This is the part when Ariana Grande breaks free on the VMA stage.

The 21-year-old singer opened the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards by singing her song, “Break Free,” her hit dance collaboration with EDM producer Zedd. She was a ball of energy, hopping around the stage in thigh-high boots and a diamond-studded leotard.

Grande quickly did a costume change as Nicki Minaj performed her new single, “Anaconda,” and then joined Minaj and Jessie J for their collaboration, “Bang Bang.”

Grande has come a long way since her VMA pre-show performance last year, when the up-and-coming Nickelodeon star was dubbed an “artist to watch” by the network.

Her new album, “My Everything,” drops Aug. 25.