The steady drumbeat of announcements means that the MTV VMAs are getting closer, and today’s is a big one: Ariana Grande will join Lady Gaga for a performance on this year’s show, which is taking place at various locations across New York City.
Of course, the pair will perform “Rain on Me,” their hit duet and video from Gaga’s latest album “Chromatica,” which is nominated for a whopping seven awards.
The VMAs will air live on Sunday, August 30th at 8pm ET/PT. See the full list of nominees here.
The performance will mark Grande’s first performance on the show since 2018, when she played her hit “God Is a Woman.” It will be her fifth total performance on the show, and over the years she has won five VMA trophies and been nominated 35 times.
Nine of those nominations are for this year, which is remarkable for an artist who hasn’t released an album in the past 12 months. Grande leads the pack with nods for Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop, Best Cinematograph, Best Visual Effects, Best Choreography and Best Collaboration (all for “Rain on Me”), and also has a pair of nods for her collaboration with Justin Bieber, “Stuck With U” (Best Collaboration and Best Music Video From Home).
Grande joins a list of previously announced performers that includes Gaga, Miley Cyrus, The Weeknd, Roddy Ricch, BTS, Doja Cat, J Balvin, Maluma and CNCO, with additional artists to be announced in the coming days.
MTV Awards allows for fans to vote for their favorites across 15 categories including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Quarantine Performance via social media and the MTV website until Aug. 23.
The awards show will no longer take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, as originally announced. Instead, artists will take to the stage at audience-less locations around New York City.