The event was formerly recognised as the MTV European Music Awards when it was first held on November 24th, 1994 to honour European artists who have made their mark on the pop culture scene. It first came to fruition as an alternative event to the United State’s MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), which stretches beyond Europe’s borders.  

It is the first time this prestigious and globally renowned ceremony is taking place in Manchester and will be presented by Paramount International Networks. According to The Guardian, the leader of the Manchester city council, Bev Craig, has expressed his excitement: “With the expertise, experience and reputation we also have for delivering successful, world-class events, we’re confident Manchester will provide a superb platform for the best MTV EMAs yet.”

Manchester is not the only British venue to host the event. The locations in the UK that have been home to the ceremony in the past include: London, Liverpool, Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Thus, this year is an exciting event for two reasons: Firstly, it has not been hosted in the UK for a total of seven years. Secondly, anticipation has been building since the ceremony was cancelled in 2023. It was set to be held in Paris but the show did not go on due to the Israel-Hamas conflict which continues to send ripples of devastation on an international scale. In the year prior (2022) it was hosted in Düsseldorf, Germany.

However, there has been controversy rising in regards to the details of the event as the clock ticks and the calendar counts down. ASM Global, the operator of AO Arena in Manchester; also referred to as the “enemy” of the soon to be functional Co-op Live Arena, is not being shy in sharing their (not so subtle) concerns about the arena’s operating licence. According to The Guardian, ASM are arguing in order to “safeguard public safety…”  and to ensure “the prevention of public nuisance”.  The chief operating officer of Oak View Group and owner of Co-op Live, Mark Donnelly, is reportedly “quite disappointed to see [ASM] are trying to put conditions on us when they operate with an unrestricted licence. We feel these are competition-based.”

On a lighter note, Manchester seems to be the perfect location, as music is in its DNA and is at the heart of its creative and vibrant city centre. It is the historical home of musical legends, such as New Order, The Stone Roses and Oasis. It is a prosperous and booming city, and will be even more so with the multi-million pound boost that this event is predicted to provide for it. It’s an exciting future ahead, especially on November 10th!

The star, who revealed the album artwork, captioned the post: “What an intense insane moment! My first album is coming out and you know I love a pun, so it’s called “heaven knows”, out on November10th. This album is an accumulation of music I’ve made over the last two years, with some beloved tunes that might sound familiar and some cutie features who I can’t wait to announce. I love everyone here; I cried the other day thinking of how lucky I am to have people willing to listen to me. You are never taken in vain. to my fan pages, I love you, you’re always there for me and I will never forget about how safe you make me feel. It’s been a long time comin from pain to capable of love. I hope you love each song you hear from me!”  

The “Just for me” singer also announced that she will be going on the road to promote her first studio album. The tour, titled The Capable of Love, will see the star heading to Ireland, France, Amsterdam, Germany and the UK – although this could increase judging by the warm reception.

Fans of the star shared their excitement over the news. One person wrote: “already a classic”, whilst another person said: “I literally woke up from a dream where you announced you were going on tour!” 

Her US audience were also in the comment section and pleaded with the star to perform in the States. One fan wrote: “I hope you do a tour in America too”, meanwhile someone else commented: “YOU HATE ME SO MUCH DO A SOLO TOUR IN THE US!” 

Fans of the singer can get early access to tour tickets by pre-ordering her new album here.

Pinkpantheress has certainly had a successful year thus far. The “Angel” singer was featured on the Barbie Movie soundtrack, performed at Wireless Festival alongside collaborator Ice Spice and was recently nominated for multiple MTV EMA Awards. The ceremony, which takes place next month, will see the star compete for the categories Best UK & Ireland Act, Best Collaboration and Best New Artist.

Listen to “Mosquito”, the newest track from the star.

Tour Dates

20/02/24 – 3Olympia – Dublin

22/02 – O2 Ritz – Manchester

23/02 – Alexandra Palace – London

Sheeran exclusively said to Official Charts: Thank you so much for making Autumn Variations the Official Number 1 album in the UK. “It’s my first album on my own record label [Gingerbread Man Records], so this means more than any other award I’ve had. Thanks for all the support; it’s been amazing to get reconnected with the fans over the past few months.”  

He continued: “I hope you continue liking the album, and I’ll see you next year for the next one!”   

The international hit-maker took to his Instagram to express his gratitude for the achievement. He wrote: “Thanks so much for making Autumn Variations #1, I had no expectations for the record other than for fans to love it and feel it was their own. It being on my own label meant it didnt have the usual pressures or expectations, but to end up going #1 is mad and I really don’t take it for granted. Thank you for everyone connecting with the album. It’s been so wonderful spending so much time with all you lot over the past month. See you next year when we press play on some big pop stuff finally x.”  

Fans of the “Eyes Closed” singer congratulated the musician in the comments. One person said: “Autumn is so wonderful” whilst another person commented: “I love how it doesn’t matter what he makes under what label it is released, it always ends up No. 1 in the UK.” Pop duo Jedward, who appeared on the X Factor in 2009, said: “Boss rocking it on your own label.” 

Watch the music video for “Eyes Closed.”

“Autumn Variations” also topped the charts in Germany, Australia and the Netherlands.

The record has received a positive reception from critics. James Hall from The Telegraph rated the album four out of five stars and said: “Sheeran sounds like a supercharged David Gray. Grown-up. Energized. Forget Autumn, this feels like an album of bright new dawns.”  

As well as achieving his seventh number one album, Sheeran was also nominated at the annual MTV EMAs, which are set to air on 5 November. The pop-star also became the first British solo act to achieve 10 billion UK streams and was awarded with a Gold Brit Billion Award.

 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  

Love On Tour. UK & Europe. New dates added.

Additional dates added in Chicago, Austin and Brazil.

Lima show now to be performed at Estadio Nacional.

Asia dates to be announced soon. pic.twitter.com/Wr5wHGstqp

— Harry Styles. (@Harry_Styles) August 26, 2022

After only recently completing a sold-out 43-date arena tour in 2021, and two special One Night Only shows in New York and London this year, the highly anticipated tour in support of his new album Harry’s House will allow fans to access multiple nights in major cities across the globe turning iconic venues into Harry’s House. The 2023 European leg will also be Harry’s first full stadium outing in the region, as well as a great chance to catch British indie newcomers Wet Leg thrive in a well-deserved venue of these sizes.

The last weekend also saw Styles dominating the stage at the MTV VMAs. The annual event was held last Sunday (August 28^th) and saw the likes of LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj and rapper Jack Harlow hosting. Styles accepted the coveted Album Of The Year accolade via a pre-recorded message that spoke, “I’m sorry I can’t be there with you tonight, I hope you’re having a wonderful evening, and thank you so much.” Before coming back to conclude, “I know this is a fan-voted award. I would like to say thank you to all my fans who voted, I wouldn’t be holding this if it wasn’t for you.” The event recently caught some flack after Harlow and Italian Eurovision band Måneskin pulled out of performances at Reading and Leeds Festival to perform at the ceremony.

Outside of the AOTY category, Styles also topped the bill with “As It Was” for Best Pop Performance and Best Cinematography. You can get the full lowdown here.

Harry Styles’ Love On Tour UK dates:

22/5/23 – Coventry – Building Society Arena
26/5 – BT Murrayfield Stadium – Edinburgh
10/6 – Slane Castle – Slane
13/6 – Wembley Stadium – London
14/6 – Wembley Stadium – London
20/6 – Principality Stadium – Cardiff