VMAs 2026 Nominees just droppedddd

Madonna leads 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations, followed by Taylor Swift
by u/wesspears in popheads

*** They did away with the rock category?

also so side note, didn't really know a lot of the songs and nominees for this year, the music kinda felt like everything was from last year, ill do my guesses but probably won't be super up to date. 


Video of the Year
Ariana Grande – “hate that i made you love me” – Republic Records
Bruno Mars – “I Just Might” – Atlantic Records
GENER8ION – “STORM” starring Yung Lean – Iconoclast Music
Madonna – “Confessions II – The Film” – Warner Records
Sabrina Carpenter – “Tears”- Island
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia” – Republic Records

***literally all the videos were just okay, Taylor had a great video but its so last year, same as Sabrina, Madonna actually has a great video just never have heard of it before? 

gener8ion too its okay, bruno I feel like has the same video for all his songs, and Ariana has a great great song just the video is so creepy and weird

Artist of the Year
Ariana Grande – Republic Records
Bruno Mars – Atlantic Records
Madonna – Warner Records
Morgan Wallen – Big Loud/Mercury Records
Sabrina Carpenter – Island
Taylor Swift – Republic Records

**just because like he's the only one maybe that's stadium touring, oh I guess Morgan wallen did too this year so one of the too?

Song of the Year
BTS – “Swim” – BIGHIT MUSIC
Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas” – Columbia Records
HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI – “Golden” – Republic Records/Visva Records
Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter – “Bring Your Love” – Warner Records
Olivia Dean – “Man I Need” – Island
PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson – “Stateside” – Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records
RAYE – “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” – Human Re Sources

***maybe man I need? its been on th radio forever and I think she might be touring too? her and chosen Texas have been a lot of places thus year but I don't know country that well

Best New Artist
Bella Kay – Atlantic Records
CORTIS – BIGHIT MUSIC
Magnus Ferrell -Visva Records/Republic Records
Malcolm Todd – Columbia Records
Myles Smith – RCA Records
Sienna Spiro – Capitol Records
Stella Lefty – Sandlot/Atlantic Outpost

***maybe CORTIS in term of growth as a new artists, feels like theyre being propped up to be the next BTS and they sound fun, 

Myles smith is huge but feels so established and less new now if that makes sense. I do not know the other people besides Magnus being will ferells son 

Best Collaboration
Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, Malice – “Chains & Whips” – Roc Nation Distribution
French Montana x Max B – “Ever Since U Left Me” – Coke Boys Records
Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter – “Bring Your Love” – Warner Records
PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson – “Stateside” – Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records
Shakira & Burna Boy – “Dai Dai” – Sony Music US Latin
Teyana Taylor & Lucky Daye – “Hard Part” – Def Jam Recordings

***feel like maybe stateside for huge collab but Zaras songs this year just makes me think midnight sun in my mind is way way bigger for her and is such a song of the summer. 

so Shakira since it was the Fifa anthem and was a huge song too, everything Shakira does is perfect

Genre-Specific Categories

Best Pop
Ariana Grande – “hate that i made you love me” – Republic Records
Charli xcx – “SS26” – Atlantic Records
LISA – “Dream” feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi – Lloud Co./RCA Records
Olivia Rodrigo – “drop dead” – Geffen Records
Sabrina Carpenter – “House Tour” – Island
Tate McRae – “Nobody’s Girl” – RCA Records
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia” – Republic Records

Best Hip-Hop
Cardi B feat. Kehlani – “Safe” – Atlantic Records
Don Toliver – “E85” – Cactus Jack/ Atlantic Records
Drake – “Janice STFU” – OVO/Republic Records
Megan Thee Stallion – “LOVER GIRL” – Hot Girl Productions
Travis Scott – “DUMBO” – Cactus Jack/Epic Records
Tyler, The Creator- “SUGAR ON MY TONGUE” – Columbia Records\

**unfamilar with all of these songs so Tyler since that's the only one I recognize 

Best R&B
Bruno Mars – “I Just Might” – Atlantic Records
Chris Brown – “It Depends/Obvious” – RCA Records
Dave & Tems – “Raindance” – Neighbourhood Recordings/Capitol Records
Justin Bieber – “YUKON” – Def Jam Recordings
Kehlani – “Folded” – Atlantic Records
Mariah the Scientist & Kali Uchis – “Is It a Crime” – Epic Records

