Justin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion lead the extensive pack of nominees for the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards.
Just announced, this years Moon Man nods include seven for Bieber and six for Stallion, each of whom will compete for Artist of the Year against superstars female artists Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, first time nominee Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift.
In addition to the obvious nominees, this years newcomers include The Kid LAROi and 24kGoldn who are up for awards in multiple categories, including Best New Artist for both, song of the year for Goldn’s breakthrough hit “Mood,” and Push performance of the year for LAROi’s “Without You” set in April of this year
Scheduled to air live from Brooklyn , New York’s Barclays Center on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m (est), other 5-time VMA nominees include Billie Eilish, BTS, Doja Cat, Drake, Giveon and Lil Nas X.
Effective Wednesday (8.18), fans can start the voting process in the 14 gender-neutral categories at MTV.com for the broadcast the VMA’s confirmed is one of the first fan-filled awards shows in New York since the city’s post-pandemic reopening.
According to the MTV press release about their upcoming COVID-19 / Delta variant safe event: “The health and safety of artists, fans, staff and partners remain the number one priority, and MTV and Barclays Center are working closely with state and local officials to implement best practices in order to safely bring together music fans from around the globe.”
The 2021 VMAs will be simulcast on CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land, VH1 and The CW Network and the Barclays Center health and safety protocols can be viewed here.
Have a look-see at the most anticipated 2021 VMA category nominees:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “Popstar” (starring Justin Bieber)
Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits”
Lil Nas X – “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
The Weeknd – “Save Your Tears”
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ariana Grande
Doja Cat
Justin Bieber
Megan Thee Stallion
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift
SONG OF THE YEAR
24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior – “Mood”
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave the Door Open”
BTS – “Dynamite”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Dua Lipa – “Levitating”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Drivers License”
BEST NEW ARTIST
24kGoldn
Giveon
The Kid LAROI
Olivia Rodrigo
Polo G
Saweetie
BEST COLLABORATION
24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior – “Mood”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
Drake ft. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches”
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa – “Prisoner”
BEST POP
Ariana Grande – “Positions”
Billie Eilish – “Therefore I Am”
BTS – “Butter”
Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Good 4 U”
Shawn Mendes – “Wonder”
Taylor Swift – “Willow”
BEST HIP-HOP
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Drake ft. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Lil Baby ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “On Me (remix)”
Moneybagg Yo – “Said Sum”
Polo G – “RAPSTAR”
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A. – “Franchise”
BEST ROCK
Evanescence – “Use My Voice”
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame”
John Mayer – “Last Train Home”
The Killers – “My Own Soul’s Warning”
Kings Of Leon – “The Bandit”
Lenny Kravitz – “Raise Vibration”
BEST ALTERNATIVE
Bleachers – “Stop Making This Hurt”
Glass Animals – “Heat Waves”
Imagine Dragons – “Follow You”
Machine Gun Kelly ft. Blackbear – “My Ex’s Best Friend”
Twenty One Pilots – “Shy Away”
Willow ft. Travis Barker – “Transparent Soul”
BEST LATIN
Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez – “Dákiti”
Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA – “Lo Vas A Olvidar”
Black Eyed Peas and Shakira – “Girl Like Me”
J. Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy – “Un Dia (One Day)”
Karol G – “Bichota”
Maluma – “Hawái”
BEST R&B
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “Brown Skin Girl”
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave the Door Open”
Chris Brown and Young Thug – “Go Crazy”
Giveon – “Heartbreak Anniversary”
H.E.R. ft. Chris Brown – “Come Through”
SZA – “Good Days”
BEST K-POP
(G)I-DLE – “DUMDi DUMDi”
BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez – “Ice Cream”
BTS – “Butter”
Monsta X – “Gambler”
SEVENTEEN – “Ready to love”
TWICE – “Alcohol-Free”
VIDEO FOR GOOD
Billie Eilish – “Your Power”
Demi Lovato – “Dancing With the Devil”
H.E.R. – “Fight For You”
Kane Brown – “Worldwide Beautiful”
Lil Nas X – “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
Pharrell Williams ft. Jay-Z – “Entrepreneur”
BEST DIRECTION
Billie Eilish – “Your Power” – Directed by: Billie Eilish
DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “Popstar” (starring Justin Bieber) – Directed by: Julien Christian Lutz aka Director X
Lil Nas X – “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino
Taylor Swift – “Willow” – Directed by: Taylor Swift
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A – “Franchise” – Directed by: Travis Scott
Tyler, The Creator – “Lumberjack” – Directed by: Wolf Haley
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Bella Poarch – “Build a Bitch” – Visual Effects by: Andrew Donoho, Denhov Visuals, Denis Strahhov, Rein Jakobson, Vahur Kuusk, Tatjana Pavlik, Yekaterina Vetrova
Coldplay – “Higher Power” – Visual Effects by: Mathematic
Doja Cat & The Weeknd – “You Right” – 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” – Visual Effects by: Ronan Fourreau
Lil Nas X – “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Visual Effects by: Mathematic
P!NK – “All I Know So Far” – Visual Effects by: Dave Meyers, Freenjoy Inc
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Ariana Grande – “34+35” – Choreography by: Brian Nicholson & Scott Nicholson
BTS – “Butter” – Choreography by: Son Sung Deuk with BHM Performance Directing Team
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits” – Choreography by: Natricia Bernard
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame” – Choreography by: Nina McNeely
Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness” – Choreography by: Paul Roberts
Marshmello & Halsey – “Be Kind” – Choreography by: Dani Vitale
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Author: Brad LeBeau
Photo: Milan Alicia Miller