At the centre of this year’s spotlight is none other than Lady Gaga, who leads with an impressive 12 nominations, including Artist of the Year, Video of the Year, and Song of the Year. Her critically acclaimed visual projects for ‘Abracadabra’ and ‘Die With a Smile’ (a duet with Bruno Mars) have put her in strong contention to win.

Bruno Mars follows closely with 11 nominations, while Kendrick Lamar claims 10, proving the ongoing power of hip-hop and R&B at the VMAs. Not far behind are Sabrina Carpenter and BLACKPINK’s Rosé, who each secured eight nominations, the latter making history as one of the few K-pop soloists to break into major categories.

The Artist of the Year category lists some of the world’s biggest names: Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Morgan Wallen, and Kendrick Lamar join Gaga in challenging for the award. For Beyoncé or Swift, a win could break their current tie of 30 VMA trophies each, making either the most-awarded VMA artist of all time.

This year also marks a step forward in genre recognition, with the VMAs introducing two fan-voted categories: Best Pop Artist and Best Country. The move reflects the increasing crossover between genres and the role that global fanbases, especially those in the UK, Europe, and Asia, play in shaping modern music culture.

With its expanded reach, genre diversity, and global talent pool, the 2025 VMAs are no longer just an American pop culture staple, they’re a worldwide celebration of music, creativity, and fanbases, peaking the interest of fans this side of the pond.

For viewers in the UK, the VMAs are available to stream on Paramount+.

It was a centre-piece of the iconic 1993 gig in New York, which was later released as an album the following year. The release won Nirvana their only ever Grammy and gained cult-like status as it was recorded just five months before Cobain’s death.

The legendary concert will now be immortalised at The Royal College of Music Museum. Rock journalist Alan di Perna and curator Gabriele Rossi Rognoni will run the exhibition in London, which will be available to attend between June 3 and November 18 2025.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Royal College of Music, London (@rcmlondon)

Speaking to The Guardian on the uniqueness of the guitar, di Perna said: “It’s a very rare instrument and an unsuccessful model. The whole world was going crazy for electric guitars in 1959 and this was Martin’s attempt at making an acoustic guitar electric, and it didn’t really work.

“It’s one of a kind: the guitar was modified for Cobian’s left-hand playing technique… In a way it’s kind of an outcast like Kurt himself. It’s a suitable guitar for him in a lot of ways.”

‘Nirvana Unplugged’ will be familiar to many people who lived throughout the 1990s as it was a mainstay on MTV following Cobain’s untimely death. The performance will forever be adored by fans as it showcased the true spirit of the iconic grunge band and the ‘90s as a whole. Despite pressure from the broadcaster to play their big hits, Cobain and co decided to fill the setlist with several covers including three songs by the relatively unknown band The Meat Puppets.

“I put it up there with The Beatles on the roof of Apple Records in London. Just imagine if John Lennon died five months after that performance? How powerful would that be? That’s what we have with Nirvana Unplugged!” di Perna said.

The Royal College of Music has been loaned the Martin D-18E guitar by it’s owner, Peter Freedman, after he bought it for $6 million (£4.8m) in 2020, which made it the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.

Freedman stated how he intended to use the guitar as a warning to upcoming artists: “I paid for it but I’m going to use it to highlight the plight of artists worldwide by touring it around and then I’m going to sell it and use the dough for that as well, later” he said after making the purchase.
It will not only be the guitar being immortalised at the exhibition, with the olive-green cardigan Cobain wore for the performance also being on show, along with original gig posters, collectable vinyl records, and pieces from Cobain’s personal musical equipment collection.

A series of events, performances and workshops inspired by the legendary Seattle-based band will coincide with the exhibition in London, making it a must see for any Nirvana fan.

Tickets will go on sale from April 30 for £5, available here.

The band has stated that they can’t wait to celebrate with MTV, and this concert will be an opportunity for British fans to enjoy an intimate evening with one of England’s legendary rock bands.

UK Fans! We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend a full BUSH concert performing our greatest hits for @mtvema’s World Stage Series this 9 Nov in Manchester. This will be limited to 500 fans with tickets at £15! To receive access, sign up now at https://t.co/BEqwFN2hIxpic.twitter.com/nU2mRSLHzw

— BUSH (@bushofficial) October 28, 2024

The band gained worldwide success with their debut album “Sixteen Stone” in 1994 and only a few years later, in 1996, their record “Razorblade Suitcase” peaked at number one shortly after its release on Billboard. Despite their initial success, their fourth studio album “Golden State”, released in 2001, failed in sales which eventually prompted the band to separate in 2002. Their separation was also attributed to front man Gavin Rossdale’s wish to focus more on his acting career, and on his other band, the Institute.

Bush reunited in 2010 with some new members, when they released their album “The Sea of Memories” which peaked at number 18 on Billboard 200. The song “Into the Blue” was also included in the Avengers soundtrack.

