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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Tom Murray

Taylor Swift, SZA and Doja Cat lead 2023 MTV VMA nominations

Getty Images

Taylor Swift is once again dominating the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).

Nominations for the 2023 ceremony were announced on Tuesday (8 August) with Swift leading the pack with eight nominations.

“Kill Bill” singer SZA is just behind her with six nominations. Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith are tied at five nominations, and BLACKPINK, Diddy and Shakira each received four.

Swift has a chance to become the most-awarded artist in VMA history if she can win six of her eight categories. She currently has 14 VMAs to her name, placing her just behind Madonna, who has 20 awards, and Beyoncé, who has 16.

Beyoncé is also nominated for Artist of the Year.

The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, scheduled for 12 September, will have a record-breaking 35 first-time nominees including Petras, Metro Boomin’ and Rema, who boast three each.

Aespa, Burna Boy, Davido, Eslabon Armado, FIFTY FIFTY, PinkPantheress, Saucy Santana, Stephen Sanchez and Toosii are also nominated for the first time.

(From left) Taylor Swift, SZA and Doja Cat
— (Getty Images)

The VMAs will be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Fan voting begins Tuesday across 15 gender-neutral categories at vote.mtv.com, including the new best Afrobeats category, and ends Friday 1 September.

Voting in the best new artist category will remain active throughout the show.

See below for all the nominees in full:

Video of the Year

Doja Cat - “Attention”

Miley Cyrus - “Flowers”

Nicki Minaj - “Super Freaky Girl”

Olivia Rodrigo - “Vampire”

Sam Smith & Kim Petras - “Unholy”

SZA - “Kill Bill”

Taylor Swift - “Anti-Hero”

Artist of the Year

Beyoncé

Doja Cat

Karol G

Nicki Minaj

Shakira

Taylor Swift

Song of the Year

Miley Cyrus - “Flowers”

Olivia Rodrigo - “Vampire”

Rema & Selena Gomez - “Calm Down”

Sam Smith & Kim Petras - “Unholy”

Steve Lacy - “Bad Habit”

SZA - “Kill Bill”

Taylor Swift - “Anti-Hero”

Best New Artist

GloRilla

Ice Spice

Kaliii

Peso Pluma

PinkPantheress

Reneé Rapp

Push Performance of the Year

August 2022: Saucy Santana - “Booty”

September 2022: Stephen Sanchez - “Until I Found You”

October 2022: JVKE - “golden hour”

November 2022: Flo Milli - “Conceited”

December 2022: Reneé Rapp - “Colorado”

January 2023: Sam Ryder - “All The Way Over”

February 2023: Armani White - “GOATED”

March 2023: Fletcher - “Becky's So Hot”

April 2023: Tomorrow X Together - “Sugar Rush Ride”

May 2023: Ice Spice – “Princess Diana”

June 2023: FLO – “Losing You”

July 2023: Lauren Spencer Smith - “That Part”

Best Collaboration

David Guetta & Bebe Rexha - “I'm Good (Blue)”

Post Malone & Doja Cat - “I Like You (A Happier Song)”

Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami - “Gotta Move On”

KAROL G & Shakira - “TQG”

Metro Boomin ft. The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Diddy - “Creepin’ (Remix)”

Rema & Selena Gomez - “Calm Down”

Best Pop

Demi Lovato - “Swine”

Dua Lipa - “Dance the Night”

Ed Sheeran - “Eyes Closed”

Miley Cyrus - “Flowers”

Olivia Rodrigo - “Vampire”

P!NK - “Trustfall”

Taylor Swift - “Anti-Hero”

Best Hip-Hop

Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami - “Gotta Move On”

DJ Khaled ft. Drake & Lil Baby - “STAYING ALIVE”

GloRilla & Cardi B - “Tomorrow 2”

Lil Uzi Vert - “Just Wanna Rock”

Lil Wayne ft. Swizz Beatz & DMX - “Kant Nobody”

