The time for us to celebrate our favorite music videos is upon us! Today, MTV unveiled the full list of nominees for the 2021 Video Music Awards, which will air LIVE from the Barclays Center in New York City on Sunday, September 12 at 8PM ET/PT.
We all know the VMAs have always been a platform for some of pop culture’s most iconic moments. From Lady Gaga’s epic “Paparazzi” performance back in 2009 to Miley Cyrus twerking alongside Robin Thicke in 2013… and even that one Kanye West moment forever ingrained in our minds… we all have that *one* VMA moment we’ll never ever stop talking about.
And for the record, I’m still not over BTS’ “Dynamite” performance last year.
It’s hard to not be eager to see what the VMAs will have in store for this year, especially when looking at this list of nominees!
BTS, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Drake, Giveon, Lil Nas X, and Olivia Rodrigo are all nominated for five awards each. Megan Thee Stallion is nominated for six VMAs, and Justin Bieber leads the nomination list with seven awards up for grabs.
Starting today, you can vote to help your faves win their very own moonperson by visiting mtv.com/vma. You can vote across 14 different categories for this years show on the website. Voting will close on Friday, September 3rd. However, voting for “Best New Artist,” Presented by Facebook, will remain open through the show!
MTV will be announcing two additional categories very soon… “Best Group,” and “Song of Summer.” These will be socially voted categories, with more information coming in the near future. It’s totally valid to start predicting who will be nominated for these. (My brain juice is flowing… and it’s purple. Hint hint.)
Oh yeah, and speaking of BTS… the guys are nominated for Song of the Year for “Dynamite,” as well as Best Pop, Best K-Pop, Best Choreography, and Best Editing for “Butter.” These are the most nominations BTS have ever received for the VMAs, and they’re the first Asian act to EVER get a Song of the Year nomination. Please, keep them coming!
(Real talk though. Personally, I would have loved to see “Dynamite” or “Butter” be nominated for Video of the Year, especially given the fact they’ve held the YouTube records for the most viewed music videos in 24 hours. Artist of the Year would have been just as incredible, since MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 was the top selling album worldwide in 2020. It’s important to remember that there’s no single trophy that will ever measure just how big of an impact BTS have and will continue to make on music globally. But guess what? We’re still gonna get this bread, because moonpersons are super cool and it would be a small token of appreciation to BTS for everything they do for ARMY day in and day out… so get voting!)
Check out the full list of VMA nominees below.
MTV 2021 VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP” – Atlantic Records
DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “POPSTAR” (Starring Justin Bieber) – OVO / We The Best / Epic Records
Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits” – Atlantic Records
Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records
The Weeknd – “Save Your Tears” – XO / Republic Records
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ariana Grande – Republic Records
Doja Cat – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Justin Bieber – Def Jam
Megan Thee Stallion – 300 Entertainment
Olivia Rodrigo – Geffen Records
Taylor Swift – Republic Records
SONG OF THE YEAR
24kGoldn ft. iann dior – “Mood” – RECORDS LLC / Columbia Records
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open” – Aftermath Entertainment / Atlantic Records
BTS – “Dynamite” – BIGHIT MUSIC
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP” – Atlantic Records
Dua Lipa – “Levitating” – Warner Records
Olivia Rodrigo – “drivers license” – Geffen Records
BEST NEW ARTIST, Presented by Facebook
24kGoldn – RECORDS LLC / Columbia Records
Giveon – Epic Records / Not So Fast
The Kid LAROI – Columbia Records
Olivia Rodrigo – Geffen Records
Polo G – Columbia Records
Saweetie – Warner Records
PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
September 2020: Wallows – “Are You Bored Yet?” – Atlantic Records
October 2020: Ashnikko – “Daisy” – Warner Records
November 2020: SAINt JHN – “Gorgeous” – Godd Complexx / HITCO
