Welcome to the 2021 Video Music Awards—which is still curiously titled despite the fact they’re honoring music videos, not video musics (yes, there’s probably an answer to that, but that doesn’t make the name any less annoying). Anyway, another year older, another year closer to death, and nothing makes you feel closer to death than the words “Olivia Rodrigo,” the SOUR, 18-year-old musical powerhouse who’s nominated for seven Moon Person awards (and she’s already won two, including Song of the Year as of this writing). Rodrigo doesn’t have the most nods, though. That honor goes to certified old fuddy-duddy (compared to the still-teenaged Rodrigo) Justin Bieber, a 27-year-old VMA veteran, who is hitting the stage tonight for the first time since 2015. He’s already won a VMA, too—his career fifth.
Unlike last year’s ceremony, which, as noted at the time, just had to happen amid the pandemic, this is a real-deal, in-person event. Masks are only required for the commoners in the audience, though. VIPs can show off those pearly whites all they want. Those very important persons include host Doja Cat and performers Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keys, Camila Cabello, Chlöe of Chloe x Halle, Jack Harlow, Kacey Musgraves, The Kid LAROI, Kim Petras, Lil Nas X, Machine Gun Kelly, Normani, Ozuna, Polo G, Shawn Mendes, Swae Lee, Swedish House Mafia, Tainy and Twenty One Pilots. We wish them all the best of luck and sincerely hope they’re vaccinated.
Speaking of Very Important Persons, the VMA queen herself Madame X, aka Madonna, already showed up to kick off the ceremony, wearing her patented biker helmet. Of course, Madonna has her own place in VMA history, from humping the stage in a wedding dress to kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera to getting punished by Courtney Love.
So get ready to feel your age, millennials, and enjoy your culture, Gen Z. The VMAs are here, they’re clear, and they’ve already TikToking, assuming kids are still doing that.
Video of the Year:
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion: “WAP”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake: “Popstar” (Starring Justin Bieber)
Doja Cat ft. SZA: “Kiss Me More”
Ed Sheeran: “Bad Habits”
The Weeknd: “Save Your Tears”
Best Choreography
Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness” – Choreography by: Paul Roberts
Ariana Grande – “34+35” – Choreography by: Brian Nicholson & Scott Nicholson
BTS – “Butter” – Choreography by: Son Sung with BHM Performance Directing Team
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits” – Choreography by: Natricia Bernard
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame” – Choreography by: Nina McNeely
Marshmello & Halsey – “Be Kind” – Choreography by: Dani Vitale
Best R&B
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic: “Leave the Door Open”
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, Saint Jhn, WizKid: “Brown Skin Girl”
Chris Brown and Young Thug: “Go Crazy”
Giveon: “Heartbreak Anniversary”
H.E.R. ft. Chris Brown: “Come Through”
SZA: “Good Days”
Best Direction
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino
Billie Eilish: “Your Power” — Directed by: Billie Eilish
DJ Khaled ft. Drake: “Popstar (Starring Justin Bieber)” – Directed by: Julien Christian Lutz aka Director X
Taylor Swift: “Willow” – Directed by: Taylor Swift
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A: “Franchise” — Directed by: Travis Scott
Tyler, The Creator: “Lumberjack” – Directed by: Wolf Haley
Best Cinematography
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid: “Brown Skin Girl” – Cinematography by: Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, Mohammaed Atta Ahmed, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant
Billie Eilish: “Therefore I Am” – Cinematography by: Rob Witt
Foo Fighters: “Shame Shame” — Cinematography by: Santiago Gonzalez
Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper: “Holy” – Cinematography by: Elias Talbot
Lady Gaga: “911” – Cinematography by: Jeff Cronenweth
Lorde: “Solar Power” – Cinematography by: Andrew Stroud
Best New Artist
Olivia Rodrigo
24kGoldn
Giveon
The Kid Laroi
Polo G
Saweetie
Best Alternative
Machine Gun Kelly ft. Blackbear: “My Ex’s Best Friend”
Bleachers: “Stop Making This Hurt”
Glass Animals: “Heat Waves”
Imagine Dragons: “Follow You”
Twenty One Pilots: “Shy Away”
Willow ft. Travis Barker: “Transparent Soul”
Global Icon Award
