Taylor Swift has emerged as the frontrunner for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, leading the nominations with eight. Seven of these nominations are for her "Anti-Hero" music video, while the remaining one is in the artist of the year category. The announcement was made by MTV on Tuesday.
With her current tally of 14 VMAs, Swift is trailing behind Beyoncé, who holds 28 awards (including two with Destiny's Child), Madonna with 20 awards, and Lady Gaga with 19 awards. Beyoncé is also in the running for the artist of the year category.
Other notable nominees include SZA with six nominations, and Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sam Smith with five nominations each. BLACKPINK, Diddy, and Shakira have received four nominations each.
This year's VMAs will see a record-breaking 35 first-time nominees, including artists like Kim Petras, Metro Boomin', and Rema, who have three nominations each. Additionally, Aespa, Burna Boy, Davido, Eslabon Armado, FIFTY FIFTY, PinkPantheress, Saucy Santana, Stephen Sanchez, and Toosii have received their first-ever nominations.
The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on September 12 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Fan voting has already begun online and will continue until Friday, September 1. There are 15 gender-neutral categories, including the newly introduced best Afrobeats category. Voting for the best new artist category will remain open throughout the show.
Correction: It is worth noting that Beyoncé and Lady Gaga hold the record for the most VMAs, with 28 and 19 awards respectively.