At which award show did Ariana Grande perform 'Side to Side' with Nicki Minaj?

Ariana Grande performed “Side to Side” with Nicki Minaj at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.

The performance took place on August 28, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Grande opened the number with a workout-themed staging that included stationary bicycles, while Minaj joined her for the rap verse. The energetic choreography matched the song’s playful fitness imagery.

“Side to Side” was released as the third single from Grande’s 2016 album Dangerous Woman. It was written by Grande, Minaj, Savan Kotecha, Alexander Kronlund, and its producers, Max Martin and Ilya. The song later received another major televised performance from the pair at the 2016 American Music Awards, a common source of confusion.

The track became one of Grande’s biggest early hits, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a multi-platinum RIAA certification. Its music video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, also featured Grande and Minaj in a colorful gym setting.