VMAs

Taylor Swift, SZA, And Doja Cat Lead The Nominations For The 2023 MTV VMAs

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The official nominations list for the 2023 MTV VMAs is here. Taylor Swift leads the pack with eight nominations (Video Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best Pop, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Editing). SZA is the second most nominated act, with a total of six (Video Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best R&B, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing)

Meanwhile, Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sam Smith are all tied for third spot with five nominations. Blackpink, Diddy, and Shakira follow with four nominations each. The ceremony will be broadcasted live on Tuesday, September 12, beginning at 8 p.m. ET from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Fan voting for several of this year’s categories, including the newly formed Best Afrobeats, Video Of The Year, and Artist Of The Year, begins today (August 8) and will run until the day of the show (September 12). However, the voting from Group Of The Year and Song Of The Summer will be conducted at a later date. Find more information here.

View the full list of nominations for the 2023 MTV VMAs below.

Video Of The Year

Doja Cat – “Attention”
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras – “Unholy”
SZA – “Kill Bill”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Artist Of The Year

Beyoncé
Doja Cat
KAROL G
Nicki Minaj
Shakira
Taylor Swift

Song Of The Year

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras – “Unholy”
Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit”
SZA – “Kill Bill”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Best New Artist

GloRilla
Ice Spice
Kaliii
Peso Pluma
PinkPantheress
Reneé Rapp

Push Performance Of The Year

August 2022: Saucy Santana – “Booty”
September 2022: Stephen Sanchez – “Until I Found You”
October 2022: JVKE – “Golden Hour”
November 2022: Flo Milli – “Conceited”
December 2022: Reneé Rapp – “Colorado”
January 2023: Sam Ryder – “All The Way Over”
February 2023: Armani White – “GOATED”
March 2023: FLETCHER – “Becky’s So Hot”
April 2023: TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Sugar Rush Ride”
May 2023: Ice Spice – “Princess Diana”
June 2023: FLO – “Losing You”
July 2023: Lauren Spencer Smith – “That Part”

Best Collaboration

David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – “I’m Good (Blue)”
Post Malone & Doja Cat – “I Like You (A Happier Song)”
Diddy feat. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – “Gotta Move On”
KAROL G & Shakira – “TQG”
Metro Boomin with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy – “Creepin’ (Remix)”
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down”

Best Pop

Demi Lovato – “Swine”
Dua Lipa – “Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album)”
Ed Sheeran – “Eyes Closed”
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
P!NK – “TRUSTFALL”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Best Hip-Hop

Diddy feat. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – “Gotta Move On”
DJ Khaled feat. Drake & Lil Baby – “STAYING ALIVE”
GloRilla & Cardi B – “Tomorrow 2”
Lil Uzi Vert – “Just Wanna Rock”
Lil Wayne feat. Swizz Beatz & DMX – “Kant Nobody”
Metro Boomin feat. Future – “Superhero (Heroes and Villains)”
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl”

Best R&B

Alicia Keys feat. Lucky Daye – “Stay”
Chlöe feat. Chris Brown – “How Does It Feel”
Metro Boomin with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy – “Creepin’ (Remix)
SZA – “Shirt”
Toosii – “Favorite Song”
Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj – “Love In The Way”

Best Alternative

Blink-182 – “Edging”
Boygenius – “The Film”
Fall Out Boy – “Hold Me Like A Grudge”
Lana Del Rey feat. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace”
Paramore – “This Is Why”
Thirty Seconds To Mars – “Stuck”

Best Rock

Foo Fighters – “The Teacher”
Linkin Park – “Lost (Original Version)”
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Tippa My Tongue”
Måneskin – “THE LONELIEST”
Metallica – “Lux Æterna”
Muse – “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween”

Best Latin

Anitta – “Funk Rave”
Bad Bunny – “WHERE SHE GOES”
Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma – “Ella Baila Sola”
KAROL G & Shakira – “TQG”
ROSALÍA – “DESPECHÁ”
Shakira – “Acróstico”

