Lady Gaga leads 2025 VMAs nominations

Lady Gaga received 12 VMA nominations, including major awards like Video of the Year and Artist of the Year. Rose (Blackpink) earned her first nominations with eight nods.

On 5/8, the VMA organizers announced the nominees, adding two new categories: Best Country Artist and Best Pop Artist. Lady Gaga's numerous nominations reflect her successful year, marked by the hit song "Die With a Smile" with Bruno Mars and her album Mayhem.

In the most prestigious category, Video of the Year, her duet with Bruno Mars, "Die With a Smile," competes against Ariana Grande's "Brighter Days Ahead," Billie Eilish's "Birds of a Feather," Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," Rose and Bruno Mars' "APT.", Sabrina Carpenter's "Manchild," and The Weeknd and Playboi Carti's "Timeless."

Lady Gaga in Vogue, October 2024. Photo: Vogue

This is Lady Gaga's third time leading the VMA nominations. She previously topped the list in 2010 with 13 nominations and tied for first with Ariana Grande in 2020 with 9. Throughout her career, she has won 18 awards, approaching the record held by Taylor Swift and Beyonce, each with 30 wins. This year, Taylor Swift is only nominated for Artist of the Year.

Following Lady Gaga is Bruno Mars with 11 nominations. He is the fourth artist to receive two Video of the Year nominations in the same year, joining David Lee Roth (1985), U2 (1988), and Lady Gaga (2010). Kendrick Lamar holds the third spot with 10 nominations, while Rose and Sabrina Carpenter are tied for fourth with eight nominations each. All four Blackpink members are nominated for Best Kpop Artist.

Excerpt from the "Die With a Smile" music video. The hit has garnered over 1.2 billion views on YouTube and was one of the most listened-to songs of 2024. Video: YouTube/ Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is 39 years old. She rose to fame in 2008 after releasing her debut single "Just Dance," which topped the Billboard charts. Following her albums The Fame (2008) and The Fame Monster (2009), Lady Gaga quickly became a global phenomenon with her rebellious style, earning the nickname "Mother Monster." She is currently engaged to tech entrepreneur Michael Polansky after calling off her engagement to Christian Carino.

The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) first took place in 1984, founded by MTV. This year's event will be held on 7/9 at UBS Arena in New York. Fan voting opened and closed at 6 PM (EST) on 5/8. Voting for Best New Artist will continue throughout the broadcast. The Song of the Year nominees will be narrowed down to six on 18/8, and voting will continue.

In 2024, the awards show garnered 66 million interactions, the highest in VMA history.

Some of the main VMA categories:

1. Video of the Year:

Ariana Grande - Brighter Days Ahead

Billie Eilish - Birds of a Feather

Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars - Die With a Smile

Rose and Bruno Mars - APT.

Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild

The Weeknd, Playboi Carti - Timeless

2. Artist of the Year:

Bad Bunny