**or bieber cuz this were the only two I recognize but also bruno but it feels so pop and less what I imagine r&b is but idk I could be wrong

Best Alternative
Geese – “Taxes” – Partisan Records/Play It Again Sam
mgk & Fred Durst – “FIX UR FACE” – EST 19XX LLC/Interscope Records
Noah Kahan – “The Great Divide” – Mercury Records
Olivia Rodrigo – “the cure” – Geffen Records
SOMBR – “Homewrecker” – SMB Music/Warner Records
Tame Impala – “Dracula” – Columbia Records
twenty one pilots – “Drag Path” – Fueled By Ramen

***the songs I recognized were Noah khans, sombr, and tame impala and I actually heard great divide a lot just does feel like alternative maybe? 

so singer songwriter but idk what category id put him into a box for....and tame impala feels so pop as does Rodrigo...

Best Dance
Bebe Rexha & Faithless – “New Religion” – Bebe Rexha Music LLC/EMPIRE
Harry Styles – “Aperture” – Columbia Records
Lady Gaga & Doechii – “RUNWAY” – Lil Monsters/Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records/Capitol Records
Madonna – “Confessions II – The Film” – Warner Records
PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson – “Stateside” – Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records
Slayyyter – “DANCE…” – RECORDS/Columbia Records
Tate McRae – “Nobody’s Girl” – RCA Records

**Bebes feels very dance, maybe also aperture very edm house feel, and madonna but have never heard of that song before, actually besides harry styles, bebe, zara Larson, 

I have never heard any of these songs before, actually scratch that I have heard slayyer but also heard she's not a great person so many not her stuff as much 

Best Latin
Anitta with Shakira – “Choka Choka” – Republic Records/UMLE
Bad Bunny – “NUEVAYoL” – Rimas Entertainment
Fuerza Regida – “TU SANCHO” – Rancho Humilde/Street Mob Records/Sony Music US Latin
KAROL G – “Papasito” – Bichota Records/Interscope Records
Rosalía ft. Yahritza Y Su Esencia – “La Perla” – Columbia Records
Ryan Castro, Kapo & GANGSTA – “LA VILLA” – AWOO Corp./ Sony Music US Latin
Shakira & Burna Boy – “Dai Dai” – Sony Music US Latin

***besides being the Fifa World Cup anthem, it was such a huge song, maybe Karol g since she has been on a huge un now too, bad bunny feels like last years anthem maybe but he's still huge. Rosalia is awesome, and Anitta, 

Best K-Pop
BLACKPINK – “JUMP” – YG Entertainment
BTS – “SWIM” – BIGHIT MUSIC
CORTIS – “REDRED” – BIGHIT MUSIC
KATSEYE – “PINKY UP” – HYBE x Geffen Records
LE SSERAFIM (feat. j-hope of BTS) – “SPAGHETTI” – SOURCE MUSIC
LISA – “Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi” – Lloud Co./ RCA Records

***theyre the only huge group touring right now and killing the stadiums, doing an amazing comeback tour. black pinks tour last year was huge and cortis feels next up for sure and I have heard Katseyes stuff around but feel bad cuz I feel like a member is always leaving and they have a tour coming up . 

Best Country
Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas” – Columbia Records
Kacey Musgraves – “Dry Spell” – Lost Highway/Interscope Records
Lainey Wilson – “Somewhere Over Laredo” – Broken Bow Records
Luke Combs – “Back in the Saddle” – Columbia Nashville
Shaboozey – “Cowgirl” – American Dogwood/EMPIRE
Stella Lefty – “Boston” – Sandlot/Atlantic Outpost
Tucker Wetmore – “Brunette” – Back Blocks Music/MCA/Mercury Records

**im not even into country and I see this song everywhere on the radio, feels like it has to be her, cuz shboosey is huge, Lainey too, key as well and Luke combs but not as familiar with their songs. 

