Katy Perry had her biggest fan with her on Wednesday as she accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

The 143 artist delivered an energetic 20-minute set of some of her biggest hits at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, following a sweet introduction from her husband Orlando Bloom.

“You fell in love with her as Katy Perry. I fell in love with her as Katherine Hudson,” he began. “You know her as a global superstar who brings love, light and her unique sense of humor to every song she writes and every music video she makes.

“I know her as a mother, a partner who brings that same love and joy to our family. When we needed it most, her music and the remarkable world she creates have brought a sense of joy and laughter, inspiring generations of people around the world. She loves us with all her heart, and that is irresistible. I see her reflected everywhere in our home, in her love for her work, but most of all in her love for her fans. Congratulations on this honor, darling, I am so proud of you. 143!” Bloom added.

Bloom presented his wife with the award after she performed a medley of her songs “Dark Horse,” “ET,” “I’m His, He’s Mine” featuring Doechii, “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” “I Kissed a Girl,” “Firework” and “Lifetimes,” all of which she sang “on the first day of my period.”

“Who’s babysitting my daughter?” Perry joked to Bloom, who replied, “Oh, I thought you were.”

Perry said in her speech, “Thank you so much to MTV for believing in my queerness from day one and helping artists expand their worlds beyond a song. There are so many things that have to align to have a long and successful career as an artist. There are no accidents that last decades.”

She thanked her longtime team at Direct Management, her label Capitol Records, her parents, her family, Myspace, Warped Tour, and “all the bygone places where I found a voice, identity, and community so early. Thank you to my friends who were there when my Jetta was repossessed. My Katy Kats who have stood by me through my life, and the LGBTQ community who I know I wouldn’t be here without, showing me you can be both kind and c—. Thank you to Orlando for keeping me grounded, celebrating, and doing the dishes. And lastly, to my Daisy, the only flowers I will ever need.”

“I get excited when I look around in the music world today and see all these amazing young artists who are operating with confidence, agency, vulnerability, and authenticity. I’ve heard a lot of ‘Do this, don’t say that, wear less, wear more now, hey don’t cut your hair.’ One of the biggest reasons I’m here right now is because I’ve learned how to block out all the noise that every artist in this industry has to constantly fight against, especially women. I just want to say with all my heart, do whatever it takes to stay true to yourself and your art. Turn off social media, protect your sanity, take a break, touch grass… and do what you were born to do, just like I was born to do,” Perry added.

Perry releases her seventh studio album 143 on September 20, her first in four years after the 2020s Smile.