MTV VMAs 2021 Nominations: Megan Thee Stallion, BTS, Olivia Rodrigo & More

Ahead of the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony on September 12, MTV has unveiled the full list of VMAs 2021 nominations.

Justin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion lead this year’s nominations, racking up seven and six nods respectively. BTS, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Drake, Giveon, Lil Nas X, and Olivia Rodrigo, a first-time nominee, follow closely with five nominations each. Among first-time nominees like Olivia are also The Kid LAROI, 24kGoldn, and Seventeen.

In 2017, MTV got rid of its gendered categories for the VMAs and this year will follow suit. The 2021 VMAs will feature 14 categories, including the coveted “Video of the Year” and “Song of the Year.” As noted by MTV in a press release, the VMAs feature “artists whose cultural impact and work over the past year has transformed the music industry and created global conversation.”

The 2021 VMAs will take place in New York City’s Barclays Center on Sunday, September 12, and, for the first time in a while, fans will be present at the event following COVID-19 prevention protocols. As usual, the VMAs will be broadcasted live to the world. Starting August 11 and until September 3, fans can vote for their favorite acts across the 14 categories on vma.mtv.com. 

Check out the full list of VMAs 2021 nominations below:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

• Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”

• DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “POPSTAR” (Starring Justin Bieber)

• Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”

• Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits”

• Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
  The Weeknd – “Save Your Tears”

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

• Ariana Grande

• Doja Cat

• Justin Bieber

• Megan Thee Stallion

• Olivia Rodrigo

• Taylor Swift

SONG OF THE YEAR

• 24kGoldn ft. iann dior – “Mood”

• Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open”

• BTS – “Dynamite”

• Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”

• Dua Lipa – “Levitating”

• Olivia Rodrigo – “drivers license”

BEST NEW ARTIST

• 24kGoldn

• Giveon

• The Kid LAROI

• Olivia Rodrigo

• Polo G

• Saweetie

PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

• September 2020: Wallows – "Are You Bored Yet?"

• October 2020: Ashnikko – "Daisy"

• November 2020: SAINt JHN – "Gorgeous"

• December 2020: 24kGoldn – "Coco"

• January 2021: JC Stewart – "Break My Heart"

• February 2021: Latto – "Sex Lies"

• March 2021: Madison Beer – "Selfish"

• April 2021: The Kid LAROI – "WITHOUT YOU”

• May 2021: Olivia Rodrigo – "drivers license"

• June 2021: girl in red "Serotonin"

• July 2021: Fousheé – "my slime"

• August 2021: jxdn – “Think About Me”

BEST COLLABORATION

• 24kGoldn ft. iann dior – “Mood”

• Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”

• Drake ft. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later”

• Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches”

• Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa – “Prisoner”

BEST POP

• Ariana Grande – “positions”

• Billie Eilish – “Therefore I Am”

• BTS – “Butter”

• Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness”

• Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches”

• Olivia Rodrigo – “good 4 u”

• Shawn Mendes – “Wonder”

• Taylor Swift – “willow”

BEST HIP-HOP

• Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”

• Drake ft. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later”

• Lil Baby ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “On Me (remix)”

• Moneybagg Yo – “Said Sum”

• Polo G – “RAPSTAR”

• Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A. – “FRANCHISE”

BEST ROCK

• Evanescence – “Use My Voice”

• Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame”

• John Mayer – “Last Train Home”

• The Killers – “My Own Soul's Warning”

• Kings of Leon – “The Bandit”

• Lenny Kravitz – “Raise Vibration”

BEST ALTERNATIVE

• Bleachers – “Stop Making This Hurt”

• Glass Animals – “Heat Waves”

• Imagine Dragons – “Follow You”

• Machine Gun Kelly ft. blackbear – “my ex’s best friend”

• twenty one pilots – “Shy Away”

• WILLOW ft. Travis Barker – “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l”

BEST LATIN

• Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez – “Dákiti”

• Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA – “Lo Vas A Olvidar”

• Black Eyed Peas and Shakira – “GIRL LIKE ME”

• J. Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy – “UN DIA (ONE DAY)”

• Karol G – “Bichota”

