Madonna, the iconic figure in pop music, dominates this year’s MTV Video Music Awards nominations, surpassing even Taylor Swift. With 11 nominations for the upcoming ceremony, Madonna secures her position as the top contender, recognized for her album “Confessions II” and its accompanying film.
In contrast to Taylor Swift, who holds the record for the most VMA wins as a solo artist, Madonna’s nominations include artist and video of the year categories. Swift, with nine nominations, received recognition for her album “The Life of a Showgirl” and the music video “The Fate of Ophelia.” Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande follow closely behind Swift, each earning seven nominations.
This marks Madonna’s third time leading the VMA nominations, previously achieving the feat in 1990 and 1998 with her “Vogue” and “Ray of Light” eras. Notably, Madonna’s groundbreaking performance at the inaugural 1984 ceremony, where she wore a wedding dress and a “Boy Toy” belt buckle while singing “Like a Virgin,” remains an iconic moment in VMA history.
Among Madonna’s nominations are video of the year, artist of the year, and song and collaboration of the year for “Bring Your Love,” featuring fellow nominee Carpenter. The highly coveted video of the year award will see “Confessions” competing against Swift’s “Ophelia,” Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” Carpenter’s “Tears,” Mars’s “I Just Might,” and Gener8ion and Yung Lean’s “Storm.”
For this year’s VMAs, public voting is available for 13 categories. The winners will be revealed during the live broadcast of the ceremony on September 27, airing on CBS, MTV, and streaming on Paramount+.