Calling all Coneheads! Conan Gray just graced the VMAs main stage with a stunning rendition of his heartwrenching track, “Vodka Cranberry.” The singer-songwriter gave a dramatic Romeo and Juliet–inspired performance, complete with a cameo from Corey Fogelmanis, aka the Brando to his Wilson.
This marks the “Heather” hitmaker’s first performance at the VMAs since he sang his Superache single, “Memories,” on the Extended Play stage in 2022.
After his fourth album, Wishbone, dropped on August 15, Conan caught up with Cosmopolitan and broke down the inspiration behind his music video trilogy for “This Song,” “Vodka Cranberry,” and “Caramel.”
“I wanted to tell a classic love story. The music videos are a manifestation of something that I wish I could have had in high school,” he explained. “I wasn’t falling in love, wrestling in creeks, and kissing on rooftops. I was studying for AP tests and writing songs in my bedroom. In a way, it was making a dream come true for me. I wanted to give people a piece of that dream and let them see a world in which two people fall in love and it works out.”
His VMAs performance gave fans a taste of what they can expect on his upcoming Wishbone Pajama Show Tour, which kicks off in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, on September 11. Of course, “Vodka Cranberry” will make the setlist, as well as other hits from the early aughts of his career.
“Look, ‘Maniac’ is a banger. I’m going to sing it. ‘Vodka Cranberry’ will be sung,” he told Cosmopolitan. “‘People Watching’ will be sung—I actually will never forget singing it at Radio City. I’m going to hit all the hits, and then I’m gonna sing the new songs.”
