The countdown to music’s boldest night has officially begun. The nominations for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) are officially out, setting the stage for one of the most competitive and star-studded editions in recent memory.
Leading the charge is Lady Gaga, who scored a staggering 12 nominations, reaffirming her reign as a pop juggernaut. This marks the third time she’s received the most nods in a single year — a feat she previously achieved in 2010 and 2020 — bringing her total MTV VMA wins to 18 and inching her closer to breaking the all-time record currently held by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
Bruno Mars follows with 11 nominations, including an exceptional two Video of the Year contenders: “Die With a Smile” alongside Gaga and “APT.”, a genre-blending collaboration with ROSÉ. That rare double-placement makes him just the fourth artist in MTV VMAs history to score two nominations in the same top-tier category. Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar returns with 10 nominations, including for his Grammy-winning track “Not Like Us”, which is also in the running for Video of the Year. A win here would make him the sole runner-up to Swift for most wins in that category.
Other multi-category contenders include ROSÉ and Sabrina Carpenter, each with eight nominations, while Ariana Grande and The Weeknd follow closely with seven each. With nods spanning pop, rap, alternative and global genres, this year’s VMAs reflect a dynamic and diverse musical landscape — one that also embraces change. For the first time, the awards introduce two new categories: Best Country and Best Pop Artist, acknowledging the growing crossover between genres and the expanding reach of the MTV VMAs.
The ceremony returns to UBS Arena in New York on September 7, airing live on CBS with a simultaneous stream on Paramount+. Fan voting is now open across 19 categories, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Best New Artist. With blockbuster names, rising stars, and a few unexpected twists, the 2025 MTV VMAs promise a night where music, visuals and cultural moments collide.
Here are the nominees for the 2025 MTV VMAs:
Video of the Year
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead”
Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny
Beyoncé
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga
Morgan Wallen
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd
Song of the Year
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
Doechii – “Anxiety”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire” (feat. Arijit Singh)
Gracie Abrams – “I Love You, I’m Sorry”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”
Lorde – “What Was That”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Tate McRae – “Sports Car”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Best New Artist
Alex Warren
Ella Langley
Gigi Perez
Lola Young – Island
sombr
The Marías
Best Collaboration
Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs – “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)”
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “luther”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”
Post Malone feat. Blake Shelton – “Pour Me a Drink”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Selena Gomez, benny blanco – “Sunset Blvd”
Best Album
Bad Bunny – DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
Kendrick Lamar – GNX
Lady Gaga – Mayhem
Morgan Wallen – I’m the Problem
Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow
Best Long Form Video
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead”
Bad Bunny – “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Short Film)”
Damiano David – “FUNNY little STORIES”
Mac Miller – “Balloonerism”
Miley Cyrus – “Something Beautiful”
The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”
Video for Good
Burna Boy – “Higher”
Charli xcx – “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish
Doechii – “Anxiety”
Eminem feat. Jelly Roll – “Somebody Save Me”
Selena Gomez, benny blanco – “Younger and Hotter Than Me”
Zach Hood feat. Sasha Alex Sloan – “Sleepwalking”
MTV Push Performance of the Year
August 2024 – Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
September 2024 – Ayra Starr – “Last Heartbreak Song”
October 2024 – Mark Ambor – “Belong Together”
November 2024 – Lay Bankz – “Graveyard”
December 2024 – Dasha – “Bye Bye Bye”
January 2025 – KATSEYE – “Touch”
February 2025 – Jordan Adetunji – “KEHLANI”
March 2025 – Leon Thomas – “YES IT IS”
April 2025 – Livingston – “Shadow”
May 2025 – Damiano David – “Next Summer”
June 2025 – Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
July 2025 – ROLE MODEL – “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”
Best Pop Artist
Ariana Grande – Republic Records
Charli xcx – Atlantic Records
Justin Bieber – Def Jam Recordings
Lorde – Republic Records
Miley Cyrus – Columbia Records
Sabrina Carpenter – Island
Tate McRae – RCA Records
Best Pop
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Best Hip-Hop
Doechii – “Anxiety”
Drake – “NOKIA”
Eminem feat. Jelly Roll – “Somebody Save Me”
GloRilla feat. Sexyy Red – “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
LL COOL J feat. Eminem – “Murdergram Deux”
Travis Scott – “4X4”
Best R&B
Chris Brown – “Residuals”
Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs – “MUTT (REMIX)” – EZMNY Records/Motown Records
Mariah Carey – “Type Dangerous”
PARTYNEXTDOOR – “N o C h i l l”
Summer Walker – “Heart of a Woman”
SZA – “Drive”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Best Alternative Artist
Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
Imagine Dragons – “Wake Up”
Lola Young – “Messy”
mgk & Jelly Roll – “Lonely Road”
sombr – “back to friends”
The Marías – “Back to Me”
Best Rock
Coldplay – “All My Love”
Evanescence – “Afterlife (From the Netflix Series Devil May Cry)”
Green Day – “One Eyed Bastard”
Lenny Kravitz – “Honey”
Linkin Park – “The Emptiness Machine”
twenty one pilots – “The Contract”
Best Latin
Bad Bunny – “BAILE INoLVIDABLE”
J Balvin – “Rio”
KAROL G – “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
Peso Pluma – “LA PATRULLA”
Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos – “Khé?”
Shakira – “Soltera”
Best K-Pop
aespa – “Whiplash”
JENNIE – “like JENNIE”
Jimin – “Who”
JISOO – “earthquake”
LISA feat. Doja Cat & RAYE – “Born Again”
Stray Kids – “Chk Chk Boom”
ROSÉ – “toxic till the end”
Best Afrobeats
Asake & Travis Scott – “Active”Burna Boy feat. Travis Scott – “TaTaTa”
MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – “Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix)”
Rema – “Baby (Is It a Crime)”
Tems feat. Asake – “Get It Right”
Tyla – “PUSH 2 START”
Wizkid feat. Brent Faiyaz – “Piece Of My Heart” – Starboy/RCA Records
Best Country
Chris Stapleton – “Think I’m In Love With You”
Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood – “I’m Gonna Love You”
Jelly Roll – “Liar”
Lainey Wilson – “4x4xU”
Megan Moroney – “Am I Okay?”
Morgan Wallen – “Smile”
Best Direction
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead”
Charli xcx – “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Best Art Direction
Charli xcx – “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Lorde – “Man Of The Year”
Miley Cyrus – “End of the World”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Best Cinematography
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire” (featuring Arijit Singh)
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Miley Cyrus – “Easy Lover”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Best Editing
Charli xcx – “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire” (featuring Arijit Singh)
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching (From F1 The Movie)”
Best Choreography
Doechii – “Anxiety”
FKA twigs – “Eusexua”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Tyla – “PUSH 2 START”
Zara Larsson – “Pretty Ugly”
Best Visual Effects
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching (From F1 The Movie)”
The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”
Which nominations surprised you the most? Share your thoughts with us on X @celebmix and follow more awards season updates at CelebMix!
