IV of Spades competes in EMA Best Southeast Asian Act

Only three Filipino artists have ever been nominated in the MTV European Music Awards (EMAs) Best Southeast Asian Act category. The EMA also honors regional artists as in Best US Act or Best UK Act or Best Korean Act and in 2013, the EMAs gave out the first Best Southeast Asian Act trophy.

Sarah Geronimo was the nominee from the Philippines but the winner was the Vietnamese pop diva My Tam. She became the next winner in 2013. The other nominees from the Philippines were James Reid and Nadine Lustre in 2015 and Reid again in 2017 during which he emerged the winner.

Now Pinoys have a chance to add another name to that list. The young band IV of Spades is the Filipino nominee in the 2018 EMA Best Southeast Asian Act category. The local boys are up against Afgan from Indonesia; Joe Flizzow from Malaysia; The Sam Willows from Singapore; Slot Machine from Thailand; Minh Hang from Vietnam; and Twopee Southside also from Thailand.

While I see any honor received by IV of Spades at this point in the band’s career as truly merited and should be appreciated, I still cannot keep myself from wondering how these boys feel about receiving all the accolade that in truth they should be sharing with former frontman Unique. 

After all, he was lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for IV of Spades during the band’s early days. Mundo, the group’s biggest hit, is a Unique composition. But then Unique left Spades to go solo. He seems to be doing fine but I also wonder. Is he resentful of what is happening to Zild, Blaster and Badjao? Or does he feel he is missing out on the fun?

I do not have the answers to those questions but I have a list of this year’s nominees at the EMAs. The awards show will be held during MTV Music Week on Nov. 4 at the Bizkaia Arena, the Bilbao Exhibition Center in Barakaido, Bilbao, Basque Country in Spain. 

Hailee Steinfeld is set to host and as it has been these past years, there will be lots of performances by big name guests. You still have time to book a ticket to Bilbao, but if you are not doing that, just check MTV for the EMAs sked. 

And now here are the nominees: 

Best Artist: Ariana Grande; Camila Cabello; Drake; Dua Lipa; Post Malone.

Best Video: Ariana Grande, No Tears Left To Cry; Camila Cabello, Havana ft. Young Thug; Childish Gambino, This Is America; Lil Dicky, Freaky Friday ft. Chris Brown; The Carters, APESHIT.

Best Song: Ariana Grande, No Tears Left To Cry; Bebe Rexha, Meant To Be ft. Florida Georgia Line; Camila Cabello, Havana ft. Young Thug; Drake, God’s Plan; Post Malone, Rockstar ft. 21 Savage.

Best Pop: Ariana Grande; Camila Cabello; Dua Lipa; Hailee Steinfeld; Shawn Mendes.

Best New Artist: Anne Marie; Bazzi; Cardi B; Hayley Kiyoko; Jessie Reyez.

Best Look: Cardi B; Dua Lipa; Migos; Nicki Minaj; Post Malone.

Best Hip-Hop: Drake; Eminem; Migos; Nicki Minaj; Travis Scott.

Best Live: Ed Sheeran; Muse; Pink; Shawn Mendes; The Carters.

Best Rock: 5 Seconds of Summer; Foo Fighters; Imagine Dragons; Muse; U2.

Best Alternative: Fall Out Boy; Panic! At The Disco; The 1975; Thirty Seconds To Mars; twenty one pilots.

Best Electronic: Calvin Harris; David Guetta; Marshmello; Martin Garrix; The Chainsmokers.

Biggest Fans: BTS; Camila Cabello; Selena Gomez; Shawn Mendes; Taylor Swift.

Best World Stage: Clean Bandit, MTV Crashes Plymouth UK 2017; Charli XCX, MTV Crashes Plymouth UK 2017; David Guetta, Trafalgar Square, UK 2017; Jason Derulo, Isle of MTV Malta 2018; Post Malone, Wireless Festival, UK 2018; Migos, Wireless Festival, UK 2018; J Cole, Wireless Festival, UK 2018; Nick Jonas, MTV Spotlight @ Hyperplay, Singapore 2018; Alessia Cara, MTV Spotlight @ Hyperplay, Singapore, 2018.

Best Push: PRETTYMUCH, October 2017; Why Don’t We, November, 2017; Grace VanderWaal, December, 2017; Bishop Briggs, January, 2018; Superorganism, February, 2018; Jessie Reyez, March, 2018; Hayley Kiyoko, April, 2018; Bazzi, August 2018; Jorja Smith, September, 2018.

Best US Act: Ariana Grande; Camila Cabello; Cardi B; Imagine Dragons; Post Malone.

Best UK Act: Anne-Marie; George Ezra; Little Mix; Stormzy; Dua Lipa.

Best Canadian Act: Drake; Shawn Mendes; The Weeknd; Alessia Cara; Arcade Fire.

Best Korean Act: Cosmic Girls; (G)l-dle; Golden Child; Loona; Pentagon.

Best Japanese Act: Daoke; Glim Spanky; Little Glee Monster; Wednesday Campanella; Yahyel.