at all. Instead, she imagined herself watching it happen from behind the scenes, monitoring the action on a screen while the scene unfolded around her. Kelly pressed her on who she would be watching, and Tyla named one of Michael’s videos as her likely target.
Slayyyter’s Sweat Fantasy
Slayyyter went in a different direction entirely. She said she would love to be one of the sweaty “Slave 4 U” sexy dancers. She described the video’s setting as something like a sauna or a pub, adding that the dancers are all sweaty throughout. She concluded with a shrug: she loves it.
Troye Sivan’s Christina Aguilera Choice
Troye Sivan picked the “Dirrty” video, featuring Christina Aguilera. He was enthusiastic about it, even giggling at the memory. He recalled some little chaps in the water, and he closed the answer with a string of affirmatives: “Yeah. Yeah.”
Shaboozey’s Jagged Edge Memory
Shaboozey went back even further, picking “Where the Party At?” by Jagged Edged and Nelly. Kelly noted that this was one of his first videos ever seen. Shaboozey added his own detail: the video involved a plane and a helicopter drop.
The Interview’s Tone
The segment is less a serious piece of criticism and more a light-hearted exercise in pop culture nostalgia. Kelly’s questions are often leading, and his follow-ups can be confused, but that is part of the charm. He asks why an artist wants to be in a video without fully understanding the video himself, which creates a delightful loop of mutual ignorance.
The answers are similarly varied. Some artists picked videos they knew intimately, while others reached for something they had only heard about. The segment captures a moment of genuine fandom, with each artist pointing to a video that mattered to them personally.
A Table of Picks
| Artist | Video | Details |
|---|---|---|
| JOP of Fuerza Regida | “BYOB” by System of Down | Kelly corrects the band name to System of a Down |
| Tyla | One of Michael’s videos | Watching from a monitor |
| Slayyyter | “Slave 4 U” by Britney Spears | Described as sweaty, sauna-like |
| Troye Sivan | “Dirrty” by Christina Aguilera | Little chaps in the water |
| Shaboozey | “Where the Party At?” by Jagged Edged and Nelly | Plane and helicopter drop |
Key Facts Box
- Event: VMAs 2026 red carpet
- Interviewer: Tetris Kelly
- Artists interviewed: Tyla, Slayyyter, Troye Sivan, JOP of Fuerza Regida, Shaboozey
- Videos mentioned: “BYOB” by System of Down, “Slave 4 U” by Britney Spears, “Dirrty” by Christina Aguilera, “Where the Party At?” by Jagged Edged and Nelly
Our View
The segment is a fun, low-stakes piece of celebrity interviewing. It is not a deep dive into music history, and it does not pretend to be. It is a set of artists sharing their favorite memories, mediated through Kelly’s unfiltered curiosity.
The humor comes from the mismatch between Kelly’s questions and the artists’ answers. He asks why someone would want to be in a video, and the responses are often vague or sentimental. The contrast between Kelly’s bafflement and the artists’ certainty is the whole point.
The segment also captures a moment of personal fandom. Each artist pointed to a video that mattered to them individually, whether it was a dance fantasy, a beloved band, or a childhood memory tied to a specific drop. These are small, specific details that make the answers feel lived-in rather than generic.
The segment is a small slice of the larger VMAs experience, and it works because it is unpretentious. It lets the artists be themselves, and it lets Kelly be the slightly confused interviewer. The result is a set of answers that are personal, funny, and oddly moving.
Watch the full video above to see Kelly’s reactions in real time.
See the video the story is built around at Billboard.
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