Lady Gaga leads 2025 MTV VMA’s nominations – see the full list

Other challengers with several categories include Rosé and Sabrina Carpenter, each with eight nominations, while Ariana Grande and The Weeknd follow close to seven each. With nods that extend over pop, rap, alternative and global genres, this year’s VMAs reflect a dynamic and versatile musical landscape – one that also includes change. For the first time, prices introduce two new categories: best country and best pop artist and recognize the growing transition between genres and the growing range of MTV VMA.

The ceremony returns to the UBS Arena in New York on September 7 and will be broadcast live on CBS with a simultaneous stream on Paramount+. Fan voting is now open across 19 categories, including this year’s video, this year’s artist and best new artist. With blockbuster names, rising stars and some unexpected turns, 2025 MTV VMA promises a night where music, pictures and cultural moments collide.

Here they are nominated for 2025 MTV VMA:

This year’s video

• 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 rabbit
• Beyoncé
• Kendrick Lamar
• Lady Gaga
• Morgan Wallen
• Taylor Swift
• The Weeknd

Song of the year

• Alex Warren – “plain”
• 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 it”
• Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
• Tate McRae – “Sports Car”
• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”

Best new artist

• Alex Warren
• She Langley
• Perez teeth
• Lola Young – Iceland
• Porcelain
• 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 a drink”
• Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
• Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco – “Sunset Blvd”

Best album

• Bad Bunny – I had to throw more photos
• Kendrick Lamar – GNX
• Lady Gaga – Mayhem
• Morgan Wallen – I’m the problem
• Sabrina carpenter – short n ‘cute
• The Weeknd – Hurry Tomorrow

Best long form video

• Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
• Bad Bunny – “I had to throw more photos (short film)”
• Damiano David – “Funny little stories”
• Mac Miller – “Balloonism”
• Miley Cyrus – “something beautiful”
• The Weeknd – “Hurry tomorrow”

Video for good

• BURN BOY – “Higher”
• Charli XC- “Guess” with 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 – “Hear Together”
• November 2024 – Lay Bankz – “Graveyard”
• December 2024 – Dasha – “Bye Bye”
• January 2025 – Katseye – “touch”
• February 2025 – “Kehlani”
• March 2025 – Leon Thomas – “Yes It’s”
• April 2025 – Livingston – “Shadow”
• May 2025 – Damiano David – “Next Summer”
• June 2025 – Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
• July 2025 – Role model – “Sally, when the wine ends”

Best pop artist

• Ariana Grande – Republic Records
• Charli XC- Atlantic Records
• Justin Bieber – Def Jam -recordings
• Lorde – Republic Records
• Miley Cyrus – Columbia Records
• Sabrina Carpenter – Iceland
• Tate McRae – RCA Records

Best pop

• Alex Warren – “plain”
• 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 – “Watchu Kno About Me”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not like us”
• Ll cool j feat. Eminem – “Murdergram Deux”
• Travis Scott – “4×4”

Best R&B

• Chris Brown – “Rest”
• Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs – “Mutt (Remix)” – Ezmny Records/Motown Records
• Mariah Carey – “Type Dangerous”
• PartyExtdoor – “Noc Hill”
• Summer Walker – “Heart of a Woman”
• Said – “Drive”
• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”

Best alternative artist

• Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
• Imagine Dragon – “Wake Up”
• Lola Young – “Messy”
• MGK & Jelly Roll – “Lonely Road”
• sombr – “back to friends”
• Marías – “Back to Me”

Best stone

• 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 pilots – “The contract”

Best Latin

• Bad Bunny – “Baile Inolvideble”
• J Ballvin – “reson”
• Karol G – “If I had known you before”
• Pen weight – “patruljen”
• Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos – “Khé?”
• Shakira – “single”

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 to the end”

Best Afrobeats

• Asake & Travis Scott – “Active”
  BURN BOY. Travis Scott – “It”.
• Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – “Shake it to the Max (Fly) (Remix)”
• REMA – “Baby (is that a crime)”
• Tems Feat. Asake – “Get It Right”
• Tyla – “Push 2 Start”
• Wizkid Feat. Brent Faiyaz – “My Heart” – Starboy/RCA Records

Best country

• Chris Stapleton – “Think I’m in love with you”
• Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood – “I will love you”
• Jelly Roll – “Liar”
• Lainey Wilson – “4x4xu”
• Megan Moroney – “Am I okay?”
• Morgan Wallen – “Smile”

Best direction

• Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
• Charli XC- “Guess” with Billie Eilish
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not like us”
• Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
• Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”

Best art direction

• Charli XC- “Guess” with 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” (with Arijit Singh)
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not like us”
• Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
• Miley Cyrus – “Easy Lover”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”

Best editing

• Charli XC- “Guess” with Billie Eilish
• Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire” (with Arijit Singh)
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not like us”
• Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
• Tate McRae – “Just keep watching (from the F1 movie)”

Best choreography

• Doechii – “anxiety”
• FKA Twigs – “Eusexua”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not like us”
• Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
• Tyla – “Push 2 Start”
• Zara Larsson – “Pretty Ful”

Best visual effects

• Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
• Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
• Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
• Tate McRae – “Just keep watching (from the F1 movie)”
• The Weeknd – “Hurry tomorrow”

Which nominations surprised you the most? Share your thoughts with us at @celebmix and follow more updates of the Celebmix season!