The prominent nominations for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards have just been announced, meaning a primetime gala in New York at the UBS Arena on September 7, and will be live telecast on CBS and MTV. Lady Gaga tops the list with 12 nominations, Bruno Mars is very close behind with 11 nominations, and Kendrick Lamar has 10 nominations-creating an exciting race filled with power and celebrity music tones.
2025 VMA Nominations: Full List
Video of the Year
- Ariana Grande, “Brighter Days Ahead”
- Billie Eilish, “Birds of a Feather”
- Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
- Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
- Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”
- The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, “Timeless”
- Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”
Artist of the Year
- Lady Gaga
- Kendrick Lamar
- Bad Bunny
- Morgan Wallen
- The Weeknd
- Taylor Swift
- Beyoncé
Song of the Year
- Alex Warren, “Ordinary”
- Billie Eilish, “Birds of a Feather”
- Ed Sheeran, “Sapphire”
- Doechii, “Anxiety”
- Lorde, “What Was That”
- Gracie Abrams, “I Love You, I’m Sorry”
- Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”
- Tate McRae, “Sports Car”
- Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
- The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, “Timeless”
Best Collaboration
- Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs, “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)”
- Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “luther”
- Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton, “Pour Me A Drink”
- Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”
- Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
- Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco, “Sunset Blvd”
Best Pop
- Alex Warren, “Ordinary”
- Ariana Grande, “Brighter Days Ahead”
- Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”
- Ed Sheeran, “Sapphire”
- Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
- Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”
Best Hip-Hop
- Doechii, “Anxiety”
- Drake, “Nokia”
- Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
- GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red, “Whatchu Kno About Me”
- Eminem ft. Jelly Roll, “Somebody Save Me”
- LL Cool J ft. Eminem, “Murdergram Deux”
- Travis Scott, “4X4”
Best New Artist
- Alex Warren
- Ella Langley
- Gigi Perez
- Lola Young
- Sombr
- The Marías
Best Country
- Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood, “I’m Gonna Love You”
- Jelly Roll, “Liar”
- Morgan Wallen, “Smile”
- Megan Moroney, “Am I Okay?”
- Lainey Wilson, “4x4xU”
- Chris Stapleton, “Think I’m In Love With You”
Best K-pop
- Aespa, “Whiplash”
- Jennie, “Like Jennie”
- Jimin, “Who”
- Lisa ft. Doja Cat & Raye, “Born Again”
- Jisoo, “Earthquake”
- Stray Kids, “Chk Chk Boom”
- Rosé – “Toxic Till the End”
Best R&B
- Chris Brown, “Residuals”
- Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs, “Mutt (Remix)”
- Mariah Carey, “Type Dangerous”
- Partynextdoor – “No Chill”
- Summer Walker, “Heart Of A Woman”
- SZA, “Drive”
Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar Steal the Spotlight
Lady Gaga surpassed them all with 12 bids, Bruno Mars followed her with 11, and Kendrick Lamar settled for 10. Voting for the 19 neutral categories is done using an online portal vote.mtv.com until September 5, 2025, except for the Best New Artist, whose voting will remain open until the show. The VMAs introduced the category for Best Country Artist and Best Pop Artist this year due to the evolving trends in music.