Best K-Pop

Aespa – “Girls”
BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom”
FIFTY FIFTY – “Cupid”
SEVENTEEN – “Super”
Stray Kids – “S-Class”
TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Sugar Rush Ride”

BEST AFROBEATS

Ayra Starr – “Rush”
Burna Boy – “It’s Plenty”
Davido feat. Musa Keys – “UNAVAILABLE”
Fireboy DML & Asake –”Bandana”
Libianca – “People”
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down”
Wizkid feat Ayra Starr– “2 Sugar”

Video For Good

Alicia Keys – If I Ain’t Got You (Orchestral)
Bad Bunny – “El Apagón – Aquí Vive Gente”
Demi Lovato – “Swine”
Dove Cameron – “Breakfast”
Imagine Dragons – “Crushed”
Maluma – “La Reina”

Best Direction

Doja Cat – “Attention” – Directed by Tanu Muiño
Drake – “Falling Back” – Director X (Julien Christian Lutz)
Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out” – Directed by Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – Directed by Colin Tilley
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Directed by Floria Sigismondi
SZA – “Kill Bill” – Directed by Christian Breslauer
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Directed by Taylor Swift

Best Cinematography

Adele – “I Drink Wine” – Cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra
Ed Sheeran – “Eyes Closed” – Cinematography by Natasha Baier
Janelle Monae – “Lipstick Lover” – Cinematography by Allison Anderson
Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out” – Cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Cinematography by Marcell Rev
Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Cinematography by Russ Fraser
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Cinematography by Rina Yang

Best Visual Effects

Fall Out Boy – “Love From The Other Side” – Visual Effects by Thomas Bailey and Josh Shaffner
Harry Styles – “Music For A Sushi Restaurant” – Visual Effects by Chelsea Delfino and Black Kite Studios
Melanie Martinez – “VOID” – Visual Effects by Carbon
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” – Visual Effects by Max Colt and Sergio Mashevskyi
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Visual Effects by Max Colt / FRENDER
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Visual Effects by Parliament

Best Choreography

BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – Choreography by Kiel Tutin, Sienna Lalau, Lee Jung (YGX), Taryn Cheng (YGX)
Dua Lipa – “Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album)” – Choreography by Charm LaDonna
Jonas Brothers – “Waffle House” – Choreography by Jerry Reece
Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – Choreography by Sean Bankhead
Panic! At The Disco – “Middle Of A Breakup” – Choreography by Monika Felice Smith
Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Choreography by (LA)HORDE – Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel

Best Art Direction

boygenius – “the film” – Art Direction by Jen Dunlap
BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – Art Direction by Seo Hyun Seung (GIGANT)
Doja Cat – “Attention” – Art Direction by Spencer Graves
Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace” – Art Direction by Brandon Mendez
Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – Art Direction by Niko Philipides
SZA – “Shirt” – Art Direction by Kate Bunch

Best Editing

BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – Editing by Seo Hyun Seung (GIGANT)
Kendrick Lamar – “Rich Spirit” – Edited by Grason Caldwell
Miley Cyrus – “River” – Edited by Brandan Walter
Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire” – Edited by Sofia Kerpan and David Checel
SZA – “Kill Bill” – Edited by Luis Caraza Peimbert
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Edited by Chancler Haynes

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Taylor Swift’s Ex-BF Taylor Lautner Thought Kanye West VMAs Moment Was A “Skit”

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In 2009, a Hollywood romance was taking over pop culture, but it was Kanye West who would dominate headlines. That year, Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner were the new “it” couple. The Pop star and her Twilight icon boyfriend were photographed by the paparazzi as they attempted to keep their relationship under wraps. However, that year, they attempted the MTV Video Music Awards together, where an infamous moment with West would take place.

We all remember when Swift won Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me.” It was then that West stormed the stage, took the microphone, and declared Beyoncé deserved that award. Lautner recalls presenting the triphy to his then-girlfriend and watching Ye unravel up close and personal.

NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Kanye West (L) jumps onstage after Taylor Swift (C) won the “Best Female Video” award during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Read More: Kanye West & Taylor Swift’s 2009 VMAs Moment Named Top 10 “Worst Decisions In Music History”

Lautner was a guest on his wife’s podcast when he was asked where he would go if he could travel back in time. He chose the 2009 VMAs and admitted he was “unaware that the Kanye thing was not a skit.” He said he gave Swift the award, “took five steps back,” and was only “five feet behind her.”

“In the middle of her giving her thank you speech, Kanye jumps up onto the stage,” he said. “I could barely hear it. I can’t see them. I’m just assuming this whole thing was a practiced and rehearsed skit because why else would Kanye West be jumping on the stage interrupting Taylor Swift? It just didn’t make sense.”

“If you look back at it, I’m actually caught laughing and, like, giggling at it. I’m like, ‘I can’t hear them, but this is probably really funny right now,’” Lautner also stated. “He jumped off. She finished. The second she turned back around and I saw her face for the first time, I was like, ‘Oh. No. …That wasn’t good.’”

Kanye West, Taylor Swift
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 08: Kanye West and Taylor Swift attend The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
Read More: Kanye Talks Kim Kardashian & Taylor Swift, Smokes Blunt In “Drink Champs” Trailer

Lautner may have missed his opportunity to defend Swift, but it was rumored that singer Pink was heated about the encounter. She was said to have put West in his place and was “very upset” with his actions. In 2015, West and Swift buried the hatchet and hugged it out. However, after he dropped “Famous” with a line about making “that b*tch famous,” the rift was reignited.

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Madonna’s 2003 VMAs Kiss Should’ve Been With Jennifer Lopez & Britney Spears, Not Christina Aguilera

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The MTV Video Music Awards have hosted some questionable moments on their stage over the years. Of course, many of them love on in pop culture infamy – particularly Madonna’s makeout session with Britney Spears at the 2003 ceremony.

As Daily Mail notes, the evening was full of entertainment. The Mississippi-born pop star rose from a wedding cake to sing “Like a Virgin,” the same way the original vocalist did back in 1984.

Afterward, Spears had Christina Aguilera join her so they could sing together. Before long, Madonna was beside them, launching into her track, “Hollywood.” While she was commanding the audience, the Queen of Pop took the world by surprise as she leaned over to smooch the “Womanizer” singer.

The moment still sparks conversation two decades later. What many people don’t know, though, is that another kiss happened on stage that night. When the cameras cut to broadcast Justin Timberlake’s reaction to his ex locking lips with an older woman, Madonna and Aguilera were having an intimate moment of their own.

Britney Spears, Madonna and Christina Aguilera perform opening act at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards (Photo by Kevin Kane/WireImage)

In a 2018 interview, the “Dirrty” songstress recalled her disappointment after the big moment failed to make an impact. “I definitely saw the newspaper the next day and it was like, ‘Oh, well, I guess I got left out of that,” she said at the time.

Interestingly, it’s now been confirmed that Aguilera almost wasn’t invited on stage at all. In fact, it was Jennifer Lopez who was first asked to perform with Spears and Madonna at the VMAs.

During a recent chat with E! News, the Hustlers actress explained what caused her to miss out on the momentous occasion. “I was filming a movie in Canada and I met with Madonna and Britney,” she began.

“And I couldn’t get off the film, so they got Christina to do it. I’m a huge fan of Madonna, I always have been,” Lopez later added.

It remains unclear if we’ll ever see the moment recreated with the original trio, though the blonde bombshells did share a smooch at Spears’ wedding to Sam Asghari. Read more about that here, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.

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Jimmy Fallon Is Keeping His 2022 VMAs Beard But Not Because People Think He’s ‘So Hot Right Now’

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At the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards a couple weeks ago, Jimmy Fallon was on hand to present Harry Styles the Album Of The Year award for Harry’s House. He ended up causing quite the stir by showing up with a new beard, which plenty of folks online found attractive. Later, Fallon acknowledged the ‘thirst’ and ‘confusion’ his VMAs appearance was causing on the internet.

