Lady Gaga leads 2025 VMA nominees with record 12 nods

Post by : Monika

Photo: Reuters

The excitement is building as the full list of nominees for the 42nd MTV Video Music Awards was officially announced on August 5, 2025. This year’s nominations brought many surprises, strong fan reactions, and a celebration of musical talent from around the globe.

At the top of the list is Lady Gaga, who received 12 nominations, making it the third time in her career she has led the VMA nominations. Right behind her is Bruno Mars with 11 nominations, followed closely by Kendrick Lamar, who scored 10.

The nominations honor music videos and songs released between June 20, 2024, and June 18, 2025. The awards show is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at the UBS Arena in Elmont, Long Island, New York.

For the first time ever, the show will be broadcast live on CBS, in addition to its usual airing on MTV and streaming on Paramount+.

 Who Got the Most Nominations?

• Lady Gaga is once again at the center of the spotlight. Her 12 nominations include:
• Artist of the Year
• Best Album for her release titled Mayhem
• Video of the Year for her duet with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile”
• Gaga’s success this year shows her continuing influence in the music world, more than a decade after her first major VMA appearance.
• Bruno Mars follows with 11 nominations, many of them tied to his two big hits this year:
• “Die With a Smile”, his collaboration with Lady Gaga
• “APT.”, a duet with Rosé, a member of the K-pop group BLACKPINK
• Both songs were major successes, not just on the charts but also in terms of critical praise and music video creativity.

Kendrick Lamar, known for powerful storytelling through his lyrics and visuals, earned 10 nominations. His music video for “Not Like Us” is up for multiple awards, including technical ones like direction and editing.

 Other Major Nominees

• Several other stars also received big recognition this year:
• Sabrina Carpenter and Rosé both received 8 nominations
• Ariana Grande and The Weeknd each earned 7
• Billie Eilish got 6
• Charli XCX followed with 5
• Bad Bunny, Doechii, Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll, Miley Cyrus, and Tate McRae all received 4 nominations each

Also of note: Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are both nominated again for Artist of the Year. Each currently has 30 career VMA wins — tied for the most ever. This year, one of them could break the tie and set a new record.

 Major Categories

• Video of the Year
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
• Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
• Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
• The Weeknd & Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
• Artist of the Year
• Lady Gaga
• Beyoncé
• Taylor Swift
• Kendrick Lamar
• Bad Bunny
• Morgan Wallen
• 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”

Best New Artist

• Alex Warren
• Ella Langley
• Gigi Perez
• Lola Young
• sombr
• The Marías

 New Categories Added in 2025
This year, the VMAs introduced two brand-new categories:

Best Country Video
Nominees include artists like Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, and Morgan Wallen.

Best Pop Artist
This award is fan-voted and includes names like Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Tate McRae.

These additions show how the VMAs are adapting to the changing music scene, where country and pop are both growing fast with new and younger audiences.

 When and Where to Watch

• Date: Sunday, September 7, 2025
• Location: UBS Arena, Long Island, New York
• Time: 8 PM Eastern / 5 PM Pacific
• Where to Watch:
• Live broadcast on CBS
• Also airing on MTV
• Streaming on Paramount+
• Preshow: A one-hour special will air before the main event, including red carpet arrivals, interviews, and early awards

 Global Highlights and Reactions
This year’s nomination list reflects a very diverse group of artists. Stars from pop, hip-hop, country, and K-pop all earned recognition. The international music scene continues to grow, and the VMAs are now more global than ever before.

Some standout global moments:

Rosé, a member of BLACKPINK, has now become the most-nominated solo K-pop artist in VMA history.

Ed Sheeran’s song “Sapphire” — influenced by Indian music and culture — has been nominated in several top categories.

All four BLACKPINK members got solo nominations. However, fans were upset that BTS members Jin and J-Hope didn’t receive nominations this year, even though both had successful solo tracks. This sparked online debates, with fans asking for more transparency in how nominees are chosen.

 Standout Artist Moments

• Lady Gaga has now led the VMAs in nominations three times:
• In 2010 with 13
• In 2020 with 9 (tied)
• In 2025 with 12

Bruno Mars earned praise for his two powerful collaborations — “Die With a Smile” and “APT.” — both of which feature stunning music videos.

Kendrick Lamar was recognized not just for his music, but for the visual storytelling in his videos. He received nominations in several technical categories like Best Direction, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography.

• Lady Gaga leads with 12 nominations
• Bruno Mars follows with 11
• Kendrick Lamar got 10
• Rosé and Sabrina Carpenter have 8 each
• Ariana Grande and The Weeknd earned 7 nominations
• Billie Eilish has 6, Charli XCX got 5
• Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are tied for 30 VMA wins – one could become the all-time record holder this year
• New categories include Best Country Video and Best Pop Artist
• Fans can vote online in 19 different categories until September 5
• The show will air live on September 7, from UBS Arena, broadcast on CBS, MTV, and Paramount+

This year’s MTV VMAs are shaping up to be a truly exciting event, celebrating talent from all over the world and across every style of music. Whether you’re a longtime fan of pop legends or following new rising stars, there’s something for everyone to look forward to on music’s big night.