The MTV VMAs are exactly one month away, and the network decided to celebrate the occasion by sharing the list of nominees for the upcoming music video awards show.
Both Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga were nominated for nine awards each, including Video of the Year for their “Rain on Me” collaboration. Also in the running for having the top music video of 2020 are The Weeknd and Billie Eilish, who are each up for four “Moon Person” awards.
The other artists and songs rounding out the nominees for the category include Eminem’s “Godzilla,” featuring Juice, Future’s “Life Is Good,” featuring Drake, and Taylor Swift’s “The Man.” Swift, who is up for five total awards this year, took home the honor in 2019 for her song, “You Need To Calm Down.”
DaBaby, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, and The Weeknd have all had an exceptional 2020 in their own rights, and thus have been nominated for Artist of the Year.
Ariana Grande, who won Artist of the Year in 2019, didn’t have any problem keeping her momentum going into the new decade. The 27-year-old Floridian scored big with her hit, “Rain on Me,” which she recorded with Lady Gaga.
In addition to being up for Video of the Year, the Robert Rodriguez-directed production is also a potential winner for Best Song, Best Pop, Best Collaboration, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Choreography. The star wowed her fans in an Instagram post from earlier this month.
Drake, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa, and J Balvin will also look to have big nights, as each are up for four awards.
Two new categories have been announced for this year’s edition of the show, which had its inaugural show in 1984. Both have a very 2020 touch with Best Music Video From Home highlighted by Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s “Stuck With U,” Blink 182’s “Happy Days,” and Twenty One Pilots’ “Level of Concern,” along with those in the running for Best Quarantine Performance being Post Malone’s Nirvana Tribute, John Legend’s #TogetherAtHome Concert Series, and Lady Gaga’s “Smile” from One World: Together At Home, among others.
While many artists across the board are from a younger generation, the list from the Best Rock category nominees could easily be mistaken for existing 15 years ago. At the top is Green Day, the California rockers who have won 11 times at the VMAs over their 30-plus year career. They’re joined by Blink 182, Coldplay, Evanescence, The Killers, and Fall Out Boy.
The 2020 VMAs will go on as scheduled at an audience-free Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sunday, August 30.