Since then, he’s been back to hosting The Tonight Show and he still has the beard. Last night (September 12), Drew Barrymore guested on the program and she and Fallon have a strong rapport, considering they co-starred in Fever Pitch once upon a time and that Barrymore co-founded production company Flower Films with Fallon’s wife, producer Nancy Juvonen. So, she wasn’t shy about opening the interview by having some fun with Fallon’s look.

Fallon started by telling Barrymore that she looked good and Barrymore responded by exclaiming about how Fallon kept his beard. Barrymore then teased, “You love it because everybody’s saying you’re so hot right now. You love it and now you don’t want to lose it.” As Barrymore spoke and the audience cheered, Fallon bashfully laughed and said, “No, that’s not why I love it.”

After talking about it some more, Fallon offered an explanation (but not really) for why the beard has stuck around, saying, “I figured, I’m just going to keep it on. I have nothing… I figured… I don’t know why, I’m just going to leave it on…”

Check out Barrymore’s interview with Fallon above.

Nicki Minaj Receives Video Vanguard Congratulatory Flowers From the Carters: ‘Congrats on Your Beautiful Award’

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Nicki Minaj Performs Nine-Song Medly and Accepts Video Vanguard Award at MTV VMAs

Nicki Minaj is running the rap world right now. This past Sunday, Minaj accepted the Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards, where she also hosted and performed.

Showing that she is still marveling at the moment, Minaj revealed she received flowers celebrating the moment from JAY-Z and Beyoncé.

“Congrats on your beautiful award. Sending you all our love. Hov & B Holla,” the note read.

With a marathon nine-song performance on her “Barbie Dream House” stage, international superstar Nicki Minaj was celebrated with MTV’s coveted Video Vanguard Award.

Minaj’s set included the hits “All Things Go,” “Roman’s Revenge,” “Monster,” “Beez in the Trap,” “Chun-Li,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Super Bass,” “Anaconda,” and the world premiere of her brand-new song, “Super Freaky Girl.”

Additionally, she gave a moving acceptance speech in which she emphasized the value of mental health and thanked her devoted “Barbz” for their continuous support.

Nicki Minaj and her new single “Super Freaky Girl” debuted on top of the Billboard Hot 100. The single is Minaj’s third time on top of the chart, but her first time unaccompanied. She previously appeared alongside 6ix9ine on top with “Trollz” and with Doja Cat on “Say So.”

“Super Freaky Girl” features a sample of Rick James’ “Super Freak” and had a monster week of 21.1 million streams, 4.6 million radio airplay audience impressions, and 89,000 downloads in its first week.

“Super Freaky Girl” is also Minaj’s 21st single to reach the Top 10 of the Hot 100. It is the rapper’s second single to do so this year, following her collaboration with Lil Baby, “Do We Have a Problem.”

In addition to the top of the Hot 100, Minaj’s new single tops the Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts.

Adding to the moment, Minaj topping the charts follows “Break My Soul” by Beyoncé and “About Damn Time” by Lizzo, making for the first time in this century that three solo Black female artists have topped the Hot 100. Minaj is also the first solo rapper to debut on top of the Billboard Hot 100 since Lauryn Hill in 1998.

The post Nicki Minaj Receives Video Vanguard Congratulatory Flowers From the Carters: ‘Congrats on Your Beautiful Award’ appeared first on The Source.

Lil Nas X Refutes (Jokingly, Perhaps) A Fan’s Heartwarming Story About Meeting Him At The 2022 VMAs

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Lil Nas X 2022 MTV Video Music Awards VMAs
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Lil Nas X had a big night at the 2022 MTV VMAs this past weekend as he walked away with some awards. His evening apparently also included a chance encounter with a fan, who excitedly shared their story online.

The post, titled “Just met Lil Nas X” and shared to the r/offmychest subreddit, racked up over 9,700 upvotes before it was deleted by the user who posted it (potentially a sign that they fabricated the story and removed it after it got more attention than expected). Nas shared a Pop Crave tweet about the post and added, “this is not true. i am very mean in person. i once slapped a fan for singing the lyrics to industry baby wrong.”

