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2025 MTV VMAs: Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tems, Asake & Rema Shine as Afrobeats Dominates Nomination List
Nigerian music continues to break boundaries on the global stage, and this year’s MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) is no exception. The 2025 VMAs have officially rolled out their full list of nominations, with Afrobeats firmly in the spotlight and some of Nigeria’s biggest stars earning major recognition.
Leading the Nigerian contingent is Burna Boy, who secured three nominations across multiple categories. His Travis Scott-assisted hit TaTaTa earned him a nod for Best Afrobeats, while his powerful solo track Higher is nominated in the Video for Good category. Burna Boy also scores a mention for Best Visual Effects through his appearance in The Weeknd’s cinematic video for Hurry Up Tomorrow.
Wizkid also makes his mark with a nomination for Best Afrobeats for Piece Of My Heart, his collaboration with American singer Brent Faiyaz, a track that has drawn critical acclaim for its smooth blend of R&B and Afrobeats.
Afrobeats queen Tems and street-hop star Asake share a nomination in the same category for their joint effort Get It Right, while Asake earns an additional nod for Best Afrobeats with Active, another collaboration with Travis Scott.
Meanwhile, Rema rounds out the Nigerian nominees in the Best Afrobeats category with his soulful single Baby (Is It A Crime) further showcasing the depth and diversity within the genre.
The 2025 edition of the VMAs, which will air live on September 7, 2025, introduces a dedicated Best Afrobeats category a clear reflection of the genre’s meteoric rise and the growing impact of Nigerian artists on global music culture.
With five Nigerian stars securing prominent nominations, this year’s ceremony is poised to be a celebration of Afrobeats excellence. As anticipation builds, all eyes are now on the VMAs stage to see how these trailblazing artists fare.
Here full list of 2025 MTV Video Music Awards nominations below:
Video of the Year
Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny
Beyoncé
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga
Morgan Wallen
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd
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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 & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
Lorde – “What Was That”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Tate McRae – “Sports Car”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Best New Artist
Alex Warren
Ella Langley
Gigi Perez
Lola Young
sombr
The Marías
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Best Pop Artist
Ariana Grande
Charli xcx
Justin Bieber
Lorde
Miley Cyrus
Sabrina Carpenter
Tate McRae
MTV Push Performance of the Year
Aug. 2024 – Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Sept. 2024 – Ayra Starr – “Last Heartbreak Song”
Oct 2024 – Mark Ambor – “Belong Together”
Nov. 2024 – Lay Bankz – “Graveyard”
Dec. 2024 – Dasha – “Bye Bye Bye”
Jan. 2025 – KATSEYE – “Touch”
Feb. 2025 – Jordan Adetunji – “KEHLANI”
March 2025 – Leon Thomas – “YES IT IS”
April 2025 – Livingston – “Shadow”
May 2025 – Damiano David – “Next Summer”
June 2025 – Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
July 2025 – Role Model – “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out”
Best Collaboration
Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs – “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)”
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “luther”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton – “Pour Me A Drink”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Selena Gomez, benny blanco – “Sunset Blvd”
Best Pop
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Best Hip-Hop
Doechii – “Anxiety”
Drake – “NOKIA”
Eminem ft. Jelly Roll – “Somebody Save Me”
GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red – “Watch Kno About Me”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
LL COOL J ft. Eminem – “Murdergram Deux”
Travis Scott – “4X4”
Best R&B
Chris Brown – “Residuals”
Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs – “MUTT (REMIX)”
Mariah Carey – “Type Dangerous”
PARTYNEXTDOOR – “N o C h i l l”
Summer Walker – “Heart Of A Woman”
SZA – “Drive”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Best Alternative
Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
Imagine Dragons – “Wake Up”
Lola Young – “Messy”
mgk & Jelly Roll – “Lonely Road”
sombr – “back to friends”
The Marías – “Back To Me”
Best Rock
Coldplay – “All My Love”
Evanescence – “Afterlife (From the Netflix Series “Devil May Cry”)”
Green Day – “One Eyed Bastard”
Lenny Kravitz – “Honey”
Linkin Park – “The Emptiness Machine”
twenty one pilots – “The Contract”
Best Latin
Bad Bunny – “BAILE INoLVIDABLE”
J Balvin – “Rio”
Karol G – “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
Peso Pluma – “LA PATRULLA”
Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos – “Khé?”
Shakira – “Soltera“
Best K-Pop
aespa – “Whiplash”
JENNIE – “like JENNIE”
Jimin – “Who”
JISOO – “earthquake”
LISA ft. Doja Cat & RAYE – “Born Again”
Stray Kids – “Chk Chk Boom”
ROSÉ – “toxic till the end”
Best Afrobeats
Asake & Travis Scott – “Active
Burna Boy ft. Travis Scott – “TaTaTa”
MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – “Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix)”
Rema – “Baby (Is It A Crime)”
Tems ft. Asake – “Get It Right”
Tyla – “PUSH 2 START”
Wizkid ft. Brent Faiyaz – “Piece Of My Heart”
Best Country
Chris Stapleton – “Think I’m In Love With You”
Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood – “I’m Gonna Love You”
Jelly Roll – “Liar”
Lainey Wilson – “4x4xU”
Megan Moroney – “Am I Okay?”
Morgan Wallen – “Smile”
Best Album
Bad Bunny – DeBÍ TiRAR MáS 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 – “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Short Film)”
Damiano David – “FUNNY little STORIES”
Mac Miller – “Balloonerism”
Miley Cyrus – “Something Beautiful”
The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”
Video for Good
Burna Boy – “Higher”
Charli xcx – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Doechii – “Anxiety”
Eminem ft. Jelly Roll – “Somebody Save Me”
Selena Gomez, benny blanco – “Younger And Hotter Than Me”
Zach Hood ft. Sasha Alex Sloan – “Sleepwalking”
Best Direction
Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
Charli xcx – “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Best Art Direction
Charli xcx – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Lorde – “Man Of The Year”
Miley Cyrus – “End of the World”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
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 Editing
Charli xcx – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching”
Best Choreography
Doechii – “Anxiety”
FKA twigs – “Eusexua”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Tyla – “PUSH 2 START”
Zara Larsson – “Pretty Ugly”
Best Visual Effects
Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching“
The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”