Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga lead the 2020 MTV Video Music Award nominations with nine nominations each, followed close behind by Billie Eilish and The Weeknd, whom are both up for six.
The nominations for this year’s awards show were announced Thursday and on top of the usual honors including Video and Artist Of The Year, new categories have been added to recognize work produced during quarantine.
Grande and Gaga were both nominated for Video Of The Year for their No. 1 dance hit Rain On Me, which is also competing for Song Of The Year, Best Collaboration, Best Pop, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Best Choreography.
Hitting a high note! Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga lead the 2020 MTV Video Music Award nominations with nine nominations each, followed close behind by Billie Eilish and The Weeknd, whom are both up for six
Collaboration: Grande and Gaga were both nominated for Video Of The Year for their No. 1 dance hit Rain On Me
Eilish’s everything i wanted, The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights, Taylor Swift’s The Man, Eminem and Juice WRLD’s Godzilla, Future and Drake’s Life Is Good are all competing for the coveted Video Of The Year award.
The VMAs will air live on Aug. 30 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and New York after Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last month ‘the event will follow all safety guidance, including limited or no audience.’
This year also marks the introduction of several new awards honoring performances and songs produced from home during the coronavirus pandemic: Best Music Video From Home and Best Quarantine Performance.
Grande and Justin Bieber’s No. 1 hit Stuck with U will compete for Best Music Video From Home along with Drake’s Toosie Slide, John Legend’s Bigger Love, 5 Seconds of Summer’s Wildflower, blink-182’s Happy Days and twenty one pilots’ Level of Concern, which topped the Billboard rock songs chart for seven weeks and features the lyrics, ‘Will you be my little quarantine?’
Success! Rain On Me is also competing for Song Of The Year, Best Collaboration, Best Pop, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Best Choreography
Safety guidelines: The VMAs will air live on Aug. 30 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and New York after Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last month ‘the event will follow all safety guidance, including limited or no audience’
Critical acclaim: Bille Eilish follows close behind Grande and Gaga with six nominations
Scooping up the noms: Like Eilish, The Weeknd is also up for six nominations
Girl power! Taylor Swift is in the running for the coveted Video Of The Year honor with The Man
R&B duo Chloe x Halle, who have successfully promoted their new album during the pandemic with impressive live performances mostly put on in their tennis court and outside their new home, are nominated for Best Quarantine Performance for Do It from MTV’s virtual prom Prom-athon.
Other nominees include Gaga’s Smile from the TV special One World: Together At Home; Legend’s #togetherathome concert; DJ D-Nice’s Club MTV presents #DanceTogether; CNCO’s MTV Unplugged At Home; and Post Malone’s tribute to Nirvana.
Apart from the pandemic, protest songs reflecting the Black experience created in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others also earned VMA nominations. R&B star H.E.R.’s I Can’t Breathe, Anderson.Paak’s Lockdown and Lil Baby’s The Bigger Picture all scored nominations in the Video For Good Category.
New category: Drake’s Toosie Slide is among the videos nominated for the new category recognizing work produced from home, Best Music Video From Home
Honored: R&B duo Chloe x Halle, who have successfully promoted their new album during the pandemic with impressive live performances mostly put on in their tennis court and outside their new home, are nominated for best quarantine performance for Do It from MTV’s virtual prom Prom-athon
Going for the gold: J Balvin has scored four nominations
Swift, who released a surprise album last week, will also compete for Video For Good with her song about sexism, The Man. She scored five nominations overall, while Drake, Dua Lipa, J Balvin and Bieber earned four nominations apiece.
Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby – who both launched No. 1 pop hits this year – earned three nods each, including bids for Artist Of The Year. Their competition includes Gaga, Bieber, The Weeknd and Post Malone.
BTS, Harry Styles, Roddy Ricch, Post Malone, Future, Karol G and Doja Cat – who topped the charts this year with her Dr. Luke-produced smash Say So – also earned three nods each.
Starting Thursday through Aug. 23, fans can vote for VMA winners across 15 gender-neutral categories here.
Noteworthy: Harry Styles and Karol G are up up for three awards
Global phenomenon: K-pop sensation BTS are up for three nominations at the show
Music makers: Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby – who both launched No. 1 pop hits this year – earned three nods each, including bids for Artist Of The Year