December 2020: 24kGoldn – “Coco” – RECORDS LLC / Columbia Records
January 2021: JC Stewart – “Break My Heart” – Elektra Music Group
February 2021: Latto – “Sex Lies” – RCA Records
March 2021: Madison Beer – “Selfish” – Epic Records / Sing It Loud
April 2021: The Kid LAROI – “WITHOUT YOU” – Columbia Records
May 2021: Olivia Rodrigo – “drivers license” – Geffen Records
June 2021: girl in red “Serotonin” – world in red / AWAL
July 2021: Fousheé – “my slime” – RCA Records
August 2021: jxdn – “Think About Me” – DTA Records / Elektra Music Group
BEST COLLABORATION
24kGoldn ft. iann dior – “Mood” – RECORDS LLC / Columbia Records
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP” – Atlantic Records
Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Drake ft. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later” – OVO / Republic Records
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches” – Def Jam
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa – “Prisoner” – RCA Records
BEST POP
Ariana Grande – “positions” – Republic Records
Billie Eilish – “Therefore I Am” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
BTS – “Butter” – BIGHIT MUSIC
Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness” – Columbia Records
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches” – Def Jam
Olivia Rodrigo – “good 4 u” – Geffen Records
Shawn Mendes – “Wonder” – Island Records
Taylor Swift – “willow” – Republic Records
BEST HIP-HOP
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP” – Atlantic Records
Drake ft. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later” – OVO / Republic Records
Lil Baby ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “On Me (remix)” – Quality Control / Motown
Moneybagg Yo – “Said Sum” – N-Less Entertainment / Interscope Records
Polo G – “RAPSTAR” – Columbia Records
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A. – “FRANCHISE” – Cactus Jack / Epic Records
BEST ROCK
Evanescence – “Use My Voice” – BMG
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame” – Roswell Records / RCA Records
John Mayer – “Last Train Home” – Columbia Records
The Killers – “My Own Soul’s Warning” – Island
Kings Of Leon – “The Bandit” – RCA Records
Lenny Kravitz – “Raise Vibration” – Roxie Records / BMG
BEST ALTERNATIVE
Bleachers – “Stop Making This Hurt” – RCA Records
Glass Animals – “Heat Waves” – Republic Records
Imagine Dragons – “Follow You” – KIDinaKORNER / Interscope Records
Machine Gun Kelly ft. blackbear – “my ex’s best friend” – Bad Boy / Interscope Records
twenty one pilots – “Shy Away” – Fueled By Ramen
WILLOW ft. Travis Barker – “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l” – MSFTSMusic / Roc Nation
BEST LATIN
Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez – “Dákiti” – The Orchard
Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA – “Lo Vas A Olvidar” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Black Eyed Peas and Shakira – “GIRL LIKE ME” – Epic Records
Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy – “UN DIA (ONE DAY)” – Universal Music Latino / NEON16
Karol G – “Bichota” – Universal Music Latino
Maluma – “Hawái” – Sony Music US Latin
BEST R&B
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “BROWN SKIN GIRL” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open” – Aftermath Entertainment / Atlantic Records
Chris Brown and Young Thug – “Go Crazy” – Chris Brown Entertainment/RCA Records
Giveon – “HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY” – Epic Records / Not So Fast
H.E.R. ft. Chris Brown – “Come Through” – MBK Entertainment / RCA Records
SZA – “Good Days” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
BEST K-POP
(G)I-DLE – “DUMDi DUMDi” – Republic Records
BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez – “Ice Cream” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records
BTS – “Butter” – BIGHIT MUSIC Monsta X – “Gambler” – Starship Entertainment
SEVENTEEN – “Ready to love” – Pledis Entertainment
TWICE – “Alcohol-Free” – JYP Entertainment Company
VIDEO FOR GOOD
Billie Eilish – “Your Power” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Demi Lovato – “Dancing With The Devil” – Island
H.E.R. – “Fight For You” – MBK Entertainment / RCA Records
Kane Brown – “Worldwide Beautiful” – Sony Music Nashville / RCA Records
Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records
