Burna Boy, Asake Lead African Contingent at 2025 MTV VMAs — Full List of Nominees

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Nigerian superstars Burna Boy and Asake have emerged as the most nominated African artists at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), each scoring two nominations.

Burna Boy earned a nod in the Video For Good category for his emotional track Higher, and was also nominated in the Best Afrobeats category for TaTaTa, which features American rapper Travis Scott.

Asake, on the other hand, secured two separate nominations in the Best Afrobeats category — one for Active featuring Travis Scott, and another for Get It Right, a collaboration with Tems.

Other African stars on the nominee list include Rema, Moliy, Tems, Wizkid, and Tyla, who all bagged one nomination each in the Best Afrobeats category. Ayra Starr also received a nomination, but in a different category — MTV PUSH Performance of the Year for her September 2024 performance of Last Heartbreak Song.

Globally, Lady Gaga leads the 2025 nominations with a massive 12 nods, including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year, and Best Pop.

The awards show is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 7, 2025, at the USB Arena in New York.

Below is the complete list of nominees:

Video of the Year

• Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – Die with a Smile

• Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead

• Rosé & Bruno Mars – Apt.

• Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild

• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – Timeless

• Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather

Song of the Year

• Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather

• Gracie Abrams – I Love You, I’m Sorry

• Alex Warren – Ordinary

• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – Die with a Smile

• Lorde – What Was That

• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – Timeless

• Rosé & Bruno Mars – Apt.

• Tate McRae – Sports Car

• Doechii – Anxiety

• Ed Sheeran – Sapphire

Artist of the Year

• Lady Gaga

• Taylor Swift

• The Weeknd

• Bad Bunny

• Kendrick Lamar

• Beyoncé

• Morgan Wallen

Best New Artist

• Lola Young

• Gigi Perez

• Sombr

• Alex Warren

• Ella Langley

• The Marías

Best Pop Artist

• Justin Bieber

• Miley Cyrus

• Charli XCX

• Sabrina Carpenter

• Tate McRae

• Ariana Grande

• Lorde

MTV PUSH Performance of the Year

• August 2024 – Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy)

• September 2024 – Ayra Starr – Last Heartbreak Song

• October 2024 – Mark Ambor – Belong Together

• November 2024 – Lay Bankz – Graveyard

• December 2024 – Dasha – Bye Bye Bye

• January 2025 – Katseye – Touch

• February 2025 – Jordan Adetunji – Kehlani

• March 2025 – Leon Thomas – Yes It Is

• April 2025 – Livingston – Shadow

• May 2025 – Damiano David – Next Summer

• June 2025 – Gigi Perez – Sailor Song

• July 2025 – Role Model – Sally, When the Wine Runs Out

Best Collaboration

• Rosé & Bruno Mars – Apt.

• Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco – Sunset Blvd

• Bailey Zimmerman & Luke Combs – Backup Plan

• Kendrick Lamar & SZA – Luther

• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – Die with a Smile

• Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton – Pour Me a Drink

Best Pop

• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – Die with a Smile

• Alex Warren – Ordinary

• Rosé & Bruno Mars – Apt.

• Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild

• Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead

• Ed Sheeran – Sapphire

Best R&B

• Summer Walker – Heart of a Woman

• SZA – Drive

• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – Timeless

• Chris Brown – Residuals

• Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs – Mutt (Remix)

• Mariah Carey – Type Dangerous

• Partynextdoor – No Chill

Best Hip-Hop

• Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

• LL Cool J ft. Eminem – Murdergram Deux

• Drake – Nokia

• Eminem ft. Jelly Roll – Somebody Save Me

• GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red – Whatchu Kno About Me

• Travis Scott – 4X4

• Doechii – Anxiety

Best Rock

• Coldplay – All My Love

• Green Day – One Eyed Bastard

• Lenny Kravitz – Honey

• Linkin Park – The Emptiness Machine

• Twenty One Pilots – The Contract

• Evanescence – Afterlife

Best Alternative

• Lola Young – Messy

• Gigi Perez – Sailor Song

• Sombr – Back to Friends

• The Marías – Back to Me

• MGK & Jelly Roll – Lonely Road

• Imagine Dragons – Wake Up

Best Latin

• Shakira – Soltera

• Karol G – Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido

• Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos – Khé

• Bad Bunny – Baile Inolvidable

• J Balvin – Rio

• Peso Pluma – La Patrulla

Best K-Pop

• Jimin – Who

• Jennie – Like Jennie

• Rosé – Toxic Till the End

• Jisoo – Earthquake

• Lisa ft. Doja Cat & Raye – Born Again

• Aespa – Whiplash

• Stray Kids – Chk Chk Boom

Best Afrobeats

• Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – Shake It to the Max (Fly) Remix

• Tyla – Push 2 Start

• Wizkid ft. Brent Faiyaz – Piece of My Heart

• Burna Boy ft. Travis Scott – TaTaTa

• Tems ft. Asake – Get It Right

• Rema – Baby (Is It a Crime)

• Asake & Travis Scott – Active

Best Country

• Chris Stapleton – Think I’m in Love With You

• Cody Johnson & Carrie Underwood – I’m Gonna Love You

• Jelly Roll – Liar

• Lainey Wilson – 4x4xU

• Megan Moroney – Am I Okay

• Morgan Wallen – Smile

Best Album

• Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos

• Kendrick Lamar – GNX

• Lady Gaga – Mayhem

• Morgan Wallen – I’m the Problem

• Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet

• The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow

Best Long Form Video

• Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead

• Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Short Film)

• Damiano David – Funny Little Stories

• Mac Miller – Balloonerism

• Miley Cyrus – Something Beautiful

• The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow

Video For Good

• Burna Boy – Higher

• Charli XCX – Guess (ft. Billie Eilish)

• Doechii – Anxiety

• Eminem ft. Jelly Roll – Somebody Save Me

• Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco – Younger and Hotter Than Me

• Zach Hood ft. Sasha Alex Sloan – Sleepwalking

Best Direction

• Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead

• Charli XCX – Guess (ft. Billie Eilish)

• Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

• Lady Gaga – Abracadabra

• Rosé & Bruno Mars – Apt.

• Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild

Best Art Direction

• Charli XCX – Guess

• Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

• Lady Gaga – Abracadabra

• Lorde – Man of the Year

• Miley Cyrus – End of the World

• Rosé & Bruno Mars – Apt.

Best Cinematography

• Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead

• Ed Sheeran – Sapphire

• Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

• Lady Gaga – Abracadabra

• Miley Cyrus – Easy Lover

• Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild

Best Editing

• Charli XCX – Guess

• Ed Sheeran – Sapphire

• Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

• Lady Gaga – Abracadabra

• Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild

• Tate McRae – Just Keep Watching

Best Choreography

• Doechii – Anxiety

• FKA Twigs – Eusexua

• Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

• Lady Gaga – Abracadabra

• Tyla – Push 2 Start

• Zara Larsson – Pretty Ugly

Best Visual Effects

• Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead

• Lady Gaga – Abracadabra

• Rosé & Bruno Mars – Apt.

• Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild

• Tate McRae – Just Keep Watching

• The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow

#BurnaBoy

#Asake

#MtVVMA