aespa to Compete Against Global Artists in 2025 MTV VMA Nominations Announcement

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards nominations have been released. Lady Gaga was named the artist with the most nominations, receiving 12 nods, while Kendrick Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter received 10 and 8 nominations respectively. Lady Gaga won multiple major awards for her collaboration with Bruno Mars titled “Die With a Smile.” This song received nominations for Video of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Collaboration. Additionally, Gaga was nominated for Artist of the Year, and her latest album “Mayhem” entered the Album of the Year category. In particular, the music video for “Mayhem”’s single “Abracadabra” was nominated for several creative and technical awards, including those for direction, cinematography, and choreography. Kendrick Lamar secured a total of 10 nominations, most of which came from his Grammy-winning Drake diss track “Not Like Us.” He was also nominated for Artist of the Year and Best Collaboration for “Luther” featuring SZA. Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter received 8 nominations this year following her first VMA win last year for “Espresso,” and her latest single “Manchild” earned her a nomination for Video of the Year. The competition for Video of the Year includes Gaga and Mars’ “Die With a Smile,” Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” Carpenter’s “Manchild,” Ariana Grande’s “Brighter Days Ahead,” Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Rosé and Mars’ “APT,” and The Weeknd and Playboi Carti’s “Timeless.” Gaga, Lamar, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd are all nominated for Artist of the Year. The initial list of candidates for Song of the Year includes Gaga and Mars’ “Die With a Smile,” Rosé and Mars’ “APT,” The Weeknd and Carti’s “Timeless,” Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” Doechii’s “Anxiety,” Ed Sheeran’s “Sapphire,” Gracie Abrams’s “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” Lorde’s “What Was That,” and Tate McRae’s “Sports Car.” The final six nominations for this category will be determined by August 18, with voting continuing until September 5. Fan voting is currently underway for all 19 gender-neutral categories and will conclude on September 5. Only the voting for Best New Artist will take place on the day of the ceremony. The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on September 7 via CBS, MTV, and Paramount+.