MTV launched their entire list of nominees for the 2019 Video Music Awards this week! Fans have been sitting at the edge of their seats awaiting the VMA nominations. Well, they’re finally here. And we’re totally facepalming at this year’s line up.
Us looking at the lineup like…
Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande are top of the charts with 10 nominees each. They go head to head against each other for awards like Video of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop.
This is a big year for the MTV Video Music Awards in terms of expanding their horizons. The newest categories introduced are Best K-Pop and Video for Good. No word yet on the latter category, but we can tell you who’s up for nominees for Best K-Pop. Some of our favorite groups are competing in this category, including BTS, BLACKPINK, Monsta X, NCT 127, EXO, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER.
We’ve been loving every minute of screen time our favorite groups have been getting on air at these award shows. Though, we’re stuck rolling our eyes at the fact these artists weren’t nominated for any of the main categories.
The Bigger Picture
We can’t help but wonder why artists in the K-Pop category weren’t given the chance to compete against Western artists. BTS fans took to Twitter in a frenzy, trending #VMAsRacist and #VMAsAreOverParty.
Which poses the question: Is it xenophobic to give Asian artists their own category rather than recognize them in the same ways as Western artists? In short, yes.
To discriminate against certain groups of artists in order to keep them in a collective category is definitely racist in more aspects than one. Yes, it’s nice to include everyone; but by doing this the VMAs are taking a step in the wrong direction. In order to include everyone, you have to actually include everyone, not segregate them. Narrowing down K-Pop groups to their own category keeps them from beating out Western artists in fan-voted categories.
The VMAs have a long standing Best Latin category that hasn’t sparked nearly as much outrage online. The artists in both respective categories are bigger than some of the Western artists looking to snag a moonman of their own. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time in award show history that there have been subdivisions designated to a specific ethnic group.
History Repeats Itself
Award shows have proven themselves to be discriminatory based on race, ethnicity, and gender. The 2016 Oscar nominations recognized all white actors for the second year in a row. Not to mention the fact that the Grammys have their own separate award show for Latin people. While women are leading in nominations this year — go Ariana, Taylor, Halsey, and Billie! — people are still concerned with the lack of diversity.
Others are concerned that the VMAs knew BTS would take all of the moonmen had they been nominated in main categories. (Frankly, they’re not wrong.)
This being said — we welcome all newcomers with open arms. Even if we’re still scratching our heads trying to understand some of the categories. Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish are among the top contenders; Eilish up for nine awards and Nas up for eight.
Among the crowd will be some familiar faces, including Australian alt rock group 5 Seconds of Summer. And it definitely is safe to say that we’re hoping for a photo op with BTS. Also, for Michael to meet his idol, Yoongi.
The 2019 MTV VMAs will be live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on August 26 at 8 p.m. ET. Here’s the full list of VMA nominations.
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- 21 Savage ft. J. Cole — “a lot” — Epic Records
- Billie Eilish — “Bad Guy” — Darkroom/Interscope Records
- Ariana Grande — “thank u, next” — Republic Records
- Jonas Brothers — “Sucker” — Republic Records
- Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus — “Old Town Road (Remix)” — Columbia Records
- Taylor Swift — “You Need to Calm Down” — Republic Records
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Cardi B — Atlantic Records
- Billie Eilish — Darkroom/Interscope Records
- Ariana Grande — Republic Records
- Halsey — Astralwerks/Capitol Records
