2025 MTV VMAs: Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar & Sabrina Carpenter Shine

2025 MTV Video Music Awards Nominations Revealed

The excitement is building as the nominations for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards have been announced. This year’s lineup features some of the biggest names in music, including Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, and Sabrina Carpenter, each vying for top honors.

Lady Gaga Leads with Twelve Nominations

Leading the pack, Lady Gaga boasts an astonishing 12 nominations. A significant portion of her nominations stems from her collaboration with Bruno Mars on “Die With a Smile,” which is up for both Video of the Year and Song of the Year, alongside Best Collaboration. Additionally, Gaga is also competing for Artist of the Year, and her album Mayhem is nominated for Album of the Year. The visually stunning music video for "Abracadabra," another single from Mayhem, has garnered numerous creative nominations, including Best Directing and Best Choreography.

Kendrick Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter Shine

Kendrick Lamar follows closely with ten nominations, primarily for his acclaimed single, “Not Like Us.” He is also in the running for Artist of the Year and Best Collaboration for his work on “Luther,” featuring SZA. Sabrina Carpenter, who proudly took home her first VMA last year for “Espresso,” scored eight nominations this year, including Video of the Year for her catchy track “Manchild.”

Competition in Video of the Year

In the race for Video of the Year, contenders include Gaga and Mars’ “Die With a Smile,” Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” and Carpenter’s “Manchild.” They are joined by Ariana Grande’s “Brighter Days Ahead,” Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” as well as collaborations from Rosé and Mars with “APT” and the Weeknd featuring Playboi Carti on “Timeless.”

Artist of the Year Nominees

The Artist of the Year category features a powerhouse lineup: Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift, and the Weeknd are all vying for recognition.

Song of the Year Nominees

The Song of the Year nominees include Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile,” Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” and upcoming talents like Alex Warren’s “Ordinary.” This category will narrow down to six final nominees by August 18, after which voting will continue until September 5.

Voting and Show Details

Fans can participate in voting for all 19 gender-neutral VMA categories, open now until September 5. Voting for Best New Artist will carry on until the live show, which airs September 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, MTV, and Paramount+.

Notable First-Time Nominations

This year’s VMAs also celebrate the first nominations for numerous artists, including Rosé, Warren, and Lola Young. Additionally, Mac Miller received a posthumous nomination for his visual piece “Balloonerism” in the Best Long Form Video category. Excitingly, two new categories have been added this year: Best Country Artist and Best Pop Artist.

Full List of Key Nominations

Video of the Year

• Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
• Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
• Rosé & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
• The Weeknd & Playboi Carti – “Timeless”

Artist of the Year

• Bad Bunny
• Beyoncé
• Kendrick Lamar
• Lady Gaga
• Morgan Wallen
• Taylor Swift
• The Weeknd

Song of the Year

• Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
• Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
• Doechii – “Anxiety”
• Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
• Gracie Abrams – “I Love You, I’m Sorry”
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
• Lorde – “What Was That”
• Rosé & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
• Tate McRae – “Sports Car”
• The Weeknd & Playboi Carti – “Timeless”

As the nominations showcase an impressive array of talent, which artist are you most excited to see take home an award this year?