The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards are kicking off on Sunday, looking a little different than usual amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead of taking place at a packed Barclays Center, artists are taking the stage in audience-less locations around New York City to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Those performers include BTS, The Black Eyed Peas, DaBaby, The Weeknd, Doja Cat, Maluma with CNCO and Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande. “Hustlers” star Keke Palmer will take hosting duties.
Thanks in large part to their hit collaboration “Rain on Me,” Gaga and Grande lead the nominations with nine, including song of the year and artist of the year for Gaga. Billie Eilish and The Weeknd follow with six nominations, with the latter also being nominated for artist of the year. DaBaby, Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion and Post Malone are also up for artist of the year. Nominees for video of the year are Eilish (“Everything I Wanted”), Eminem with Juice WRLD (“Godzilla”), Future with Drake (“Life Is Good”), Gaga with Grande (“Rain on Me”), Taylor Swift (“The Man”) and The Weeknd (“Blinding Lights”).
This year’s unique show also sees two lockdown-specific categories: best music video from home and best quarantine performance, reflecting the emphasis on livestreaming versus live concerts as the coronavirus pandemic spread (you can watch all the nominees for best quarantine performance here).
In addition to MTV, the VMAs are also being simulcast across 11 other ViacomCBS brands for the first time. See all the nominees below, updated live as winners are announced.
BEST GROUP
BTS (WINNER)
5 Seconds of Summer
The 1975
BLACKPINK
Chloe x Halle
CNCO
Little Mix
MONSTA X
Now United
twenty one pilots
BEST ALTERNATIVE
Machine Gun Kelly – “Bloody Valentine” (WINNER)
The 1975 – “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”
All Time Low – “Some Kind Of Disaster”
FINNEAS – “Let’s Fall in Love for the Night”
Lana Del Rey – “Doin’ Time
twenty one pilots – “Level of Concern”
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Billie Eilish – “everything i wanted”
Eminem ft. Juice WRLD – “Godzilla”
Future ft. Drake – “Life Is Good”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
Taylor Swift – “The Man”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
DaBaby
Justin Bieber
Lady Gaga
Megan Thee Stallion
Post Malone
The Weeknd
SONG OF THE YEAR
Billie Eilish – “everything i wanted”
Doja Cat – “Say So”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
Megan Thee Stallion – “Savage”
Post Malone – “Circles”
BEST COLLABORATION
Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber – “Stuck with U”
Black Eyed Peas ft. J Balvin – “RITMO (Bad Boys For Life)”
Ed Sheeran ft. Khalid – “Beautiful People”
Future ft. Drake – “Life Is Good”
Karol G ft. Nicki Minaj – “Tusa”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
PUSH BEST NEW ARTIST, Presented by Chime Banking
Doja Cat
Jack Harlow
Lewis Capaldi
Roddy Ricch
Tate McRae
YUNGBLUD
BEST POP
BTS – “On”
Halsey – “You should be sad”
Jonas Brothers – “What a Man Gotta Do”
Justin Bieber ft. Quavo – “Intentions”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
Taylor Swift – “Lover”
BEST HIP-HOP
DaBaby – “BOP”
Eminem ft. Juice WRLD – “Godzilla”
Future ft. Drake – “Life Is Good”
Megan Thee Stallion – “Savage”
Roddy Ricch – “The Box”
Travis Scott – “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM”
BEST ROCK
blink-182 – “Happy Days”
Coldplay – “Orphans”
Evanescence – “Wasted On You”
Fall Out Boy ft. Wyclef Jean – “Dear Future Self (Hands Up)”
Green Day – “Oh Yeah!”
The Killers – “Caution”
BEST LATIN
Anuel AA ft. Daddy Yankee, Ozuna, Karol G & J Balvin – “China”
Bad Bunny – “Yo Perreo Sola”
Black Eyed Peas ft. Ozuna & J. Rey Soul – “MAMACITA”
J Balvin – “Amarillo”
Karol G ft. Nicki Minaj – “Tusa”
Maluma ft. J Balvin – “Qué Pena”
BEST R&B
Alicia Keys – “Underdog”
Chloe x Halle – “Do It”
H.E.R. ft. YG – “Slide”
Khalid ft. Summer Walker – “Eleven”
Lizzo – “Cuz I Love You”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”
BEST K-POP
(G)I-DLE – “Oh My God”
BTS – “On”
EXO – “Obsession”
Monsta X – “SOMEONE’S SOMEONE”
Tomorrow X Together – “9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)”
Red Velvet – “Psycho” – SM Entertainment
VIDEO FOR GOOD
Anderson .Paak – “Lockdown”
Billie Eilish – “all the good girls go to hell”
Demi Lovato – “I Love Me”
H.E.R. – ”I Can’t Breathe”
Lil Baby – “The Bigger Picture”
Taylor Swift – “The Man” – Republic Records
BEST MUSIC VIDEO FROM HOME
5 Seconds of Summer – “Wildflower”
Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber – “Stuck with U”
blink-182 – “Happy Days”
Drake – “Toosie Slide”
John Legend – “Bigger Love”
twenty one pilots – “Level of Concern”
BEST QUARANTINE PERFORMANCE
Chloe & Halle – “Do It” from MTV’s Prom-athon
CNCO – Unplugged At Home
DJ D-Nice – Club MTV presents #DanceTogether
John Legend – #togetherathome Concert Series
Lady Gaga – “Smile” from One World: Together At Home
Post Malone – Nirvana Tribute
BEST DIRECTION
Billie Eilish – “xanny”
Doja Cat – “Say So”
Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now”
Harry Styles – “Adore You”
Taylor Swift – “The Man”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
5 Seconds of Summer – “Old Me”
Camila Cabello ft. DaBaby – “My Oh My”
Billie Eilish – “all the good girls go to hell”
Katy Perry – “Harleys In Hawaii”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”
BEST ART DIRECTION
A$AP Rocky – “Babushka Boi”
Dua Lipa – “Physical”
Harry Styles – “Adore You”
Miley Cyrus – “Mother’s Daughter”
Selena Gomez – “Boyfriend”
Taylor Swift – “Lover”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Billie Eilish – “all the good girls go to hell”
Demi Lovato – “I Love Me”
Dua Lipa – “Physical”
Harry Styles – “Adore You”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
Travis Scott – “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM”
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
BTS – “On”
CNCO & Natti Natasha – “Honey Boo”
DaBaby – “BOP”
Dua Lipa – “Physical”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
Normani – “Motivation”
BEST EDITING
Halsey – “Graveyard”
James Blake – “Can’t Believe the Way We Flow”
Lizzo – “Good As Hell”
Miley Cyrus – “Mother’s Daughter”
ROSALÍA – “A Palé”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”
SONG OF THE SUMMER
BLACKPINK “How You Like That”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch “Rockstar”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake “Popstar”
Doja Cat – “Say So”
Dua Lipa – “Break My Heart”
Harry Styles –“Watermelon Sugar”
Jack Harlow – “Whats Poppin”
Lil Baby ft. 42 Dugg – “We Paid”
Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyoncé – “Savage (Remix)”
Miley Cyrus – “Midnight Sky”
Pop Smoke ft. 50 Cent & Roddy Ricch – “The Woo”
SAINt JHN – “Roses”
Saweetie – “Tap In”
Taylor Swift – “cardigan”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”