Photo Courtesy of Crunchize
Now’s the time to place your bets! The MTV Video Music Award (VMA) Nominations were announced this morning and they show a strong preference for Hip Hop.
Beyoncé leads the pack with eight nominations while Eminem and Aussie phenom Iggy Azalea are right behind her with seven each. As always, with nominations come surprises and the most baffling one is Lorde’s “Royals” video being up for Best Rock Video. We envy the imagination of whomever was able to categorize the song so poorly. Also raising eyebrows is British star Sam Smith‘s snagging of a Best Male Video nomination despite his rookie status.
In terms of snubs, both Lady Gaga and Britney Spears came up empty handed. Spears may have been impacted by the negative press following the leak of her autotune-less “Alien” track. As for Gaga, she can take solace in the fact that she’s nominated through Miley Cyrus’s sloppy imitation of her style.
One pleasant surprise is a technical nomination for Jack White’s “Lazaretto” in the Best Visual Effects category. It’s good to see accolades for his music video, which has languished in the shadow of the pioneering triumphs of the titular vinyl. Too bad he’s destined to lose when up against the optical illusion powerhouse “The Writing’s on the Wall” by OK Go.
The VMAs will return to California this year at The Forum in Inglewood.
The awards will air live on Sunday, Aug. 24, at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
See the full list of nominations below:
Video of the Year:
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Beyonce ft. JAY Z – “Drunk In Love”
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Sia – “Chandelier”
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”
Best Male Video:
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
John Legend – “All Of Me”
Ed Sheeran ft. Pharrell – “Sing”
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Monster”
Best Female Video:
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Beyonce – “Partition”
Lorde – “Royals”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – “Dark Horse”
Best Pop Video:
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Avicii ft. Aloe Blacc – “Wake Me Up”
Best Hip Hop Video:
Eminem – “Bezerk”
Drake ft. Majid
Jordan – “Hold On (We’re Going Home)”
Childish Gambino – “3005”
Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”
Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz”
Best Rock Video:
Imagine Dragons – “Demons”
Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know”
The Black Keys – “Fever”
Lorde – “Royals”
Linkin Park – “Until It’s Gone”
MTV Artist to Watch:
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
5 Seconds of Summer -“She Looks So Perfect”
Charli XCX – “Boom Clap”
Schoolboy Q – “Man Of The Year”
Fifth Harmony – “Miss Movin On”
Best Collaboration:
Beyonce ft. JAY Z – “Drunk In Love”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – “Timber”
Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne and Tyga – “Loyal”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Monster”
Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – “Dark Horse”
MTV Clubland Award:
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
Zedd ft. Hayley Williams – “Stay the Night”
Calvin Harris – “Summer”
Martin Garrix – “Animal”
Disclosure – “Grab Her!”
Best Video With a Social Message:
Angel Haze ft. SIA – “Battle Cry”
Avicii – “Hey Brother”
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”
J. Cole ft. TLC – “Crooked Smile”
Kelly Rowland – “Dirty Laundry”
David Guetta f/ Mikky Ekko – “One Voice”
Best Cinematography:
30 Seconds to Mars – “City of Angels”
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”
Arcade Fire – “Afterlife”
Gesaffelstein – “Hate or Glory”
Lana Del Rey – “West Coast”
Best Editing:
Eminem – “Rap God”
MGMT – “Your Life is a Lie”
Zedd ft. Hayley Williams -“Stay the Night”
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”
Fitz and The Tantrums – “The Walker”
Best Choreography:
Sia – “Chandelier”
Beyonce – “Partition”
Usher – “Good Kisser”
Michael Jackson f/Justin Timberlake – “Love Never Felt So Good”
Jason Derulo f/2Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
KIESZA – “Hideaway”
Best Direction:
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
OK Go – “The Writing’s On the Wall”
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”
Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “The Monster”
Best Art Direction:
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Eminem – “Rap God”
Arcade Fire – “Reflektor”
Tyler, The Creator – “Tamale”
Best Visual Effects:
DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down For What”
OK Go – “The Writing’s On the Wall”
Disclosure – “Grab Her!”
Eminem – “Rap God”
Jack White – “Lazaretto”