Pharrell Williams ft. JAY-Z – “Entrepreneur” – Columbia Records
BEST DIRECTION
Billie Eilish – “Your Power” – Darkroom / Interscope Records – Directed by: Billie Eilish
DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “POPSTAR (Starring Justin Bieber)” – OVO / We The Best / Epic Records – Directed by: Julien Christian Lutz aka Director X
Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records – Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino
Taylor Swift – “willow” – Republic Records – Directed by: Taylor Swift
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A – “Franchise” – Cactus Jack / Epic Records – Directed by: Travis Scott
Tyler, The Creator – “LUMBERJACK” – Columbia Records – Directed by: Wolf Haley
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “BROWN SKIN GIRL” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records – Cinematography by: Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, MOHAMMAED ATTA AHMED, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant
Billie Eilish – “Therefore I Am” – Darkroom / Interscope Records – Cinematography by: Rob Witt
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame” – Roswell Records / RCA Records – Cinematography by: Santiago Gonzalez
Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper – “Holy” – RBMG/Def Jam – Cinematography by: Elias Talbot
Lady Gaga – “911” – Interscope Records – Cinematography by: Jeff Cronenweth
Lorde – “Solar Power” – LAVA/Republic Records – Cinematography by: Andrew Stroud
BEST ART DIRECTION
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – “ALREADY” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records – Art Direction by: Susan Linns, Gerard Santos
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits” – Atlantic Records – Art Direction by: Alison Dominitz
Lady Gaga – “911” – Interscope Records – Art Direction by: Tom Foden, Peter Andrus
Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records – Art Direction by: John Richoux
Saweetie ft. Doja Cat – “Best Friend” – Warner Records – Art Direction by: Art Haynes
Taylor Swift – “willow” – Republic Records – Art Direction by: Ethan Tobman, Regina Fernandez
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Bella Poarch – “Build A Bitch” – Warner Records – Visual Effects by: Andrew Donoho, Denhov Visuals, Denis Strahhov, Rein Jakobson, Vahur Kuusk, Tatjana Pavlik, Yekaterina Vetrova
Coldplay – “Higher Power” – Atlantic Records – Visual Effects by: Mathematic
Doja Cat & The Weeknd – “You Right” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records – Visual Effects by: La Pac, Anthony Lestremau, Julien Missaire, Petr Shkolniy, Alexi Bailla, Micha Sher, Antoine Hache, Mikros MPC, Nicolas Huget, Guillaume Ho Tsong Fang, Benjamin Lenfant, Stephane Pivron, MPC Bangalore, Chanakya Chander, Raju Ganesh, David Rouxel
Glass Animals – “Tangerine” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by: Ronan Fourreau
Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records – Visual Effects by: Mathematic
P!NK – “All I Know So Far” – RCA Records – Visual Effects by: Dave Meyers, Freenjoy Inc
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Ariana Grande – “34+35” – Republic Records – Choreography by: Brian Nicholson & Scott Nicholson
BTS – “Butter” – BIGHIT MUSIC – Choreography by: SON SUNG DEUK With BHM PERFORMANCE DIRECTING TEAM
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits” – Atlantic Records – Choreography by: Natricia Bernard
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame” – Roswell Records / RCA Records – Choreography by: Nina McNeely
Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness” – Columbia Records – Choreography by: Paul Roberts
Marshmello & Halsey – “Be Kind” – Astralwerks / Capitol Records – Choreography by: Dani Vitale
BEST EDITING
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open” – Aftermath Entertainment/Atlantic Records – Editing by: Troy Charbonnet
BTS – “Butter” – BIGHIT MUSIC – Editing by: Yong Seok Choi from Lumpens
Drake – “What’s Next” – OVO/Republic Records – Editing by: Noah Kendal
Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness” – Columbia Records – Editing by: Claudia Wass
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches” – Def Jam – Editing by: Mark Mayr, Vinnie Hobbs
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa – “Prisoner” – RCA Records