• Maluma – “Hawái”

BEST R&B

• Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “BROWN SKIN GIRL”

• Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open”

• Chris Brown and Young Thug – “Go Crazy”

• Giveon – “HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY”

• H.E.R. ft. Chris Brown – “Come Through”

• SZA – “Good Days”

BEST K-POP

• (G)I-DLE – “DUMDi DUMDi”

• BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez – “Ice Cream”

• BTS – “Butter”

• Monsta X – “Gambler”

• SEVENTEEN – “Ready to Love”

• TWICE – “Alcohol-Free”

VIDEO FOR GOOD

• Billie Eilish – “Your Power”

• Demi Lovato – “Dancing With The Devil”

• H.E.R. – “Fight For You”

• Kane Brown – “Worldwide Beautiful”

• Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”

• Pharrell Williams ft. JAY-Z – “Entrepreneur”

BEST DIRECTION

• Billie Eilish – “Your Power” Directed by: Billie Eilish

• DJ Khaled ft. Drake – “POPSTAR (Starring Justin Bieber)” Directed by: Julien Christian Lutz aka Director X

• Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).” Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino

• Taylor Swift – “willow” Directed by: Taylor Swift

• Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A – “Franchise” Directed by: Travis Scott

• Tyler, The Creator – “LUMBERJACK” Directed by: Wolf Haley

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “BROWN SKIN GIRL” Cinematography by: Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, MOHAMMAED ATTA AHMED, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant

• Billie Eilish – “Therefore I Am” Cinematography by: Rob Witt

• Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame” Cinematography by: Santiago Gonzalez

• Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper – “Holy” Cinematography by: Elias Talbot

• Lady Gaga – “911” Cinematography by: Jeff Cronenweth

• Lorde – “Solar Power” Cinematography by: Andrew Stroud

BEST ART DIRECTION

• Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – “ALREADY” Art Direction by: Susan Linns, Gerard Santos

• Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits” Art Direction by: Alison Dominitz

• Lady Gaga – “911” Art Direction by: Tom Foden, Peter Andrus

• Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” Art Direction by: John Richoux

• Saweetie ft. Doja Cat – “Best Friend” Art Direction by: Art Haynes

• Taylor Swift – “willow” Art Direction by: Ethan Tobman, Regina Fernandez

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• Bella Poarch – “Build A Bitch” Visual Effects by: Andrew Donoho, Denhov Visuals, Denis Strahhov, Rein Jakobson, Vahur Kuusk, Tatjana Pavlik, Yekaterina Vetrova

• Coldplay – “Higher Power” Visual Effects by: Mathematic

• Doja Cat & The Weeknd – “You Right” Visual Effects by: La Pac, Anthony Lestremau, Julien Missaire, Petr Shkolniy, Alexi Bailla, Micha Sher, Antoine Hache, Mikros MPC, Nicolas Huget, Guillaume Ho Tsong Fang, Benjamin Lenfant, Stephane Pivron, MPC Bangalore, Chanakya Chander, Raju Ganesh, David Rouxel

• Glass Animals – “Tangerine” Visual Effects by: Ronan Fourreau

• Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” Visual Effects by: Mathematic

• P!NK – “All I Know So Far” Visual Effects by: Dave Meyers, Freenjoy Inc

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

• Ariana Grande – “34+35” Choreography by: Brian Nicholson & Scott Nicholson

• BTS – “Butter” Choreography by: SON SUNG DEUK With BHM PERFORMANCE DIRECTING TEAM

• Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits” Choreography by: Natricia Bernard

• Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame” Choreography by: Nina McNeely

• Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness.” Choreography by: Paul Roberts

• Marshmello & Halsey – “Be Kind.” Choreography by: Dani Vitale

BEST EDITING

• Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open” Editing by: Troy Charbonnet

• BTS – “Butter” Editing by: Yong Seok Choi from Lumpens

• Drake – “What's Next” Editing by: Noah Kendal

• Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness” Editing by: Claudia Wass

• Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches” Editing by: Mark Mayr, Vinnie Hobbs
  Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa – “Prisoner”

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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Watch BTS Perform “Dynamite” at MTV VMAs 2020

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue