Gaga, Grande top MTV VMA noms; quarantine categories added
NEW YORK (AP) 1 ; It 17;s raining nominations for Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande 17;s ;Rain on Me 1; at the MTV Video M sic Awards, which will present new categories foc sed on live performances and m sic videos created at home d ring the coronavir s pandemic.
Gaga and Grande both scored nine nominations each, incl ding video of the year for their No. 1 dance hit. ;Rain on Me 1; is also competing for song of the year, best collaboration, best pop, best cinematography, best vis al effects and best choreography.
Billie Eilish and The Weeknd, the second-most nominated acts with six, are also p for video of the year with ;everything i wanted 1; and ;Blinding Lights. 1; Others nominated for the top prize incl de Taylor Swift 17;s ;The Man, 1; t re and Drake 17;s ;Life Is Good 1; and Eminem 17;s ;Godzilla, 1; which feat res late rapper J ice WRLD.
The VMAs will air live on A g. 3 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and New York Gov. Andrew C omo said last month ;the event will follow all safety g idance, incl ding limited or no a dience. 1; This year’s show introd ces two new categories reflecting the c rrent pandemic times: best m sic video from home and best q arantine performance.
Grande and J stin Bieber 17;s No. 1 hit ;St ck with U” will compete for best m sic video from home along with Drake 17;s ;Toosie Slide, 1; John Legend 17;s ;Bigger Love, 1; 5 Seconds of S mmer 17;s ;Wildflower, 1; blink-18 17;s ;Happy Days 1; and twenty one pilots 17; ;Level of Concern, 1; which topped the Billboard rock songs chart for seven weeks and feat res the lyrics, ;Will yo be my little q arantine? 1;
R&B d o Chloe x Halle, who have s ccessf lly promoted their new alb m d ring the pandemic with impressive live performances mostly p t on in their tennis co rt and o tside their new home, are nominated for best q arantine performance for ;Do It 1; from MTV 17;s virt al prom ;Prom-athon. 1; Other nominees incl de Gaga 17;s ;Smile 1; from the TV special ;One World: Together At Home 1;;Legend 17;s ;#togetherathome 1; concert; DJ D-Nice 17;s ;Cl b MTV presents #DanceTogether 1;; CNCO 17;s ;MTV Unpl gged At Home 1;; and Post Malone 17;s trib te to Nirvana.
Apart from the pandemic, protest songs reflecting the Black experience created in the wake of the deaths of George loyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahma d Arbery and others also earned VMA nominations. R&B star H.E.R. 17;s ;I Can 17;t Breathe, 1; Anderson.Paak 17;s ;Lockdown 1; and Lil Baby 17;s ;The Bigger Pict re 1; all scored nominations in the video for good category.
Swift, who released a s rprise alb m last week, will also compete for video for good with her song abo t sexism, ;The Man.” She scored five nominations overall, while Drake, D a Lipa, J Balvin and Bieber earned fo r nominations apiece.
Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby 1 ; who both la nched No. 1 pop hits this year 1 ; earned three nods each, incl ding bids for artist of the year. Their competition incl des Gaga, Bieber, The Weeknd and Post Malone.
BTS, Harry Styles, Roddy Ricch, Post Malone, t re, Karol G and Doja Cat 1 ; who topped the charts this year with her Dr. L ke-prod ced smash ;Say So 1; 1 ; also earned three nods each. Starting Th rsday thro gh A g. 3, fans can vote for VMA winners across 15 gender-ne tral categories here.