- Jonas Brothers — Republic Records
- Shawn Mendes — Island Records
SONG OF THE YEAR
- Drake — “In My Feelings” — Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records
- Ariana Grande — “thank u, next” — Republic Records
- Jonas Brothers — “Sucker” — Republic Records
- Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper — “Shallow” — Interscope Records
- Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus — “Old Town Road (Remix)” — Columbia Records
- Taylor Swift — “You Need to Calm Down” — Republic Records
BEST NEW ARTIST
- Ava Max — Atlantic Records
- Billie Eilish — Darkroom/Interscope Records
- H.E.R. — MBK/RCA Records
- Lil Nas X — Columbia Records
- Lizzo — Atlantic Records
- ROSALÍA — Columbia Records
BEST COLLABORATION
- Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus — “Old Town Road (Remix)” — Columbia Records
- Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper — “Shallow” — Interscope Records
- Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello — “Señorita” — Island Records
- Taylor Swift ft. Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco — “ME!” — Republic Records
- Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber — “I Don’t Care” — Atlantic Records
- BTS ft. Halsey — “Boy With Luv” — Columbia Records
PUSH ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Bazzi — Atlantic Records
- CNCO — RCA Records
- Billie Eilish — Darkroom/Interscope Records
- H.E.R. — MBK/RCA Records
- Lauv — LAUV/AWAL
- Lizzo — Atlantic Records
BEST POP
- 5 Seconds of Summer — “Easier” — Interscope Records
- Cardi B & Bruno Mars — “Please Me” — Atlantic Records
- Billie Eilish — “Bad Guy” — Darkroom/Interscope Records
- Khalid — “Talk” — Right Hand Music Group/RCA Records
- Ariana Grande — “thank u, next” — Republic Records
- Jonas Brothers — “Sucker” — Republic Records
- Taylor Swift — “You Need to Calm Down” — Republic Records
BEST HIP HOP
- 2 Chainz ft. Ariana Grande — “Rule the World” — 2 Chainz Ps/Def Jam
- 21 Savage ft. J. Cole — “a lot” — Epic Records
- Cardi B — “Money” — Atlantic Records
- DJ Khaled ft. Nipsey Hussle & John Legend — “Higher” — We The Best/Epic Records
- Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus — “Old Town Road (Remix)” — Columbia Records
- Travis Scott ft. Drake — “SICKO MODE” — Epic Records/Grand Hustle/Cactus Jack
BEST R&B
- Anderson .Paak ft. Smokey Robinson — “Make It Better” — Aftermath Ent/12 Tone Music
- Childish Gambino — “Feels Like Summer” — RCA Records
- H.E.R. ft. Bryson Tiller — “Could’ve Been” — MBK/RCA Records
- Alicia Keys — “Raise A Man” — RCA Records
- Ella Mai — “Trip” — 10 Summers/Interscope Records
- Normani ft. 6lack — “Waves” — Keep Cool/RCA Records
BEST K-POP
- BTS ft. Halsey — “Boy With Luv” — Columbia Records
- BLACKPINK — “Kill This Love” — YG Entertainment/Interscope Records
- Monsta X ft. French Montana — “Who Do You Love” — Epic Records
- TOMORROW X TOGETHER — “Cat & Dog” — Republic Records
- NCT 127 — “Regular” — SM Entertainment
- EXO — “Tempo” — SM Entertainment
BEST LATIN
- Anuel AA, Karol G — “Secreto” — Universal Music Latino
- Bad Bunny ft. Drake — “MIA” — OVO Sound/Warner Bros. Records
- benny blanco, Tainy, Selena Gomez, J Balvin — “I Can’t Get Enough” — NEON16/Friends Keep Secrets/Interscope Records
- Daddy Yankee ft. Snow — “Con Calma” — Universal Music Latin Entertainment
- Maluma — “Mala Mía” — Sony Music US Latin
- ROSALÍA & J Balvin ft. El Guincho — “Con Altura” — Columbia Records
BEST DANCE
- The Chainsmokers ft. Bebe Rexha — “Call You Mine” — Disruptor/Columbia Records
- Clean Bandit ft. Demi Lovato — “Solo” — Big Beat/Atlantic Records
- DJ Snake ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B — “Taki Taki” — DJ Snake Music Productions Ltd/Geffen
- David Guetta, Bebe Rexha & J Balvin — “Say My Name” — Big Beat/Atlantic Records
- Marshmello & Bastille — “Happier” — Capitol Records
- Silk City & Dua Lipa — “Electricity” — Columbia Records
BEST ROCK
- The 1975 — “Love It If We Made It” — Dirty Hit/Interscope Records
- Fall Out Boy — “Bishops Knife Trick” — Island Records
- Imagine Dragons — “Natural” — KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records
- Lenny Kravitz — “Low” — BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd.
