Emmie blog

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Kanye West will perform live at the MTV video music awards in September, a year after causing a media and fan firestorm by insulting country singer Taylor Swift in front of millions of TV viewers.

MTV on Thursday said West, who is releasing a new album in the fall, would take the stage at the annual awards show "and fans will be glued to the screen to see what the rapper has in store for the audience."

West became the most talked about artist at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when he interrupted Swift's best female pop video acceptance speech and said the trophy should have gone to Beyonce.

He later apologized publicly to Swift, but music websites have been teeming with speculation in recent weeks about whether MTV would have him back on the live awards show.

West has one nomination this year for his collaboration with newcomer Drake, Li'l Wayne and Eminem on the "Forever" hip-hop music video. Swift has a single nomination for best female video for "Fifteen," but MTV has not yet said whether she will also be singing at the September 12 show.

Drake will perform at the VMAs and British indie favorite Florence and the Machine also will take the stage, MTV said.

Lady Gaga has a record 13 nominations, and rapper Eminem is the most-nominated male artist this year with eight nods. The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on September 12.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)