Lady Gaga Leads 2025 MTV VMAs Nominations with 12 — Ending Taylor Swift’s Streak 🎤🏆

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards are shaping up to be a full-on pop showdown — and Lady Gaga just claimed the front-runner spot. The “Mayhem” singer scored 12 nominations, officially ending Taylor Swift’s two-year run as the most-nominated artist heading into the show.

Gaga’s nominations span nearly every major category, including:
🎶 Best Collaboration
🎤 Best Pop
🎥 Direction, Art Direction, Cinematography, Editing
💃 Choreography
✨ Visual Effects
🏆 Song, Video, Album, and Artist of the Year

Artist of the Year: Battle for the VMA Crown

This year’s Artist of the Year nominees are stacked:

• Lady Gaga
• Bad Bunny
• Kendrick Lamar
• Morgan Wallen
• The Weeknd
• Beyoncé
• Taylor Swift

The Beyoncé–Swift matchup is extra spicy — both currently hold 30 career VMAs, tied for the all-time record. If either wins, they’ll become the most-awarded artist in VMA history.

Other Big Nomination Counts

• Bruno Mars – 11 noms
• Kendrick Lamar – 10 noms
• Sabrina Carpenter & ROSÉ (Blackpink) – 8 each
• Ariana Grande & The Weeknd – 7 each
• Billie Eilish – 6
• Charli xcx – 5
• Bad Bunny, Doechii, Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll, Miley Cyrus, Tate McRae – 4 each

New for 2025

Two fresh categories are debuting: Best Country and Best Pop Artist — a nod to the genre-bending year pop culture’s been having.

RELATED: Alleged Bomb Plot Foiled Ahead of Lady Gaga’s Record-Breaking Rio Concert

When & Where to Watch

The three-hour show will air live on CBS, Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) from UBS Arena in New York.

Fan voting is now open online for 19 gender-neutral categories until Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. ET. Voting for Best New Artist will stay open during the broadcast.