The conflict between Israel and Gaza has been ongoing for decades, however the latest escalation occurred recently on October 7th, when Hamas, an Islamic Resistance Movement governing the Gaza strip of the Palestinian territories, launched an unprecedented attack on Israel killing 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostages. Israel retaliated by launching air strikes, and as it stands, the United Nations have reported 4,200 deaths in Gaza over the last 10 days.

The MTV EMAs, which were set to be held in Paris on November 5th, have now been cancelled “out of an abundance of caution”, according to a BBC statement from the event’s organisers Paramount.

Paramount describes the annual event as “an annual celebration of global music”, but said as “events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration. With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning”.

In a social media post from Paramount, the event organisers issued a declaration saying “Given the volatility of world events, we have decided not to move forward with the 2023 MTV EMAs out of an abundance of caution for the thousands of employees, crew members, artists, fans, and partners who travel from all corners of the world to bring the show to life.”

Given the volatility of world events, we have decided not to move forward with the 2023 MTV EMAs out of an abundance of caution for the thousands of employees, crew members, artists, fans, and partners who travel from all corners of the world to bring the show to life.

— MTV EMA (@mtvema) October 19, 2023

MTV announced the list of performers for the awards show previously this week. Acts on the line up include the likes of Anne Marie, David Guetta and Thirty Seconds To Mars, all of which are also 2023 MTV EMA nominees. You can view the full list of performers and nominees here. The EMAs were set to broadcast on MTV in more than 150 countries, as well as stream on Pluto TV and Paramount+.

Paramount have announced that voting for the awards show will continue, and the event will be rescheduled to November 2024 with all the original performers.

Voting is continuing and the winning artists will receive their MTV EMA Awards.

We look forward to hosting the MTV EMAs again in November of 2024.

— MTV EMA (@mtvema) October 19, 2023

 Pop superstars Dua Lipa and Ed Sheeran, who both released hit singles such as “Dance The Night” and “Eyes Closed”, are nominated for Best Pop award. The two artists joined the likes of US megastars such as Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus in the category. Ed Sheeran, whose album Autumn Variations dropped last Friday, is also nominated for Best Live award following his 2022 to 2023 The Mathematics Tour.  

Fans of rapper Central Cee have also a reason to celebrate as the artist earned the most nominations out of the male British acts. The 25-year-old musician, who won two MOBO (Excellence in music of black origin) awards last year, sees the star nominated for Best Collaboration award, Best Hip Hop award and Best UK and Ireland Act. The last category, which was won by Harry Styles in 2022, sees the star face Calvin Harris, Sam Smith, Raye, Tom Grennan and PinkPantheress for the award.  

Listen to Central Cee’s collaboration with Dave, below.

PinkPantheress, who had a breakout year when she appeared on the Barbie soundtrack and released smash hit “Boys a Liar Pt. 2”, leads the most British female nominations. The singer is nominated for Best Collaboration award and Best New at the award ceremony. This week, the star released her new single titled “Mosquito”. 

Meanwhile, Little Simz has made the UK proud by being the only British act to score a nomination for the Best Video award. The talented rapper will go toe-to-toe with megastars such as Taylor Swift and SZA in the category.  

Fans can now vote for their favourite artists at the official EMA Website until the end of the month. Take a look at a selection of categories Britain’s finest are nominated in down below.  

Best Video 
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion – “Bongos”
Doja Cat – “Paint The Town Red” 
Little Simz – “Gorilla”
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
SZA – “Kill Bill”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” 

Best Collaboration 
Central Cee x Dave – “Sprinter”
David Guetta, Anne-Marie, Coi Leray – “Baby Don’t Hurt Me”
KAROL G, Shakira – “TQG”
Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, 21 Savage – “Creepin”
PinkPantheress, Ice Spice – “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2”
Rema, Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” 

Best New
Coi Leray
FLO
Ice Spice
Peso Pluma
PinkPantheress
Reneé Rapp  

Best Pop
Billie Eilish
Dua Lipa
Ed Sheeran
Miley Cyrus
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift  

Best Rock
Arctic Monkeys
Foo Fighters
Måneskin
Metallica
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Killers  

Best Hip Hop
Cardi B
Central Cee
Lil Wayne
Lil Uzi Vert
Metro Boomin
Nicki Minaj
Travis Scott 

BEST UK & IRELAND ACT 
Calvin Harris
Central Cee
PinkPantheress
Raye
Sam Smith
Tom Grennan