The parts about Nas being “very mean and person” and slapping a fan are clearly jokes, although it’s possible he is actually denying the story, despite the goofing around. Even if the encounter did really happen (which, again, is up in the air), the rapper may not have remembered it anyway, as he was “drunk af” at the show and only realized the next day that he won three awards.

Read the full Reddit post below.

“It’s my birthday, I work low level in the entertainment industry. I was able to secure sh*tty tickets to the VMAs to see Nicki Minaj. I headed out after she performed because long drive home.

The elevator attendant at Prudential Center accidentally let me off on some kind of high security floor. Lil Nas X appeared out of nowhere as I was trying to find the exit. I’m a shy person so it took a lot for me to approach him and I didn’t want to be annoying but it’s my birthday and this opportunity seemed once in a lifetime, so I did.

I said (awkwardly) ‘Montero?’ He said ‘yeesss?’ I said ‘I’m not supposed to be here I’m sorry but can I get a picture with you?’ He said laughingly ‘yes but tell me I look classy’ (he was in his VMA outfit). I did obviously and he was so nice and posed and then suggested we change lighting so the pics would be better. It was really nice. We took a bunch of cute pics.

I’m an unpaid intern and meet a lot of assholes in this industry. It was really nice to meet someone I admire and find out they’re a genuinely nice person. That’s all!!!”

Chlöe Is ‘So Happy’ To See Britney Spears Being ‘Herself On Her Own Terms’

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britney spears VMAs 2016
Getty Image / Allen Berezovsky

Before the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards kicked off on Sunday (August 28), Variety‘s Marc Malkin was on the red carpet for interviews. As he chatted with some of the most beloved stars at this year’s VMAs, he made it a point to ask about Britney Spears and her new comeback song with Elton John, “Hold Me Closer,” getting a mixed bag of answers.

When Malkin mentioned Spears to recent Uproxx cover star Chlöe, she lit up and said, “I’m so proud of her. I love Britney and I’m so happy to see that she can be herself on her own terms.” He then asked what song he’d like to duet on with Spears and she went with “Toxic.” Malkin tried to coax Chlöe into singing a bit of the song but she playfully declined.

He also asked Latto the duet question and she answered, “We gotta do something from scratch, we gotta do something from scratch.” She added, “Brit: call me, girl. It’s nothing. I do think, some new Britney… the world needs some new Britney.”

Answering the same question, J Balvin chose “Slave 4 U” and even sang a brief snippet of it.

Måneskin and TikTok star Chris Olsen also chatted about Spears, so check out those clips below.

People Thought Jimmy Fallon Looked Hot At The 2022 VMAs And He’s Amused By The ‘Thirst And Confusion’

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Jimmy Fallon 2022 MTV VMAs Video Music Awards
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Consumers of American pop culture are used to see Jimmy Fallon in a particular way: Behind the Tonight Show desk, wearing a suit, and overall well put together. He sports some facial hair here and there, but for the most part, he’s consistently clean-shaven. On Sunday (August 28), though, Fallon was at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards looking decidedly different than he usually does and onlookers felt some sort of way about it.

The Tonight Show host was on hand at the VMAs to present Harry Styles the Album Of The Year award for Harry’s House, looking not as buttoned-up as always. Rather, he sported a loose white shirt and a scruffy beard. That aroused some feelings and Fallon took notice. On Instagram yesterday (August 29), Fallon shared a photo of himself from the show and screenshot of a Cosmopolitan article titled “Jimmy Fallon’s Presence At The 2022 VMAs Is Causing Thirst And Confusion On Twitter,” with the subhed, “Maybe it’s the beard?.” Fallon captioned the post, “Out here causing ‘thirst’ and ‘confusion’. That was fun, @mtv!! #vmas #maybeitsthebeard.”

Cosmopolitan had it right with their framing, as a look at Twitter reveals VMAs viewers who were surprised at the effect Fallon’s look was having on them. Check out some reactions, including comparisons to Styles, below.