The queen of pop is making a comeback to reclaim her throne at the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna has secured the most nominations this year, surpassing even Taylor Swift. This marks the third time in Madonna’s career that she has led the nominations at the VMAs.
With a total of 11 nominations, Madonna’s recognition at the upcoming ceremony is primarily attributed to her successful album “Confessions II” and its associated film. Despite Taylor Swift being the most awarded solo artist in VMA history, Madonna outshined her with nine nominations for her album “The Life of a Showgirl” and the music video for “The Fate of Ophelia.” Following closely behind Swift are Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, each with seven nominations.
This isn’t Madonna’s first time in the spotlight at the VMAs. She previously dominated the nominations in 1990 and 1998 during her “Vogue” and “Ray of Light” eras. Madonna’s memorable performance at the inaugural 1984 ceremony, where she sang “Like a Virgin” in a wedding dress and “Boy Toy” belt buckle, remains a significant moment in VMA history.
Madonna’s nominations this year include video of the year, artist of the year, and song and collaboration of the year for “Bring Your Love,” featuring Sabrina Carpenter. In the highly anticipated video of the year category, Madonna’s “Confessions” will compete against Taylor Swift’s “Ophelia,” Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Tears,” Bruno Mars’s “I Just Might,” and Gener8ion and Yung Lean’s “Storm.”
For this year’s VMAs, public voting is available for 13 categories. The winners will be revealed during the live broadcast of the ceremony on September 27, which will be aired on CBS, MTV, and streamed on Paramount+.