Gaga, Bruno, Rose & Kendrick top the 2025 VMAs nominations

It is the middle of summer in the U.S. of A., and just like what had happened during most of the past 40 years, we now have news of the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).

This year’s VMAs will be held at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on Sept. 7.

I look forward to another fun, entertaining, star-studded event. I enjoy how the VMAs honor the best of music releases and their accompanying videos from the past 12 months.

Admit it, music video productions just keep getting better every year and I love how these video makers can say so much within a scant three or four minutes than most feature filmmakers can in almost two hours.

I am also glad that several of my favorites made the grade. Lady Gaga got 12 nods and Bruno Mars, her duet partner for Die with a Smile, bagged 11, some of them for APT, his collab with K-Pop star Rose of the group BLACKPINK. She got eight nods. There are also Kendrick Lamar with 10, Sabrina Carpenter, also with eight, Ariana Grande with seven and Billie Eilish with six. Why even Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran and Lorde are in the running.

Taylor Swift is not among them. She was so busy being in love and was not able to put together a new album. Which is just as well, since she brought home seven Moonpersons from last year’s VMAs.

It’s time to give others chances to bring home the trophies and save the VMAs from becoming too predictable.

However, there is still a chance that the head Swiftie might win another Moonman this year. She is once more in the running for Artist of the Year, a prize she won last year.

She is competing against Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen and The Weeknd.

Now, my only beef against that category list is that it does not include Bruno Mars. He got a total of 11 nominations, while Taylor and Beyoncé did not get any.

I do not know how the Artist of the Year nominees are chosen but I think this is a sad oversight. Anyway, I am looking forward to watching him perform at the VMAs, where I am sure that those who kept him out of the Artist of the Year list will be proven wrong.

Now, check out the 2025 VMA nominees.

•Video of the Year: Ariana Grande, brighter days ahead; Billie Eilish, BIRDS OF A FEATHER; Kendrick Lamar, Not Like Us; Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Die with a Smile; Rose and Bruno Mars, APT; Sabrina Carpenter, Manchild; The Weeknd and Playboi Carti, Timeless.

•Song of the Year: Alex Warren, Ordinary; Billie Eilish, BIRDS OF A FEATHER; Doechii, Anxiety; Ed Sheeran, Sapphire; Gracie Abrams, I Love You, I’m Sorry; Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Die with a Smile; Lorde, What Was That; Rose and Bruno Mars, APT; Tate McCrae, Sports Car; The Weeknd and Playboi Carti, Timeless.

•Best Pop Artist: Ariana Grande; Charli xcx; Justin Bieber; Lorde; Miley Cyrus; Sabrina Carpenter; and Tate McCrae.

•Best Collaboration: Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs, Back-up Plan; Kendrick Lamar and SZA; Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Die with a Smile; Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton; Rose and Bruno Mars; Selena Gomez and benny blanco, Sunset Blvd.

•Best Pop: Alex Warren, Ordinary; Ariana Grande, brighter days ahead; Ed Sheeran, Sapphire; Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Die with a Smile; Rose and Bruno Mars, APT; Sabrina Carpenter, Manchild.

•Best Hip-Hop Video: Doechii, Anxiety; Drake, NOKIA; Eminem ft. Jelly Roll, Somebody Save Me; GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red, WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME; Kendrick Lamar, Not Like Us; LL COOL J ft. Eminem, Murdergram Deux; Travis Scott, 4X4.

•Best Rock: Coldplay, ALL MY LOVE; Evanescense, Afterlife; Green Day, One Eyed Bastard; Lenny Kravitz, Honey; Linkin Park, The Emptiness Machine.

•Best Alternative: Gigi Perez, Sailor Song; Imagine Dragons, Wake Up; Lola Young, Messy; mgk and Jelly Roll, Lonely Road; sombr, back to friends; The Marias, Back to Me.

•Best R&B: Chris Brown, Residuals; Leon Thomas and Freddie Gibbs, MUTT (Remix); Mariah Carey, Type Dangerous; PARTY NEXT DOOR, N o C h i l l; Summer Walker, Heart of a Woman; SZA, Drive; The Weeknd with Playboi Carti, Timeless.

•Best K-POP: aespa, Whiplash; Jennie, like JENNIE; Jimin, Who; Jisoo, earthquake; Lisa ft. Doja Cat and RAYE, Born Again; Stray Kids, Chk Chk Boom; Rose, toxic till the end.

•Best Album: Bad Bunny, “DeBI TiRAR MaS FOTos”; Kendrick Lamar, “GNX”; Lady Gaga, “Mayhem”; Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”; Sabrina Carpenter, “Short n’ Sweet’; The Weeknd, “Hurry Up Tomorrow.”

•Best Long Form Video: Ariana Grande, brighter days ahead; Bad Bunny, DeBI TiRAR MaS FOTos; Damiano David, FUNNY little STORIES; Mac Miller, Balloonerism; Miley Cyrus, Something Beautiful; The Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow.

•Best Direction: Ariana Grande, brighter days ahead; Charli xcx, Guess ft. Billie Eilish; Kendrick Lamar, Not Like Us; Lady Gaga, Abracadabra; Rose and Bruno Mars, APT; Sabrina Carpenter, Manchild.

•Best Art Direction: Charli xcx, Guess ft. Billie Eilish; Kendrick Lamar, Not Like Us; Lady Gaga, Abracadabra; Lorde, Man of the Year; Miley Cyrus, End of the World; Rose and Bruno Mars, APT.

•Best Editing: Charli xcx, Guess ft. Billie Eilish; Ed Sheeran, Sapphire; Kendrick Lamar, Not Like Us; Lady Gaga, Abracadabra; Sabrina Carpenter, Manchild; Tate McRae, Just Keep Watching.

•Best Cinematography: Ariana Grande, brighter days ahead; Ed Sheeran, Sapphire; Kendrick Lamar, Not Like Us; Lady Gaga, Abracadabra; Miley Cyrus, Easy Lover; Sabrina Carpenter, Manchild.

•Best Choreography: Doechii, Anxiety; FKA twigs, Eusexua; Kendrick Lamar, Not Like Us; Lady Gaga, Abracadabra; Tyla, PUSH 2 START; Zara Larsson.

•Best Visual Effects: Ariana Grande, brighter days ahead; Lady Gaga, Abracadabra; Rose and Bruno Mars, APT; Sabrina Carpenter, Manchild; Tate McRae, Just Keep Watching; The Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow.

For the rest of the nominees, do check out the MTV website.