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'I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me,' B says onstage as papa-to-be Jay-Z smiles proudly.
By Gil Kaufman

Beyoncé on stage at the 2011 VMAs
Photo: FilmMagic

It's hard to think of anything veteran VMA star Beyoncé could have done to make her Sunday (August 28) performance slot during the big show an even bigger deal. Except maybe using it to reveal that she's pregnant.

"Tonight I want you to stand up on your feet, I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me," Queen B said as an introduction to "Love on Top," hinting to the world the news that she had alluded to on the black carpet just an hour before when she cradled her belly and teased that she would be making some kind of "announcement."

With a blinding light beaming out behind her, Beyoncé took the stage in a purple spangly tuxedo jacket, black pants and white tuxedo shirt, still rocking her fierce six-inch heels of old, pregnant or not. Her blond hair blowing in the wind, and backed by six dancers wearing similar shimmering tuxes, the glowing diva gave new meaning to the lyrics, "Now everybody asks me why I'm smiling out from ear to ear."

The audience was clearly feeling the love also, with Adele singing along and Kanye West putting his arm around Jo Calderone (a.k.a. Lady Gaga) as they laughed and smiled at the set from their pal. Normally a spirited dancer who uses the whole stage, B kept her dancing to a minimum for most of the song, shuffling and rocking back and forth as she held onto the microphone stand while singing the 1960s-style R&B tune.

A veteran on the VMA stage, Beyoncé roped in upside down in 2003 to perform the first two singles from her solo debut, "Baby Boy" and "Crazy in Love." She returned three years later dressed in a trench coat over a black leather leotard for a run through "Ring the Alarm," which cemented her status as one of the event's MVPs. And if there was any doubt who runs the show, she put it to rest in 2009 when an army of female backup dancers joined her for an eye-popping version of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" that turned into a viral sensation.

While those appearances were full of her high-energy dancing, Lady B didn't pull it all the way up on Sunday, eventually making her way to the extended lip in front of the stage, throwing down and getting a bit wild as she brought the tune home with some of her signature, church-born power vocals. Rocking her body side-to-side and tossing her impressive head of hair as she encouraged the audience to put their hands together, Beyoncé ended the performance by dropping the mic, opening her jacket and rubbing her belly.

It was all smiles at that point, with Kanye giving his Throne-mate, proud papa-to-be Jigga, some heartfelt hugs and shoulder pats in honor of the blessed news.

If Jay sits on the throne and she's the Queen B, then that must mean their offspring will be a prince or princess, right?

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards are live now! Stick with MTV News for winners, photos, video and behind-the-scenes stories about everything going down. Visit VMA.MTV.com for the latest.

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