The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, August 18, and this year’s top nominees are being dominated by women. Seven of the eight artists with the most nominations are female, with Madonna leading the pack with 11 nods.

The 11 nominations mark a personal best for the music icon and the first time she has led the VMA nominations since 1998, the year she won Video of the Year for Ray of Light. She also led the nominations in 1990 with nine nods following the success of Vogue.

Photo: Getty Images

Taylor Swift, who is tied with Beyoncé for the most Moon Person wins, followed with nine nominations. Other artist with several nods are Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande with seven nominations each, Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson with five nominations, while Lisa followed with four.

Among the 26 first-time nominees are Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean, Sienna Spiro, Tucker Wetmore and Yung Lean.

Fan voting is currently open in 13 categories through September 25, including Best Dance, which is returning for the first time in seven years. Voting for Best New Artist will remain open through the night of the ceremony.

This year’s ceremony will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 27 and will mark the first time the VMAs have been held on the West Coast in nine years. The last Los Angeles ceremony took place in 2017 when Katy Perry hosted the show. A host for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards has not yet been announced.

See the full list of nominations below:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Ariana Grande — Republic Records

Bruno Mars — Atlantic Records

Madonna — Warner Records

Morgan Wallen — Big Loud/Mercury Records

Sabrina Carpenter — Island Records

Taylor Swift — Republic Records

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Photo: Instagram

Ariana Grande — Hate That I Made You Love Me — Republic Records

Bruno Mars — I Just Might — Atlantic Records

GENER8ION — Storm Starring Yung Lean — Iconoclast Music

Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records

Sabrina Carpenter — Tears — Island Records

Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records

SONG OF THE YEAR

BTS — Swim — BIGHIT MUSIC

Ella Langley — Choosin’ Texas — Columbia Records

HUNTR/X (Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami) — Golden — Republic Records/Visva Records

Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter — Bring Your Love — Warner Records

Olivia Dean — Man I Need — Island Records

PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — Stateside — Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records

Raye — Where Is My Husband!! — Human Re Sources

BEST NEW ARTIST

Bella Kay — Atlantic Records

Cortis — BIGHIT MUSIC

Magnus Ferrell — Visva Records/Republic Records

Malcolm Todd — Columbia Records

Myles Smith — RCA Records

Sienna Spiro — Capitol Records

Stella Lefty — Sandlot/Atlantic Outpost

BEST COLLABORATION

Photo: Instagram

Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice — Chains & Whips — Roc Nation Distribution

French Montana and Max B — Ever Since U Left Me — Coke Boys Records

Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter — Bring Your Love — Warner Records

PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — Stateside — Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records

Shakira and Burna Boy — Dai Dai — Sony Music US Latin

Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye — Hard Part — Def Jam Recordings

BEST POP

Ariana Grande — Hate That I Made You Love Me — Republic Records

Charli XCX — SS26 — Atlantic Records

Lisa — Dream (feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi) — Lloud Co./RCA Records

Olivia Rodrigo — Drop Dead — Geffen Records

Sabrina Carpenter — House Tour — Island Records

Tate McRae — Nobody’s Girl — RCA Records

Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records

BEST HIP-HOP

Cardi B (feat. Kehlani) — Safe — Atlantic Records

Don Toliver — E85 — Cactus Jack/Atlantic Records

Drake — Janice STFU — OVO/Republic Records

Megan Thee Stallion — Lover Girl — Hot Girl Productions

Travis Scott — Dumbo — Cactus Jack/Epic Records

Tyler, the Creator — Sugar on My Tongue — Columbia Records

BEST R&B

Photo: Getty Images

Bruno Mars — I Just Might — Atlantic Records

Chris Brown — It Depends/Obvious — RCA Records

Dave and Tems — Raindance — Neighbourhood Recordings/Capitol Records

Justin Bieber — Yukon — Def Jam Recordings

Kehlani — Folded — Atlantic Records

Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis — Is It a Crime — Epic Records