- Panic! At The Disco — “High Hopes” — Elektra Music Group
- twenty one pilots — “My Blood” — Elektra Music Group
VIDEO FOR GOOD
- Halsey — “Nightmare” — Astralwerks/Capitol Records
- The Killers — “Land of the Free” — Island
- Jamie N Commons, Skylar Grey ft. Gallant — “Runaway Train” — Interscope Records
- John Legend — “Preach” — Columbia Records
- Lil Dicky — “Earth” — Dirty Burd, Inc./Commission/BMG
- Taylor Swift — “You Need to Calm Down” — Republic Records
BEST DIRECTION
- Billie Eilish – “Bad Guy” — Darkroom/Interscope Records — Directed by Dave Meyers
- FKA twigs — “Cellophane” — Young Turks — Directed by Andrew Thomas Huang
- Ariana Grande — “thank u, next” — Republic Records — Directed by Hannah Lux Davis
- Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus — “Old Town Road (Remix)” — Columbia Records — Directed by Calmatic
- LSD ft. Labrinth, Sia, Diplo — “No New Friends” — Columbia Records — Directed by Dano Cerny
- Taylor Swift — “You Need to Calm Down” — Republic Records — Directed by Drew Kirsch & Taylor Swift
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
- Billie Eilish – “when the party’s over” — Darkroom/Interscope Records — Visual Effects by Ryan Ross, Andres Jaramillo
- FKA twigs — “Cellophane” — Young Turks — Visual Effects by Matt Chandler, Fabio Zaveti for Analog
- Ariana Grande — “God is a Woman” — Republic Records — Visual Effects by Fabrice Lagayette, Kristina Prilukova & Rebecca Rice for Mathematic
- DJ Khaled ft. SZA — “Just Us” — We The Best/Epic Records — Visual Effects by Sergii Mashevskyi
- LSD ft. Labrinth, Sia, Diplo — “No New Friends” — Columbia Records — Visual Effects by Ethan Chancer
- Taylor Swift ft. Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco — “ME!” — Republic Records — Visual Effects by Loris Paillier & Lucas Salton for BUF VFX
BEST EDITING
- Anderson .Paak ft. Kendrick Lamar — “Tints” — Aftermath Ent/12 Tone Music — Editing by Elias Talbot
- Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus — “Old Town Road (Remix)” — Columbia Record — Editing by Calmatic
- Billie Eilish – “Bad Guy” — Darkroom/Interscope Records — Editing by Billie Eilish
- Ariana Grande — “7 Rings” — Republic Records — Editing by Hannah Lux Davis & Taylor Walsh
- Solange — “Almeda” — Columbia Records — Editing by Solange Knowles, Vinnie Hobbs, Jonathon Proctor
- Taylor Swift — “You Need to Calm Down” — Republic Records — Editing by Jarrett Fijal
BEST ART DIRECTION
- BTS ft. Halsey — “Boy With Luv” — Columbia Records — Art Direction by JinSil Park, BoNa Kim (MU:E)
- Ariana Grande — “7 Rings” — Republic Records — Art Direction by John Richoux
- Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus — “Old Town Road (Remix)” — Columbia Records — Art Direction by Itaru Dela Vegas
- Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello — “Señorita” — Island Records — Art Direction by Tatiana Van Sauter
- Taylor Swift — “You Need to Calm Down” — Republic Records — Art Direction by Brittany Porter
- Kanye West and Lil’ Pump ft. Adele Givens — “I Love It” — Warner Records & Def Jam Music Group — Art Direction by Tino Schaedler
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
- FKA twigs — “Cellophane” — Young Turks — Choreography by Kelly Yvonne
- ROSALÍA & J Balvin ft. El Guincho — “Con Altura” — Columbia Records — Choreography by Charm La’Donna
- LSD ft. Labrinth, Sia, Diplo — “No New Friends” — Columbia Records — Choreography by Ryan Heffington
- Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello — “Señorita” — Island Records — Choreography by Calvit Hodge, Sara Biv
- Solange — “Almeda” — Columbia Records — Choreography by Maya Taylor, Solange Knowles
- BTS ft. Halsey — “Boy With Luv” — Columbia Records — Choreography by Rie Hata
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Anderson .Paak ft. Kendrick Lamar — “Tints” — Aftermath Ent/12 Tone Music — Cinematography by Elias Talbot
- Billie Eilish – “hostage” — Darkroom/Interscope Records — Cinematography by Pau Castejon
- Ariana Grande — “thank u, next” — Republic Records — Cinematography by Christopher Probst
- Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello — “Señorita” — Island Records — Cinematography by Scott Cunningham
- Solange — “Almeda” — Columbia Records — Cinematography by Chayse Irvin, Ryan Marie Helfant, Justin Hamilton
- Taylor Swift ft. Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco — “ME!” — Republic Records — Cinematography by Starr Whitesides
So, who are you hoping to see take home a moonman this year? Here’s our best guesses and silent prayers that we’ll see our faves walk out with one.
Video of the Year – Ariana Grande; Artist of the Year – Halsey; Song of the Year – Ariana Grande “Thank U, Next”; Best New Artist – Billie Eilish; Best Collab – BTS ft. Halsey “Boy With Luv”; Push Artist of the Year – Lizzo; Best Pop – 5 Seconds of Summer “Easier”; Best Hip Hop – Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road (Remix)”; Best R&B – Childish Gambino “Feels Like Summer”; Best K-Pop – BTS ft. Halsey “Boy With Luv”; Best Latin – Maluma “Mala Mía”; Best Dance – DJ Snake ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna, & Cardi B “Taki Taki”; Best Rock – The 1975 “Love It If We Made It”; Video For Good – Halsey “Nightmare”; Best Direction – Taylor Swift “You Need to Calm Down”; Best Visual Effects – Billie Eilish “When the Party’s Over”; Best Editing – Ariana Grande “7 Rings”; Best Art Direction – BTS ft. Halsey “Boy With Luv”; Best Choreography – BTS ft. Halsey “Boy With Luv”; Best Cinematography – Solange “Almeda”.
For more information on The MTV Video Music Awards
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Featured Photo: BTS on Twitter
