Beyonce Joins VMAs Lineup, Wale Set to Lead House Band

MTV News revealed today that Beyoncé has joined the slate of performers at this year's Video Music Awards. Sasha Fierce's addition to the roster isn't all that surprising; her husband Jay-Z has already been booked to perform, plus Beyoncé is tied for the most nominations with Lady Gaga, who is also set to appear September 13th at New York's Radio City Music Hall. As always, Rolling Stone will have full coverage from the event, so stay tuned.

In other VMAs news that should excite all those Twilighters out there, the first single of New Moon's soundtrack, Death Cab for Cutie's "Meet Me on the Equinox," will premiere on MTV.com the same day as the Awards. Plus, rapper Wale and the band UCB will serve as this year's VMAs house band. As Rock Daily previously reported, Muse, Taylor Swift, Green Day and Pink — and maybe Britney Spears? — will also perform at the VMAs, which will be hosted for a second straight year by Brit comic Russell Brand.

Look back at 2008's VMAs, in photos..

While Beyoncé doesn't have as many amazingly Britastic moments at the VMAs as Ms. Spears, Mrs. Jay-Z does have her share of memorable MTV award show performances. Watch a few vids from Beyoncé's MTV reel below:

2003 VMAs - "Baby Boy"/"Crazy in Love"

2006 VMAs - "Ring the Alarm"

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Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

More Song Stories entries »

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