BEST ALTERNATIVE

Geese — Taxes — Partisan Records/Play It Again Sam

MGK and Fred Durst — Fix Ur Face — EST 19XX LLC/Interscope Records

Noah Kahan — The Great Divide — Mercury Records

Olivia Rodrigo — The Cure — Geffen Records

Sombr — Homewrecker — SMB Music/Warner Records

Tame Impala — Dracula — Columbia Records

Twenty One Pilots — Drag Path — Fueled by Ramen

BEST DANCE

Bebe Rexha and Faithless — New Religion — Bebe Rexha Music LLC/EMPIRE

Harry Styles — Aperture — Columbia Records

Lady Gaga and Doechii — RUNAWAY — Lil Monsters/Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records/Capitol Records

Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records

PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — Stateside — Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records

Slayyyter — DANCE… — RECORDS/Columbia Records

Tate McRae — Nobody’s Girl — RCA Records

BEST LATIN

Anitta and Shakira — Choka Choka — Republic Records/UMLE

Bad Bunny — NUEVAYoL — Rimas Entertainment

Fuerza Regida — Tu Sancho — Rancho Humilde/Street Mob Records/Sony Music US Latin

Karol G — Papasito — Bichota Records/Interscope Records

Rosalía (feat. Yahritza Y Su Esencia) — La Perla — Columbia Records

Ryan Castro, Kapo and Gangsta — La Villa — AWOO Corp./Sony Music US Latin

Shakira and Burna Boy — Dai Dai — Sony Music US Latin

BEST K-POP

Blackpink — Jump — YG Entertainment

BTS — Swim — BIGHIT MUSIC

Cortis — REDRED — BIGHIT MUSIC

Katseye — Pinky Up — HYBE x Geffen Records

LE SSERAFIM (feat. J-Hope of BTS) — Spaghetti — SOURCE MUSIC

Lisa — Dream (feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi) — Lloud Co./RCA Records

BEST COUNTRY

Ella Langley — Choosin’ Texas — Columbia Records

Kacey Musgraves — Dry Spell — Lost Highway/Interscope Records

Lainey Wilson — Somewhere Over Laredo — Broken Bow Records

Luke Combs — Back in the Saddle — Columbia Nashville

Shaboozey — Cowgirl — American Dogwood/EMPIRE

Stella Lefty — Boston — Sandlot/Atlantic Outpost

Tucker Wetmore — Brunette — Back Blocks Music/Mercury Records

BEST DIRECTION

Photo: Getty Images

Ariana Grande — Hate That I Made You Love Me — Republic Records

Bruno Mars — I Just Might — Atlantic Records

GENER8ION  — Storm Starring Yung Lean — Iconoclast Music

Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records

Sabrina Carpenter — House Tour — Island Records

Taylor Swift — Opalite — Republic Records

BEST ART DIRECTION

Charli XCX — SS26 — Atlantic Records

Lady Gaga and Doechii — RUNAWAY — Lil Monsters/Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records/Capitol Records

Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records

PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — Stateside — Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records

Sombr — My Body Isn’t Ready — SMB Music/Warner Records

Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

A$AP Rocky — PUNK ROCKY

Ariana Grande — Hate That I Made You Love Me

Lisa — Dream (feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi)

Madonna — Confessions II – The Film

Shaboozey — Cowgirl

Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia

BEST EDITING

Ariana Grande — Hate That I Made You Love Me — Republic Records

Bruno Mars — I Just Might — Atlantic Records

Lisa — Dream (feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi) — Lloud Co./RCA Records

Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records

Sabrina Carpenter — House Tour — Island Records

Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Photo: Instagram

GENER8ION — Storm Starring Yung Lean — Iconoclast Music

Harry Styles — Dance No More — Columbia Records

Katseye — Pinky Up — HYBE x Geffen Records

Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records

Tate McRae — Nobody’s Girl — RCA Records

Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Ariana Grande — Hate That I Made You Love Me — Republic Records

Jisoo and Zayn — Eyes Closed — Warner Records

Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records

PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — Stateside — Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records

Raye (feat. Hans Zimmer) — Click Clack Symphony — Human Re Sources

Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records

A$AP Rocky confirmed during an appearance on “The Jason Lee Show” that Rihanna is actively recording, offering the most direct update yet on a follow-up to her 2016 album “ANTI.”

