The MTV VMAs nominations have finally been unveiled, and Taylor Swift quite expectedly topped the list with eight nods, but the rest of the nominations weren’t so easy to predict. We’re bringing you five snubs and surprises that left us scratching our heads.
Surprise: Beyoncé
Beyoncé is a welcomed addition to artist of the year category, but it’s quite a shocker to see her score her very first nod in this field in a year when she didn’t even release any new music. This year’s nominations in this field were also notable for including zero male nominees.
Snub: Sam Smith and Kim Petras – “Unholy”
Sam Smith and Kim Petras scored five nods for their hit collaboration “Unholy”, but the fact that the best collaboration isn’t one of them left a bitter taste in our mouths.
Surprise: Karol G and Shakira – “TQG”
Despite the omission of “Unholy” in the best collaboration field, this category delivered some pleasant surprises, starting with the inclusion of “TQG” by Karol G and Shakira.
Snub: Blackpink – “Pink Venom”
MTV VMAs voters didn’t show a lot of love to K-pop acts this year, and seeing Blackpink’s “Pink Venom” miss out on the video of the year nomination was definitely the biggest blow.
Surprise: Genre Nods
Individual genre categories, such as best pop, best rock, and best K-pop also delivered several surprise nominations, from Demi Lovato’s “Swine” to Måneskin’s “The Loneliest”.