The list of top nominees for the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards suggests that pop music is the farthest thing from a dude ranch right now … with the exception, of course, of Lil Nas X and the horse he rode in on.
The cowpoke-themed hip-hop artist was the only guy to show up on a list of the five most eligible nominees this year, with eight nominations for “Old Town Road.” Otherwise, it’s a woman’s world right now, at least in the upper ranks of young music stars. Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift tied for the most nominations, with 10 apiece. Newcomer Billie Eilish was close behind with nine. Halsey was the fifth most popular nominee, with five nods.
A bit more gender parity sets in from there. Shawn Mendes managed five VMA nominations. Vying for four apiece are Camila Cabello, Cardi B, J Balvin, the Jonas Brothers and BTS. The list of triply nominated performers includes Anderson .Paak, Drake, FKA twigs, H.E.R., LSD, Rosalia and Solange.
The VMAs will be broadcast on MTV and its sister networks from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on August 26 at 8 p.m. Comedian and author Sebastian Maniscalco is set to host.
The award for video of the year pits a track that didn’t otherwise come up so much in the preliminary voting — “a lot” by 21 Savage featuring J. Cole, getting one of its two noms in this top category — against the better-represented “Bad Guy” by Eilish, “thank u, next” by Grande, “Sucker” by the Jonas Brothers, “Old Town Road (Remix)” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, and “You Need to Calm Down” by Swift.
The artist of the year category has both Swift and Lil Nas X missing from the six nominees. Up for that are Cardi B, Eilish, Grande, Halsey, the Jonases and Mendes.
Best new artist is a race between Ava Max, Eilish, H.E.R., Lil Nas X, Lizzo and Rosalia. Although Lizzo has been a critical and popular favorite this year, she’s not as favored among MTV’s voters, as the only other award she’s up for is “Push artist of the year.”
MTV’s deemphasis on rock is clear from the contenders for best rock video. The nominees are the 1975, Fall Out Boy, Imagine Dragons, Lenny Kravitz, Panic! at the Disco and twenty one pilots — and not one of these six nominees is up for any other category. (That’s unless you count Panic! singer Brendan Urie being named for appearing on Taylor Swift’s “ME!,” which got three nominations, including best collaboration.)
Two new categories are being introduced this year: best K-pop and “Video for Good.” The former category allows for one of Halsey’s nominations, for a collaboration with BTS.
At the VMAs, unlike the Grammys and many other awards shows, the artists are considered nominees even on technical awards, so that a trophy for editing or cinematography also goes to the performer — hence the high nomination counts for artists like Swift, Grande and Eilish.
(Excerpt) Read more and see a complete list of nominees @ Variety