“Nah,” he said in response to speculation that family life had put her music on pause. “She in the studio right now. Yeah, I said it. Sorry, babe.” He added, “Bro, she working. She cooking, no funny. Damn, I’mma get in trouble for this.”

Photo: Gabriel Hutchinson / WikiPortraits

It was a brief comment, but it carried significant weight. Rihanna has not released a full album since “ANTI” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and produced “Work,” “Needed Me,” and “Love on the Brain.” In the years since, she has built her influence beyond music through Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, while also embracing motherhood with Rocky, the couple now share three children, RZA, Riot, and Rocki, the couple now have three children, RZA, Riot, and Rocki.

She headlined the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show in 2023, where she revealed her pregnancy with their second child. She later earned an Academy Award nomination for “Lift Me Up,” her contribution to the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack in 2022, before lending her vocals to “Friend of Mine” for The Smurfs soundtrack in 2025.

She also made a surprise appearance alongside Jay-Z at his “Extra Innings” concert at Yankee Stadium, where the pair performed “Run This Town” and “Bitch Better Have My Money.”

Those appearances kept fans engaged, but they did not mark the release of a new album. Rocky’s remark suggests that has changed. He framed it as work already in progress, not a plan or a tease.

Photo: Getty images

Rihanna herself has hinted at the same. Earlier this year she posted behind-the-scenes video of a recording session sandwiched between other parts of her day, including preparing a Mardi Gras costume for her son. The footage was casual, but it placed her in the studio in a way fans hadn’t seen in some time.

There is still no title, no release date, and no detail on collaborators or sound. What there is now is confirmation from inside her circle, as A$AP Rocky has revealed that the process is already underway.

For an artist who redefined pop in the 2010s and then stepped back to build businesses and a family, returning to music carries different stakes. The audience is larger, the expectations are higher, and the gap, nearly a decade since “ANTI” – has only amplified both.

Rocky may have spoken out of turn. But if he’s right, and Rihanna is “cooking” in the studio right now, then the conversation shifts from if to when. For a fanbase that has waited since 2016, that is a shift worth noting.

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Ariana Grande shared a teaser for an upcoming music video from the album Petal, in which she appears as a character named Pepper.

In the short black-and-white clip released on Tuesday, July 28, Grande plays an aspiring entertainer arriving for an audition. The scene opens with her walking into a reception area, where she introduces herself to a receptionist who barely acknowledges her. “Hello, I’m Pepper, I’m here for the audition today,” she says, before being told to take a number and wait alongside others. The teaser stops short of revealing what the audition is for.

Photo: Instagram

The visual was shot using VistaVision, a widescreen film format commonly associated with 1950s Hollywood productions. Which contributes to the old-Hollywood atmosphere hinted at in the clip.

In a press release, Grande described Petal as “something that is full of life and growing through the cracks of something cold and hard and challenging.”

The upcoming album Petal is scheduled for release on July 31. The project follows her 2024 album Eternal Sunshine and will feature 12 tracks.

It also includes “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” which has already debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is part of her current tour setlist.

Grande first previewed the visual earlier this month during her New York City stop on the Eternal Sunshine tour, where she played a teaser during her performance at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Photo: Instagram

She later shared the clip on Instagram, tagging director Christian Breslauer, choreographer Will Loftis and longtime collaborator Ilya Salmanzadeh.

The singer is currently on her 41-date tour, which began on June 6 and is set to wrap on September 1, 2026.