It’s a Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars world at the 2025 VMAs, nominees
The second semester is knocking on the door, and you already know: it’s time to start the countdown for a night of international pop with a new edition of the VMA!
The Video Music Awards, organized by MTV, established itself as the biggest music video awards in the past, when they dominated its programming, but even today it still draws flashes and fans for the chance to see several chart-topping stars gathered on the red carpet and in unbeatable musical performances.
Created in 1984 by the American TV network, the awards still hand out the now-iconic Moon Man statuettes (astronauts, in literal translation), the name given to the trophies that honor the best musical artists of the year across 25 different categories.
In 2025, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars reign among the nominees with the success of their collaboration “Die With a Smile,” surprise-released last August and a dominant force on music charts in the United States and worldwide. Together, the duo has earned 7 nominations just for the duet, plus several others for additional releases. Overall, Gaga leads with the most nominations, 12 in total, followed by Bruno with 11.
Also with 7 nominations is Kendrick Lamar, thanks to the success of “Not Like Us,” the decade’s most successful diss track. Rosé from Blackpink follows closely with 8 nominations, also boosting Mars’ ranking with their collab “APT.,” another hegemonic hit from the past year, tied with Sabrina Carpenter. Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, and Billie Eilish round out the top artists with the most chances for awards.
Guess who got left out? The ultimate brat-green muse Charli XCX, recognized only in the Pop category and technical categories.
One of the categories always closely followed by pop enthusiasts is Best New Artist, which highlights the hottest names that definitively stole the spotlight in the past year. This time, competing for the title are Alex Warren, Billboard’s king, Ella Langley, Gigi Perez, Lola Young, sombr, and The Marías.
A new feature of the VMA 2025 is the inclusion of a category dedicated to country music, featuring singles from Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, and Morgan Wallen. As in recent years, all categories blend different genres, without the distinctions of the past.
19 of the 25 categories are decided by public vote through the awards’ website, except for the 5 technical categories. To cast your vote for your favorite artists, follow this link…
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When and where to watch the VMA 2025 live
The VMA 2025 takes place on September 7, live from New York.
In the United States, the awards will be broadcast for the first time on the CBS television network, with simulcasts on local MTV and streaming on Paramount+.
Next, check out the complete list of nominees for the VMA 2025. Who are you rooting for?
Most Nominated Artists for the VMA 2025
*Compiled artists with 2 or more nominations
- Lady Gaga, 12
- Bruno Mars, 11
- Kendrick Lamar, 10
- ROSÉ, 8 *
- Sabrina Carpenter, 8
- Ariana Grande, 7
- The Weeknd, 7
- Billie Eilish, 6
- Charli XCX, 5
- Playboi Carti, 5
- Bad Bunny, 4
- Doechii, 4
- Ed Sheeran, 4
- Jelly Roll, 4
- Miley Cyrus, 4
- Tate McRae, 4
- Alex Warren, 3
- Eminem, 3
- Gigi Perez, 3
- Lorde, 3
- Morgan Wallen, 3
- Playboi Carti, 3
- Travis Scott, 3
- Asake, 2
- benny blanco, 2
- Burna Boy, 2
- Damiano David, 2
- Leon Thomas, 2
- Lola Young, 2
- Selena Gomez, 2
- sombr, 2
- SZA, 2
- The Marías, 2
- Tyla, 2
Complete List of Nominees for the MTV VMA 2025
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”
- 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
- 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 Longform 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
- Charli XCX
- Justin Bieber
- Lorde
- Miley Cyrus
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Tate McRae
Best Pop Video
- 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 Video
- 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 Video
- Chris Brown – “Residuals”
- Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs – “MUTT (REMIX)”
- 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 Video
- 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 Video
- 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 Video
- 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 Video
- 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 Video
- 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”
Best Country Video
- 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”
Technical Categories
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”
- 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”
- 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”
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