MTV's Best New Artist Dove Cameron says being considered "new" is "really magical"

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Dove Cameron was named Best New Artist Sunday night at the MTV VMAs -- despite the fact that she released her first single in 2013 and put out a two-song EP in 2019. But on the red carpet ahead of the show, she told ABC News why she's OK with being considered "new."

"I feel like I've been working for a long time, but I hadn't found myself until this year," Dove told ABC News. "And so to be at this very strange juncture of having been in the public eye for a while, but being considered a new artist, is actually really magical for me. Because it makes me feel super-seen in the way that I actually feel."

"I do feel like a new artist. I do feel like a new person. I do feel like I'm brand new," she added. "And so to be recognized for that is actually really moving."

Of course, it was Dove's hit from this year, "Boyfriend," that really established her as a pop star. She told ABC News why the success of that particular song -- which is about a girl telling another girl that she would be a better partner than her boyfriend -- was so important to her.

"It kind of warms my heart that a queer song could make any kind of impact like that, make it onto mainstream radio, or strike a chord with so many young queer people," Dove said.

She added, "It was so moving to me and I kind of felt like there was no better way for me to accept that I could maybe really do this, than to feel like I was being backed by, and representing, so many people that felt represented and felt like they wanted representing."

Tuesday, August 30, 2022 at 6:00AM by Andrea Dresdale & Brittany Berkowitz Permalink