Metro Boomin ft. Future - “Superhero (Heroes and Villains)”

Nicki Minaj - “Super Freaky Girl”

Best Rock

Foo Fighters - “The Teacher”

Linkin Park - “Lost (Original Version)”

Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Tippa My Tongue”

Måneskin - “The Loneliest”

Metallica - “Lux Æterna”

Muse - “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween”

Best Alternative

Blink-182 - “Edging”

Boygenius - “The Film”

Fall Out Boy - “Hold Me Like a Grudge”

Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste - “Candy Necklace”

Paramore - “This Is Why”

Thirty Seconds To Mars - “Stuck”

Best Latin

Anitta - “Funk Rave”

Bad Bunny - “Where She Goes”

Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma - “Ella Baila Sola”

Grupo Frontera & Bad Bunny - “un x100to”

Karol G & Shakira - “TQG”

Rosalía - “Despechá”

Shakira - “Acróstico”

Best R&B

Alicia Keys ft. Lucky Daye - “Stay”

Chlöe ft. Chris Brown - “How Does It Feel”

Metro Boomin ft. The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Diddy - “Creepin’ (Remix)”

SZA - “Shirt”

Toosii - “Favorite Song”

Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj - “Love In The Way”

Best K-Pop

Aespa - “Girls”

Blackpink - “Pink Venom”

Fiffty Fifty - “Cupid”

Seventeen - “Super”

Stray Kids - “S-Class”

Tomorrow X Together - “Sugar Rush Ride”

Best Afrobeats

Ayra Starr - “Rush”

Burna Boy - “It’s Plenty”

Davido ft. Musa Keys - “Unavailable”

Fireboy DML & Asake - ”Bandana”

Libianca - “People”

Rema & Selena Gomez - “Calm Down”

Wizkid ft. Ayra Starr - “2 Sugar”

Video for Good

Alicia Keys - “If I Ain’t Got You (Orchestral)”

Bad Bunny - “El Apagón - Aquí Vive Gente”

Demi Lovato - “Swine”

Dove Cameron - “Breakfast”

Imagine Dragons - “Crushed”

Maluma - “La Reina”

Best Cinematography

Adele - “I Drink Wine”

Ed Sheeran - “Eyes Closed”

Janelle Monae - “Lipstick Lover”

Kendrick Lamar - “Count Me Out”

Miley Cyrus - “Flowers”

Olivia Rodrigo - “Vampire”

Taylor Swift - “Anti-Hero”

Best Direction

Doja Cat - “Attention”

Drake - “Falling Back”

Kendrick Lamar - “Count Me Out”

Megan Thee Stallion - “Her”

Sam Smith & Kim Petras - “Unholy”

SZA - “Kill Bill”

Taylor Swift - “Anti-Hero”

Best Art Direction

Boygenius - “The Film”

Blackpink - “Pink Venom”

Doja Cat - “Attention”

Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste - “Candy Necklace”

Megan Thee Stallion - “Her”

SZA - “Shirt”

Best Visual Effects

Fall Out Boy - “Love From the Other Side”

Harry Styles - “Music for a Sushi Restaurant”

Melanie Martinez - “Void”

Nicki Minaj - “Super Freaky Girl”

Sam Smith & Kim Petras - “Unholy”

Taylor Swift - “Anti-Hero”

Best Choreography

Blackpink - “Pink Venom”

Dua Lipa - “Dance the Night”

Jonas Brothers - “Waffle House”

Megan Thee Stallion - “Her”

Panic! at the Disco - “Middle of a Breakup”

Sam Smith & Kim Petras - “Unholy”

Best Editing

Blackpink - “Pink Venom”

Kendrick Lamar - “Rich Spirit”

Miley Cyrus - “River”

Olivia Rodrigo - “Vampire”

SZA - “Kill Bill”

Taylor Swift - “Anti-Hero”

Additional reporting by the Associated Press

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