Podcast & Performance

The VMAs Add an Afrobeats Category, Following the Lead of the AMAs & Grammys

The MTV Video Music Awards are adding a new category this year: Best Afrobeats. The Grammys are adding a category this year, Best African Musical Performance (for the award to be given on February 1). 4, 2024). The American Music Awards were the first major music awards to include such a category. They added their favorite Afrobeats artist to the show which airs on November 20, 2022. Wizkid was the first winner, beating Burna Boy, CKay, Fireboy DML, and Tems. The favorite for Best Afrobeats at the VMAs is Rema & Selena Gomez's "Calm Down," which was nominated in two other categories, Best Song and Best Collaboration. "Calam Down" was a huge crossover hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song peaked at No. 6 in its 49th week on the Hot 100, spending its seventh week on top of Radio. Music. 

Ayra Starr has two nominations in the VMAs' Best Afrobeats category - for her own "Rush" and as an artist on Wizkid's "2 Sugar."Other nominees in this category are "Plenty" by Burna Boy, Davido with "None" by Musa Keys, "Bandana" by Fireboy DML & Asake, and "People" by Libianca. Best Afrobeats is the third genre to be added to the VMAs this century, following Latin (2006) and K-pop (2019). Five other specific VMA categories were introduced in the last century - rock (1989), alternative (1991), R&B (1993), and pop and hip-hop (both in 1999). The Grammy nominations will be announced on November 10, when we will recognize the nominees in their new category of Best African Musical Performance. The record label announced the category (one of three added this year) on June 13. The rules and guidelines for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards describe the category as follows: “Eligible recordings include vocal and instrumental performances with the power of African cultural importance. that combines stylistic intent, musical style, musical content, and/or representation of music found in Africa and African countries. The African community is a global community of people of African descent or people of African descent, particularly in the Americas.

Best Afrobeats

Ayra Starr – “Rush”
Burna Boy – “It’s Plenty”
Davido ft. Musa Keys – “Unavailable”
Fireboy DML & Asake – ”Bandana”
Libianca – “People”
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down”
Wizkid ft. Ayra Starr – “2 Sugar”

Video of the Year

Doja Cat – “Attention”
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras – “Unholy”
SZA – “Kill Bill”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Artist of the Year

Beyoncé
Doja Cat
Karol G
Nicki Minaj
Shakira
Taylor Swift

Song of the Year

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras – “Unholy”
Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit”
SZA – “Kill Bill”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Best New Artist

GloRilla
Ice Spice
Kaliii
Peso Pluma
PinkPantheress
Reneé Rapp

Push Performance of the Year

August 2022: Saucy Santana – “Booty”
September 2022: Stephen Sanchez – “Until I Found You”
October 2022: JVKE – “golden hour”
November 2022: Flo Milli – “Conceited”
December 2022: Reneé Rapp – “Colorado”
January 2023: Sam Ryder – “All The Way Over”
February 2023: Armani White – “GOATED”
March 2023: Fletcher – “Becky’s So Hot”
April 2023: Tomorrow X Together – “Sugar Rush Ride”
May 2023: Ice Spice – “Princess Diana”
June 2023: FLO – “Losing You”
July 2023: Lauren Spencer Smith – “That Part”

Best Collaboration

David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – “I’m Good (Blue)”
Post Malone & Doja Cat – “I Like You (A Happier Song)”
Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – “Gotta Move On”
KAROL G & Shakira – “TQG”
Metro Boomin ft. The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Diddy – “Creepin’ (Remix)”
Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down”

Best Pop

Demi Lovato – “Swine”
Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night”
Ed Sheeran – “Eyes Closed”
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
P!NK – “Trustfall”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Best Hip-Hop

Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – “Gotta Move On”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake & Lil Baby – “STAYING ALIVE”
GloRilla & Cardi B – “Tomorrow 2”
Lil Uzi Vert – “Just Wanna Rock”
Lil Wayne ft. Swizz Beatz & DMX – “Kant Nobody”
Metro Boomin ft. Future – “Superhero (Heroes and Villains)”
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl”

Best Rock

Foo Fighters – “The Teacher”
Linkin Park – “Lost (Original Version)”
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Tippa My Tongue”
Måneskin – “The Loneliest”
Metallica – “Lux Æterna”
Muse – “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween”

Best Alternative

Blink-182 – “Edging”
Boygenius – “The Film”
Fall Out Boy – “Hold Me Like a Grudge”
Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace”
Paramore – “This Is Why”
Thirty Seconds To Mars – “Stuck”

Best Latin

Anitta – “Funk Rave”
Bad Bunny – “Where She Goes”
Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma – “Ella Baila Sola”
Grupo Frontera & Bad Bunny – “un x100to”
Karol G & Shakira – “TQG”
Rosalía – “Despechá”
Shakira – “Acróstico”

Best R&B

Alicia Keys ft. Lucky Daye – “Stay”
Chlöe ft. Chris Brown – “How Does It Feel”
Metro Boomin ft. The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Diddy – “Creepin’ (Remix)”
SZA – “Shirt”
Toosii – “Favorite Song”
Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj – “Love In The Way”

Best K-Pop

Aespa – “Girls”
Blackpink – “Pink Venom”
Fiffty Fifty – “Cupid”
Seventeen – “Super”
Stray Kids – “S-Class”
Tomorrow X Together – “Sugar Rush Ride”

Video for Good

Alicia Keys – “If I Ain’t Got You (Orchestral)”
Bad Bunny – “El Apagón – Aquí Vive Gente”
Demi Lovato – “Swine”
Dove Cameron – “Breakfast”
Imagine Dragons – “Crushed”
Maluma – “La Reina”

Best Cinematography

Adele – “I Drink Wine”
Ed Sheeran – “Eyes Closed”
Janelle Monae – “Lipstick Lover”
Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out”
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Best Direction

Doja Cat – “Attention”
Drake – “Falling Back”
Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out”
Megan Thee Stallion – “Her”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras – “Unholy”
SZA – “Kill Bill”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Best Art Direction

Boygenius – “The Film”
Blackpink – “Pink Venom”
Doja Cat – “Attention”
Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace”
Megan Thee Stallion – “Her”
SZA – “Shirt”

Best Visual Effects

Fall Out Boy – “Love From the Other Side”
Harry Styles – “Music for a Sushi Restaurant”
Melanie Martinez – “Void”
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras – “Unholy”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Best Choreography

Blackpink – “Pink Venom”
Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night”
Jonas Brothers – “Waffle House”
Megan Thee Stallion – “Her”
Panic! at the Disco – “Middle of a Breakup”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras – “Unholy”

Best Editing

Blackpink – “Pink Venom”
Kendrick Lamar – “Rich Spirit”
Miley Cyrus – “River”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
SZA – “Kill Bill”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

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