2025 VMAs: Lady Gaga Leads as Burna Boy and Asake Score Multiple Nods
Lady Gaga leads the 2025 VMAs with 12 nominations, while African stars Burna Boy and Asake each earned two nods, including Best Afrobeats Video. The awards will air live on September 7, with fan voting open until September 5.
New York, August 5, 2025. The 42nd annual MTV Video Music Awards nominations are out, spotlighting Lady Gaga’s remarkable haul of 12 nominations, followed by Bruno Mars with 11 and Kendrick Lamar with 10. Behind these global icons, African stars Burna Boy and Asake emerged as the most-nominated acts from the continent, each earning two nods.
Lady Gaga and Top Contenders
Lady Gaga leads the nomination chart with 12 mentions across major categories including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Album, as well as technical and genre specific awards. She's dominating entries like “Mayhem”, “Abracadabra”, and “Die With a Smile”.
Bruno Mars secures 11 nominations, while Kendrick Lamar follows with 10 nods across high-profile categories.
New categories debut this year: Best Pop Artist and Best Country. All 19 gender-neutral categories are up for fan voting until September 5, with the exception of Best New Artist, which remains up until the show
African Representation: Burna Boy & Asake Lead the Pack
Burna Boy and Asake made history as the joint-most nominated African artists, each earning two nominations:
Burna Boy: “Higher” was recognized in the Video For Good category, and he also snagged a nod for Best Afrobeats Video thanks to “TaTaTa” featuring Travis Scott.
Asake: He is nominated twice in Best Afrobeats Video for two tracks “Active” with Travis Scott and “Get It Right” featuring Tems.
Other Afrobeats nominees include Rema, Tems, Tyla, Moliy, Wizkid (feat. Brent Faiyaz), and Ayra Starr, who scored an additional nomination for MTV PUSH Performance of the Year with “Last Heartbreak Song”.
Major Categories & Nominees
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”
Best Afrobeats Video
Asake & Travis Scott – “Active”
Burna Boy & Travis Scott – “TaTaTa”
Tems & Asake – “Get It Right”
Rema – “Baby (Is It a Crime)”
Tyla – “Push 2 Start”
Wizkid & Brent Faiyaz – “Piece of My Heart”
Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – “Shake It to the Max (Fly)”
Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny
Beyoncé
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga
Morgan Wallen
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd
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”
Video For Good
Burna Boy – “Higher” is socially impactful videos recognized in this category.
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”
MTV Push Performance of the Year, presented by BACARDÍ® Rum
Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Ayra Starr – “Last Heartbreak Song”
Mark Ambor – “Belong Together”
Lay Bankz – “Graveyard”
Dasha – “Bye Bye Bye”
KATSEYE – “Touch”
Jordan Adetunji – “KEHLANI”
Leon Thomas – “YES IT IS”
Livingston – “Shadow”
Damiano David – “Next Summer”
Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
ROLE MODEL – “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”
Ceremony Info & Voting Timeline
Date & Venue: Sunday, September 7, 2025 at UBS Arena, Long Island, New York
Broadcast: Live on CBS, MTV, and streaming on Paramount+
Voting Window: Closes September 5 at 6 p.m. ET (except Best New Artist)
Inclusive Categories: First VMAs to feature Best Pop Artist and Best Country, alongside the usual genre and technical awards.