Foo Fighters
Best Collaboration
Doja Cat ft. SZA: “Kiss Me More”
24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior: “Mood”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion: “WAP”
Drake ft. Lil Durk: “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon: “Peaches”
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa: “Prisoner”
Best K-pop
BTS – “Butter”
(G)I-DLE: “Dumdi Dumdi”
Blackpink and Selena Gomez: “Ice Cream”
Monsta X: “Gambler”
Seventeen: “Ready to love”
Twice: “Alcohol-Free”
Best Hip-Hop
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A.: “Franchise”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion: “WAP”
Drake ft. Lil Durk: “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Lil Baby ft. Megan Thee Stallion: “On Me (remix)”
Moneybagg Yo – “Said Sum”
Polo G: “Rapstar”
Artist of the Year
Justin Bieber
Ariana Grande
Doja Cat
Megan Thee Stallion
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift
Video For Good
Billie Eilish: “Your Power”
Demi Lovato: “Dancing With the Devil”
H.E.R.: “Fight For You”
Kane Brown: “Worldwide Beautiful”
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” Pharrell Williams ft. Jay-Z: “Entrepreneur”
Best Pop
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon: “Peaches”
Olivia Rodrigo: “Good 4 U”
Ariana Grande: “Positions”
Billie Eilish: “Therefore I Am”
BTS: “Butter”
Harry Styles: “Treat People With Kindness”
Shawn Mendes: “Wonder”
Taylor Swift: “Willow”
Song of the Year
Olivia Rodrigo: “Drivers License”
24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior: “Mood”
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic: “Leave the Door Open”
BTS: “Dynamite”
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion: “WAP”
Dua Lipa: “Levitating”
Group of the Year
BTS
Blackpink
CNCO
Foo Fighters
Jonas Brothers
Maroon 5
Silk Sonic
Twenty One Pilots
Push Performance of the Year
Olivia Rodrigo: “Drivers License”
Wallows: “Are You Bored Yet”
Ashnikko: “Daisy”
Saint Jhn: “Gorgeous”
24kGoldn: “Coco”
JC Stewart: “Break My Heart”
Latto: “Sex Lies”
Madison Beer: “Selfish”
The Kid Laroi: “Without You”
Girl in Red: “Serotonin”
Fousheé: “My Slime”
Jxdn: “Think About Me”
Best Rock
John Mayer: “Last Train Home”
Evanescence: “Use My Voice”
Foo Fighters: “Shame Shame”
The Killers: “My Own Soul’s Warning”
Kings Of Leon: “The Bandit”
Lenny Kravitz: “Raise Vibration”
Best Latin
Billie Eilish & Rosalía: “Lo Vas A Olvidar”
Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez: “Dákiti”
Black Eyed Peas and Shakira: “Girl Like Me”
Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy: “Un Die (One Day)”
Karol G: “Bichota”
Maluma: “Hawái”
Best Art Direction
Saweetie ft. Doja Cat: “Best Friend” – Art Direction by: Alec Contestabile
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Art Direction by: John Richoux
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer: “Already” — Art Direction by: Susan Linns, Gerard Santos
Ed Sheeran: “Bad Habits” – Art Direction by: Alison Dominitz
Lady Gaga: “911” – Art Direction by: Tom Foden, Peter Andrus
Taylor Swift – “Willow” – Art Direction by: Ethan Tobman, Regina Fernandez
Best Visual Effects
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Visual Effects by: Mathematic
Bella Poarch: “Build a Bitch” – Visual Effects by: Andrew Donoho, Denhov Visuals, Denis Strahhov, Rein Jakobson, Vahur Kuusk, Tatjana Pavlik, Yekaterina Vetrova
Coldplay: “Higher Power” – Visual Effects by: Mathematic
Doja Cat & The Weeknd – “You Right” – Visual Effects by: La Pac, Anthony Lestremau, Julien Missaire, Petr Shkolniy, Alexi Bailla, Micha Sher, Antoine Hache, Mikros MPC, Nicolas Huget, Guillaume Ho Tsong Fang, Benjamin Lenfant, Stephane Pivron, MPC Bangalore, Chanakya Chander, Raju Ganesh, David Rouxel
Glass Animals: “Tangerine” – Visual Effects by: YSF Studio Paris
P!nk: “All I Know So Far” – Visual Effects by: BUF, VFX Supervisors: Dominique Vidal & Geoffrey Niquet, VFX Producers: Annabelle Zoellin & Camille Gibrat
Best Editing
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic: “Leave the Door Open” – Editing by: Troy Charbonnet
BTS: “Butter” – Editing by: Yong Seok Choi from Lumpens
Drake: “What’s Next” – Editing by: Noah Kendal
Harry Styles: “Treat People With Kindness” – Editing by: Claudia Wass
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon: “Peaches” — Editing by: Mark Mayr, Vinnie Hobbs
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa: “Prisoner” — Editing by: William Town