Miley Cyrus reenacts controversial video as she swings on giant wrecking ball

Miley Cyrus never disappoints at the MTV VMA, and this year was no different, despite the social distancing and virtual celebrations.

The Queen of the VMA not only performed her new single Midnight Sky live for the first time, she also paid homage to the 2013 smash hit that launched her to even more fame: Wrecking Ball.

Having showed up at the virtually empty red carpet wearing a sheer black off-the-shoulder dress with sparkly polka dots, it wasn’t long before the 27-year-old star was doing what she does best and causing a stir.

Taking to the stage for her Midnight Sky performance, Miley – wearing a 1970s-style flat blonde wig with a heavy fringe and a black plunging belted dress with a split up to the hip – belted out her new track in front of a stark white background.

The backdrop dramatically turned to bright red as Miley sang: “I was born to run, I don’t belong to anyone, oh no/I don’t need to be loved by you.”

The lights then turned to a well lit set of stairs with a giant glitterball poised on a wire at the top.

Miley made her way up to the ball, unbelted her dress to show even more skin, then climbed on to the ball and started writhing on it – exactly what happened in her 2013 Wrecking Ball video, in which she rode the ball wearing nothing but a pair of boots.

Last week the singer had paid tribute to the song on its seventh anniversary, sharing a brief snippet of the music video that caused so much controversy back in 2013.

“7 years of Wrecking Ball. My concept of time is completely askew. Feels like a lifetime ago… but somehow only yesterday,” she wrote next to it.

“Thank you for all the support you gave me then and of course the love you’re continuing to show my art today. Forever grateful & inspired.”

Miley, who divorced husband Liam Hemsworth in January this year, won two VMAs in Sunday night’s ceremony – best art direction and best editing for the Mother’s Daughter music video.

In a nod to the strangest year of our collective lives, awards show bosses introduced two new categories to honour new music made during the coronavirus pandemic – best music video from home and best quarantine performance.