In recent years, Bush have continued to release music and tour. Their latest album, “The Art of Survival” marked their ninth studio release in 2022 and was followed by an European world tour which took the band around many cities in western Europe. After releasing a compilation of their greatest hits, titled “Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023” only last year, Bush has been touring over North America. They have performed in cities such as Boston, Nashville and Chicago and have ended the first leg of their tour at the iconic Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. But they’re not stopping: only last week, they have announced a new series of dates in the States: they’ll be performing in Virginia, Oklahoma, Chicago and Minneapolis between November and December.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BUSH (@bush)

  Yesterday, the band has taken to social media to wish their front man a happy birthday: the Kildare-born British singer turned 59. “Thank you for shining so bright” they wrote.  

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BUSH (@bush)

This performance is part of a series of concerts organized by EMAs and MTV ahead of the much-awaited award night, which will be livestreamed from co-op Manchester on November 10. Set to grace this year’s stage with breath-taking performances are the likes of Shawn Mendes, RAYE, and many more.

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  

June 14, 2019 – ‘Madame X’ album is out! Madonna’s 14th studio album features 4 singles which will all later reach the #1 spot on Billboard’s Dance Club Play chart. Two years after its release, which Madame X track is your favorite? https://t.co/1X3EABAkXV#madamex #madonnastory pic.twitter.com/vlLHJLygeB — Madonna (@Madonna) June 14, 2021

Madonna Louise Ciccone, known as Madonna and dubbed the Queen of Pop, is an Italian-American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and mother. The singer came to the attention of the music world with her self entitled debut album Madonna in 1983 and is known for her earlier popular hit singles “Lucky Star” (1983), “Holiday” (1983), “Material Girl” (1984), “Like A Virgin” (1984) and “Into The Groove” (1984) to name only a few.

The musician has sold over 300 million albums worldwide, has the most UK number-one singles for a female artist and is noted for being the best selling female recording artist of all time in the Guinness Book of Records. The singer’s Madame X tour was an all theatre tour, that ran for 75 dates from September 17th 2019 to March 8th 2020. The tour saw the musician perform in smaller venues for the first time since The Virgin Tour in 1985.

The musician explained during an interview with BBC News that her reasons for opting to perform in smaller venues, were due to her doing so many large scale tours and now wanting to connect directly with her audience. The singer’s tour was unfortunately plagued by an ongoing knee injury which features in the documentary and resulted in cancellations of tour dates to support her recovery. The tour ended three days earlier than planned due to the Covid 19 Pandemic on March 8th 2020. The Madame X documentary was directed by Ricardo Gomes and was filmed in Lisbon (Portugal).

The documentary details the singer’s life on the road during her tour and shows the singers alter ego, Madame X who dons an eye-patch. The musician said of her documentary “There was nothing between me and the crowd, and that was an incredible experience,” “I needed to document that — the process, the rehearsals, the show itself, what was in my mind, what inspires certain songs” The singer’s children feature in the documentary which showcases her performances with 48 dancers and an all-female Orquestra Batukadeiras.

The musician recently forged a partnership with Warner Music Group in August thus following in the footsteps of other musical artists. The partnership encompasses 17 studio albums including the singer’s recent albums “MDNA”, “Rebel Heart” and “Madame X”.

Madonna and Warner Music Group today announced a milestone, career-spanning global partnership that includes a new agreement for her entire recorded music catalog… Read more: https://t.co/VvC1nK2NDz pic.twitter.com/BIxYf7CkWY — Madonna (@Madonna) August 16, 2021

The musician’s Madame X Tour was named the highest-grossing theatre tour of all time and she has had a 40-year relationship with MTV following her early musical career success. The relationship was celebrated in September with this tweet. 

Back in September 1984, Madonna performed ‘Like A Virgin’ during the very first edition of the MTV Video Music Awards. Fast forward to September 12, 2021 and her tribute to 40 years of @MTV!#VMAs pic.twitter.com/Fs8c1z0bKy — Madonna (@Madonna) September 16, 2021

The singer’s Madame X documentary in association with Paramount + will be shown tonight, October 8th at 10.00 pm on MTV UK ending the wait for the musician’s followers.

Watch the trailer for the musician’s Madame X documentary here

See the tracklist below for the Deluxe Edition of Madonna’s Madame X album and listen to the album here

Medellìn (Madonna & Maluma)
Dark Ballet
God Control
Future (Feat Quavo)
Batuka
Killers Who Are Partying
Crave (Feat Swae Lee)
Crazy
Come Alive
Extreme Occident
Faz Gostoso (Feat Anitta)
B**** I’m Loca (Feat Maluma)
I Don’t Search I Find
Looking For Mercy
I Rise

View this post on Instagram

Here are your 2020 #MTVEMA Best Artist nominees!! Who will you be voting for?!

A post shared by MTV EMA (@mtvema) on Oct 6, 2020 at 4:31am PDT

Nominees include Dua Lipa and Harry Styles for Best Artist, Coldplay and Liam Gallagher for Best Rock Artist, and Little Mix for Best Group. The Best UK & Ireland Act offer some of the biggest artists around: Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, Little Mix, Dave, and Stormzy. Other nominees to mention are Sam Smith for his collaboration with Demi Lovato on the track ‘I’m Ready’, Coldplay for Best Rock Band, The 1975 for Best Alternative Band, Jorja Smith for Video For Good with ‘By Any Means’, and Georgia for Best Push.

