The VMA nominations are in!
Extra, extra, the Video Music Award nominations are in and boy, the papers are rolling off the presses!
The VMA’s this year will be hosted by Miley Cyrus, the artist who launched a thousand think-pieces after her last appearance on the VMA stage with with Robin Thicke. Cyrus announced the gig via a typically weird/amazing Instagram post.
The full list of awards are below. First, though, we’ve rounded up some key VMA factoids for those of us who are a little Jon Snow about the big awards. Feel free to steal these to impress your more music-literate friends — I know I will be dropping them into conversation with as much nonchalance as I can muster.
1. The awards themselves are called “moonmen.”
2. Madonna has won the most moonmen — 20 in total! She also opened the first ever VMAs in 1984 with a performance of “Like A Virgin.”
3. Different awards are introduced and retired as music trends evolve. For example, there used to be a “Ringtone Of The Year Award,” and this year the VMAs will award “Best Lyric Video” for the first time.
- 4. Some talking points about the actual noms this year in the “Artist To Watch” category, the best category for pretending you know more things than you do (opinions are merely mine):
- – FKA Twigs music videos, according to HelloGiggles’ resident music guru Lillian Min, are always “insane and so artistic,” and “Pendulum” is no disappointment.
- – Vance Joy’s video for “Riptide” features an homage to 60s/70s movies and movie style, with a special nod to “Midnight Cowboy.”
- – George Ezra’s “Budapest” is simple but somehow big, with a crowd of people exploring emotions and connection and an especially cool moment with some paper airplanes.
There you have it! Your own easy, breezy, musical guide to the 2015 VMAs. If you want to vote for “Video of the Year” and other awards, the polls at MTV.com are open starting today. Be sure to tune in to MTV on August 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT to see if Taylor Swift will win all of the staggering 9 awards she’s nominated for. #TeamTay all the way, baby!
Best Collaboration
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”
Ariana Grande featuring The Weeknd, “Love Me Harder”
Jessie J featuring Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, “Bang Bang”
Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, “See You Again”
Best Video With A Social Message
Jennifer Hudson, “I Still Love You”
Colbie Caillat, “Try”
Big Sean, “One Man Could Change the World”
Rihanna, “American Oxygen”
Wale, “The White Shoes”
Best Hip-Hop Video
Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen”
Nicki Minaj, “Anaconda”
Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”
Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, “See You Again”
Big Sean featuring E-40, “I Don’t F-ck With You”
Best Rock Video
Hozier, “Take Me to Church”
Fall Out Boy, “Centuries”
Florence and the Machine, “Ship to Wreck”
Walk the Moon, “Shut Up and Dance”
Arctic Monkeys, “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”
Best Female Video
Beyoncé, “7/11″
Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”
Sia, “Elastic Heart”
Ellie Goulding, “Love Me Like You Do”
Nicki Minaj, “Anaconda”
Best Male Video
Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”
Big Sean featuring E-40, “I Don’t F-ck With You”
Nick Jonas, “Chains”
The Weeknd, “Earned It”
Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”
Artist to Watch
Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen”
Vance Joy, “Riptide”
George Ezra, “Budapest”
James Bay, “Hold Back The River”
FKA Twig, “Pendulum”
Video of the Year
Beyoncé, “7/11″
Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”
Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”
Best Pop Video
Beyoncé, “7/11″
Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”
Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”
Maroon 5, “Sugar”
Best Choreography
Beyoncé, “7/11″
OK Go, “I Won’t Let You Down”
Chet Faker, “Gold”
Ed Sheeran, “Don’t”
Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Never Catch Me”
Best Visual Effects
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”
FKA Twigs, “Two Weeks”
Childish Gambino, “Telegraph Ave”
Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber, “Where Are U Now”
Tyler, The Creator, “F-cking Young/Death Camp”
Best Editing
Beyoncé, “7/11″
Ed Sheeran, “Don’t”
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”
A$AP Rocky, “L$D”
Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber, “Where Are U Now”
Best Cinematography
Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Never Catch Me”
Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud” =
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”
FKA Twigs, “Two Weeks”
Alt-J, “Left Hand Free”
Best Art Direction
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”
Snoop Dogg, “So Many Pros”
Jack White, “Would You Fight For My Love?”
The Chemical Brothers, “Go”
Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber, “Where Are U Now”
Best Direction
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”
Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”
Hozier, “Take Me To Church”
Childish Gambino, “Sober”
