THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS
Annual Celebration of the Video Arts
Here’s the skinny on the VMA nominees, direct from our friends at MTV.
In keeping with the eclectic mix of musical genres and personalities that have dominated both the charts and critics best-of lists, several other artists have received multiple nominations. Leading the pack with six noms apiece are Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis; no surprise there. Bruno Mars is close behind with four. The other multiple nominees are P!nk, Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Drake, Calvin Harris, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Fun.
This theme extends to Video of the Year, which boasts an array of heavyweights in Timberlake’s “Mirrors,” Macklemore & Lewis’ “Thrift Shop”, Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven”, Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” feat T.I. and Pharrell and Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” In a first, the nominees in this category were announced this morning at 8 AM ET via MTV's Instagram and Vine accounts. MTV will post additional Instagram and Vine videos highlighting the noms for additional categories every hour.
This year, the VMA for Best New Artist has been renamed Artist to Watch. This change was inspired by the positive response to MTV's Artist to Watch campaign, a new music-discovery initiative across all of MTV's channels, sites and social networks. The nominees in this category are Twenty One Pilots for “Holding On to You,” Zedd featuring Foxes for “Clarity,” Austin Mahone for “What About Love,” The Weeknd for “Wicked Games” and Iggy Azalea for “Work.” Previous Best New Artist winners have gone on to have noteworthy careers. We’re talkin’ the likes of Eurythmics, GNR, Nirvana, Eminem, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and One Direction.
This year’s noms in the Best Video with a Social Message are Kelly Clarkson for “People Like Us,” Macklemore & Lewis for “Same Love,” Snoop Lion for “No Guns Allowed,” Miguel for “Candles in the Sun” and Beyoncé for “I Was Here.” This category, which first appeared in 2011, is presented in conjunction with MTV Act, which spotlights young people and celebs who are taking positive action.
Every artist who wins a 2013 Video Music Award will receive a limited-edition KAWS Moonman, created exclusively for this year’s historic show, set to take place at Brooklyn's Barclay's Center live on Aug. 25th at 9 PM ET.
Starting today, voting is open in several VMA categories at vma.mtv.com.
Here's the complete list:
Justin Timberlake “Mirrors”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Wanz “Thrift Shop”
Bruno Mars “Locked Out of Heaven”
Robin Thicke f/T.I. and Pharrell “Blurred Lines”
Taylor Swift “I Knew You Were Trouble”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Ray Dalton “Can’t Hold Us”
Drake “Started From The Bottom”
Kendrick Lamar “Swimming Pools”
A$AP Rocky f/Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar “F**kin Problems”
J. Cole f/Miguel “Power Trip”
Justin Timberlake “Mirrors”
Robin Thicke f/T.I. and Pharrell “Blurred Lines”
Bruno Mars “Locked Out of Heaven”
Ed Sheeran “Lego House”
Kendrick Lamar “Swimming Pools”
Rihanna f/Mickey Ekko “Stay”
Taylor Swift “I Knew You Were Trouble”
Miley Cyrus “We Can’t Stop”
P!nk f/Nate Ruess “Just Give Me A Reason”
Demi Lovato “Heart Attack”
Bruno Mars “Locked Out of Heaven”
Justin Timberlake “Mirrors”
Fun. “Carry On”
Miley Cyrus “We Can’t Stop”
Selena Gomez “Come and Get It”
Twenty One Pilots “Holding On to You”
Zedd F/Foxes “Clarity”
Austin Mahone “What About Love”
The Weeknd “Wicked Games”
Iggy Azalea “Work”
Justin Timberlake f/Jay-Z “Suit & Tie”
Pitbull f/Christina Aguilera “Feel This Moment”
Calvin Harris f/Ellie Goulding “I Need Your Love”
Robin Thicke f/T.I. and Pharrell “Blurred Lines”
P!nk f/Nate Ruess “Just Give Me a Reason”
Kelly Clarkson “People Like Us”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis “Same Love”
Snoop Lion “No Guns Allowed”
Miguel “Candles in the Sun”
Beyoncé “I Was Here”
Imagine Dragons “Radiocative”
Fall Out Boy “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”
Mumford & Sons “I Will Wait”
Thirty Seconds To Mars “Up in the Air”
Vampire Weekend “Diane Young”
Capital Cities “Safe and Sound”
Thirty Seconds To Mars “Up in the Air”
Janelle Monae f/Erykah Badu “Q.U.E.E.N”
Lana Del Rey “National Anthem”
alt-J “Tesselate”
Chris Brown “Fine China”
Ciara “Body Party”
Jennifer Lopez f/Pitbull “Live It Up”
will.i.am f/Justin Bieber “#thatPOWER”
Bruno Mars “Treasure”
Thirty Seconds to Mars “Up in the Air”
Lana Del Rey “Ride”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Sacrilege”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Ray Dalton “Can’t Hold Us”
A-Trak & Tommy Trash “Tuna Melt”
Justin Timberlake f/Jay-Z “Suit & Tie”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Ray Dalton “Can’t Hold Us”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Sacrilege”
Fun. “Carry On”
Drake “Started From the Bottom”
P!nk f/Nate Ruess “Just Give Me a Reason”
Calvin Harris f/Florence Welch “Sweet Nothing”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Ray Dalton “Can’t Hold Us”
Justin Timberlake “Mirrors”
Miley Cyrus “We Can’t Stop”
Flying Lotus “Tiny Tortures”
Skrillex f/The Door “Breakin’ a Sweat”
The Weeknd “Wicked Games”
Duck Sauce “It’s You”
Capital Cities “Safe and Sound”
