Pop divas Gaga and Ariana lead VMA noms

Pop divas Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande lead the nominations with nine nods each at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. The girls got them for Rain On Me, their gorgeous collab that is included in the Gaga’s latest No. 1 seller Chromatica. This is the second year in a row that Ariana topped the annual nods.

Ariana Grande receive nine nominations each at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. The girls got them for Rain On Me, their gorgeous collab that is included in the Gaga’s latest No. 1 seller Chromatica.

Ariana got 10 nominations for thank u next, her flippant bye bye tune to her former loves at the 2019 VMAs. She shared the top berth with another pop diva, Taylor Swift. The Swiftie got most of her 10 nods for her song You Need to Calm Down, which is from her Lover album.

Rain on Me is in hot contention for the top plum, the Video of the Year. The other nominees are everything i wanted by Billie Eilish; Blinding Lights by The Weeknd; The Man by Taylor Swift; Life is Good by Future featuring Drake; and Godzilla by Eminem featuring the late Juice World. Eilish and The Weeknd got six nominations each.

Meanwhile, it was a nice surprise to find out that in keeping with the times the VMAs has added two new categories this year. These are Best Music Video from Home and Best Quarantine Performance. These are to honor the artists who have not allowed the COVID-19 pandemic to stifle their creativity or to deprive the quarantined public of something they can enjoy watching.

Those nominated for videos they shot from home are: 5 Seconds of Summer, Wildflower; Justin Bieber & Ariana Grande, Stuck With U; Blink 182, Happy Days; Drake, Toosie Slide; John Legend, Bigger Love; twenty one pilots, Level of Concern.

The Best Quarantined Performers are: Chloe X Halle, Do It MTV Prom-athon; CNCO, Unplugged at Home; DJD Nice Club, MTV Presents #Dance Together; John Legend, #Togetherathome Concert Series; Lady Gaga, Smile from One World Together at Home; Post Malone, Nirvana Tribute.

Another piece of good news is that the Best Alternative category has been brought back. However, there is no Best Dance category this year as well as Best New Artist. Instead, all newcomers are in the Push Artist of the Year category. They are: Doja Cat; Jack Harlow; Lewis Capaldi; Roddy Ricch; Tate McRae, YUNG Blud.

Here are some of the other nominees:

Artist of the Year: DaBaby; Justin Bieber; Lady Gaga; Megan Thee Stallion; Post Malone and The Weeknd.

Song of the Year: Billie Eilish, everything i wanted; Doja Cat, Say So; Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, Rain on Me; Megan Thee Stallion, Savage; Post Malone, Circles; Roddy Ricch, The Box.

Best Collaboration: Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, stuck w U; Black Eyed Peas featuring J Balvin, RITMO (Bad Boys for Life); Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid, Beautiful People; Future featuring Drake, Life is Good; Karol G featuring Nicki Minaj, Tusa; Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, Rain on Me.

Pop: BTS, On; Halsey, You Should Be Sad; the Jonas Brothers, What a Man Gotta Do; Justin Bieber featuring Quavo, Intentions; Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, Rain on Me; Taylor Swift, The Man.

Hip-Hop: DaBaby, Bop; Eminem featuring Juice World, Godzilla; Future featuring Drake, Life is Good; Megan Thee Stallion, Savage; Roddy Ricch, The Box; Travis Scott, HIGHEST IN THE ROOM.

R&B: Alicia Keys, Underdog; Chloe X Halle, Do It; H.E.R. featuring YG, Slide; Khalid featuring Summer Walker, Eleven; Lizzo, Cuz I Love You; The Weeknd, Blinding Lights.

Latin: Anuel AA featuring Daddy Yankee, Ozuna, Karol G & J Balvin, China; Bad B, Yo Perreo Sola; Black Eyed Peas featuring Ozuna and J. Rey Soul, MAMACITA; J Balvin, Amarillo, Karol G featuring Nicki Minaj, Tusa; Maluma featuring J. Balvin, Quel Pena.

Rock: Blink 182, Happy Days; Coldplay, Orphans; Evanescence, Wasted on You; Fall Out Boy and Wyclef Jean, Dear Future Self (Hands Up); Green Day, Oh Yeah; The Killers, Caution.

Alternative: 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; Machine Gun Kelly, Bloody Valentine; twenty one pilots, Level of Concern.

Video for Good: Anderson. Paak, Lockdown; Billie Eilish, all the good girls go to hell; Demi Lovato, Love Me; H.E.R., I Can’t Breathe; Lil Baby, The Bigger Picture; Taylor Swift, The Man.

Best K-Pop: (G)I-DLE, Oh My God; BTS, On; EXO, Obsession; Monsta X, Someone’s Someone; Tomorrow X Together, Nine & Three Quarters (Run Away); Red Velvet, Psycho.

The MTV Video Music Awards will air live from the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York on Aug. 30. That will be Monday morning out here at the MTV channel. It will be live, the first major awards event where there will be nominees in attendance, albeit in limited number. There might even be a red carpet for fans to gawk at while they are social distancing.