Little Mix posted a grateful message to their social media platforms, which reads, “Guys – you did it!! Thank you to everyone who voted for us to be nominated for @mtvema’s Best UK and Ireland Category. We’re so excited to announce that we’re nominated for FOUR MTV EMAs!!”

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

Guys you did it!! Thank you to everyone who voted for us to be nominated for @mtvema’s Best UK and Ireland Category. We’re so excited to announce that we’re nominated for FOUR MTV EMAs!! It really means the world to us, you can vote now for us in all four categories – link in stories

 

A post shared by Little Mix (@littlemix) on Oct 6, 2020 at 5:48am PDT

The categories containing British nominees are below, and the full list can be found here.

Best Artist
Dua Lipa
Harry Styles
Justin Bieber
Lady Gaga
Miley Cyrus
The Weeknd

Best Song
BTS – Dynamite
DaBaby – Rockstar ft Roddy Ricch
Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now
Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande – Rain On Me
Roddy Ricch – The Box
The Weeknd – Blinding Lights

Best Collaboration
BLACKPINK, Selena Gomez – Ice Cream
Cardi B – WAP ft Megan Thee Stallion
DaBaby – Rockstar ft. Roddy Ricch
Justin Bieber – Intentions ft Quavo
Karol G – Tusa ft Nicki Minaj
Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande – Rain On Me
Sam Smith, Demi Lovato – I’m Ready

Best Pop
BTS
Dua Lipa
Harry Styles
Justin Bieber
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Little Mix

Best Group
5 Seconds of Summer
BLACKPINK
BTS
Chloe x Halle
CNCO
Little Mix

Best New
BENEE
DaBaby
Doja Cat
Jack Harlow
Roddy Ricch
YUNGBLUD

Best Rock
Coldplay
Green Day
Liam Gallagher
Pearl Jam
Tame Impala
The Killers

Best Electronic
Calvin Harris
David Guetta
Kygo
Marshmello
Martin Garrix
The Chainsmokers

Best Alternative
blackbear
FKA twigs
Hayley Williams
Machine Gun Kelly
The 1975
twenty one pilots

Video for Good  
Anderson .Paak – Lockdown
David Guetta & Sia – Let’s love
Demi Lovato – I Love Me
H.E.R. – I Can’t Breathe
Jorja Smith – By Any Means
Lil Baby – The Bigger Picture

Best Push
AJ Mitchell
Ashnikko
BENEE
Brockhampton
Conan Gray
Doja Cat
Georgia
Jack Harlow
Lil Tecca
Tate McRae
Wallows
YUNGBLUD

Best Virtual Live
BTS – Bang Bang Con: The Live
J Balvin – Behind The Colores Live Experience
Katy Perry @ Tomorrow Land – Around The World
Little Mix – UNCancelled
Maluma – Papi Juancho Live
Post Malone – Nirvana Tribute

Gallagher took to Twitter and said: “Listen up Brothers and Sisters, due to lockdown my MTV unplugged vinyl wont be ready for 24th April. As soon as the manufacturer is back in action we’ll schedule a new date. I’ll keep you posted. Wash yer hands, scrub yer toes, scratch yer bum and pick yer nose. Stay safe LG x.”

Quaintly put from the former Oasis frontman. Of the performance in Hull, last year on April 24, Liam said: “I was honoured to perform at the legendary showcase that is MTV Unplugged. It was a lovely experience and the people of Hull were biblical and sounded fantastic. I hope you enjoy the record. LG x”

Listen up Brothers and Sisters, due to lockdown my MTV unplugged vinyl wont be ready for 24th April. As soon as the manufacturer is back in action we‘lll schedule a new date. I’ll keep you posted. Wash yer hands, scrub yer toes, scratch yer bum and pick yer nose. Stay safe LG x

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) March 25, 2020

Recently, Liam Gallagher says an Oasis reunion will happen, “very soon”. Following their split in 2009, rumors of an Oasis reformation have been as regular as clockwork.

Liam claims Noel is “greedy”, citing it as a reason why an Oasis reunion is set to happen. It comes after Noel turned down claims from Liam that he rejected an offer of £100 million to bring the band back together. Liam tweeted: “We’ve been offered 100 million pounds for a tour still not enough for the greedy soul oh well stay young LG.”

Noel responded: “To whoever might be arsed: I am not aware of any offer from anybody for any amount of money to reform the legendary Mancunian Rock’n’Roll group Oasis,”

“I am fully aware though that someone has a single to promote so that’s maybe where the confusion lies”

The coronavirus outbreak remains unrelenting, affecting all areas of the music industry. Canceled events include Snowbombing, (to which Liam was due to perform), Coachella, Glastonbury, Eurovision and Radio 1’s Big Weekend. Artists including Stormzy, Greg Dulli, Circa Waves, and Avril Lavigne have all postponed tours and events due to the virus.