Singer Tate McRae paid tribute to Britney Spears at the VMAs

For maybe the 10th or 11th year in a row, I missed the MTV Video Music Awards Wednesday night. I honestly can’t tell you the last time I sat down and watched what used to be appointment TV.

I assumed when the channel that calls itself Music Television stopped playing very much music on television that the award show would also fade into nothingness. I was wrong.

It's still here, and for the second year in a row, social media has thrown me something I couldn't ignore. Last year, it was Emily Ratajkowski's wardrobe malfunction that reminded me the awards show still existed.

This year's reminder came on Instagram thanks to singer Tate McRae. I don't know if she won any awards or if she performed during the show. I didn't watch it either.

I know she honored Britney Spears with an almost exact replica of a see-through minidress the pop singer wore to the 2001 VMAs.

Tate McRae once again had a strong performance at an awards ceremony

A quick Google search tells me that Taylor Swift did pretty well at the awards shows, but what's new? Well, I'll tell you what's new. Tate McRae is the new thing.

She may have reached back into history to show some love to one of the biggest pop stars of all time, but she can hold her own at awards shows without such gimmicks.

The 21-year-old did it earlier this year when she stole the show at the so-called iHeartRadio Music Awards. That sounds like a big deal – the awards show is a show, not her stealing the show. There's no doubt about that.

When a lot of celebrities gather in one place and you go home with your hand raised, you're doing something right.

She has billions of streams, the hockey world knows her, and even if the VMAs don't pull in the numbers they used to, a strong performance that gets exposure on social media is good for a rising star.

Tate McRae is an emerging pop culture superstar.