Technical Categories

**I like don't know tech stuff and just voting off of vibes...and direction and art direction and cinemtagroaphy no clue so left those blank

Best Direction
Ariana Grande – “hate that i made you love me” – Republic Records
Bruno Mars – “I Just Might” – Atlantic Records
GENER8ION – “STORM starring Yung Lean” – Iconoclast Music
Madonna – “Confessions II – The Film” – Warner Records
Sabrina Carpenter – “House Tour”- Island
Taylor Swift – “Opalite” – Republic Records

Best Art Direction
Charli xcx – “SS26” – Atlantic Records
Lady Gaga & Doechii – “RUNWAY” – Lil Monsters/Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records/Capitol Records
Madonna – “Confessions II – The Film” – Warner Records
PinkPantheress – “Stateside + Zara Larsson” – Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records
SOMBR – “My Body Isn’t Ready” – SMB Music/Warner Records
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia” – Republic Records

Best Cinematography
A$AP Rocky – “PUNK ROCKY” – A$AP Worldwide/RCA Records
Ariana Grande – “hate that i made you love me” – Republic Records
LISA – “Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi” – Lloud Co./ RCA Records
Madonna – “Confessions II – The Film” – Warner Records
Shaboozey – “Cowgirl” – American Dogwood/EMPIRE
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia” – Republic Records

Best Editing
Ariana Grande – “hate that i made you love me” – Republic Records
Bruno Mars – “I Just Might” – Atlantic Records
LISA – “Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi” – Lloud Co./ RCA Records
Madonna – “Confessions II – The Film” – Warner Records
Sabrina Carpenter – “House Tour”- Island
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia” – Republic Records

***out of all the videos hers seemed the best, Taylors feels last year, house tour as well, Lisas was cute, Bruno I feel like has the same music video and vibe all the time, and Ariana maybe also could get this just her videos vibe is kinda creepy and weird. 

Best Choreography
GENER8ION – “STORM starring Yung Lean” – Iconoclast Music
Harry Styles – “Dance No More” – Columbia Records
KATSEYE – “PINKY UP” – HYBE x Geffen Records
Madonna – “Confessions II – The Film” – Warner Records
Tate McRae – “Nobody’s Girl” – RCA Records
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia” – Republic Records

***katseye is the only one I saw choreo for out of all these songs so them? also side note I must be super old cuz that's the only song I recognize? besides Taylors I do recognize all the artists just not th specific song

Best Visual Effects
Ariana Grande – “hate that i made you love me” – Republic Records
JISOO X ZAYN – “Eyes Closed” – Warner Records
Madonna – “Confessions II – The Film” – Warner Records
PinkPantheress – “Stateside + Zara Larsson” – Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records
RAYE ft. Hans Zimmer – “Click Clack Symphony.” – Human Re Sources
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia” – Republic Records

**literally just cuz I can't find a music video or any of the other nominees like Taylors I remember from last year, but stateside feels way more current and this year? 

saw one for Madonna but never heard of this song before now, saw its moninated for best choreo but its alright , the Zayn song is cute! Arianas music video the song is kinda sad, and kinda a creepy video 

Sooooo last years performers, maybe this year it'll be like this

female -pinkpanthress?

latin medley - Karol g?

female - zara larson?

hiphop medely Ludacris?

female -Olivia Rodrigo

country - ella Langley

vanguard medley madonna

female Ariana grande

male - harry styles 

tribute to ____ ?

male bruno mars pre tape?

male sombr

male noah khan pretape?

presale extended

cortis, bella, sienna spiro probably ?

Artists with two or more nominations

(First-time nominees denoted by asterisks)

Madonna, 11
Taylor Swift, 9
Ariana Grande, 7
Sabrina Carpenter, 7
Bruno Mars, 5
PinkPantheress, 5
Zara Larsson, 5
LISA, 4
GENER8ION, 3*
Shakira, 3
Tate McRae, 3
Yung Lean, 3*
BTS, 2
Burna Boy, 2
Charli xcx, 2
CORTIS, 2*
Doechii, 2
Ella Langley, 2
Harry Styles, 2
KATSEYE, 2
Kehlani, 2
Lady Gaga, 2
Olivia Rodrigo, 2
RAYE, 2
Shaboozey, 2
SOMBR, 2
Stella Lefty, 2*