The nominations for MTV Video Music Awards have finally been unveiled this week, and they brought several shockers our way. It was quite expected to see Taylor Swift lead the way with eight nods, but the list of nominees included many snubs and surprises that we didn’t see coming.
Surprise: Artist of the Year
The artist of the year category featured no male nominees for the first time in history, but that wasn’t the only shocker. Beyoncé finally managed to break through and score her first nod in this category—in a year when she didn’t even release a new album.
Snub: “Unholy” for Best Collaboration
With nods in five different categories, “Unholy” is one of the most nominated tracks at this year’s MTV VMAs, so it was pretty shocking to see Sam Smith and Kim Petras be excluded from the best collaboration field.
Surprise: Karol G and Shakira – “TQG”
The omission of “Unholy” for best collaboration made it possible for some other worthy songs to make the cut, starting with “TQG” by Karol G and Shakira.
Snub: Blackpink – “Pink Venom”
MTV VMAs voters didn’t give K-pop acts a lot of love in the main field, and even Blackpink’s “Pink Venom” failed to break into the video of the year category.
Surprise: Demi Lovato – “Swine”
If you haven’t even heard Demi Lovato’s “Swine”, you’re not alone since this song didn’t even manage to break into the Billboard Hot 100, but that didn’t stop it from scoring a nod in the competitive best pop field.
