The VMA Artist of the Year Nominees Have Been Announced
The VMA Artist of the Year nominees have been announced, and fans are already celebrating the first-ever all-female list.
The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards are fast approaching, and fans are already getting excited to cheer on their favorites. The award show will take place next month, on September 12. All nominations were announced this morning, allowing fans over a month to anticipate the outcome and rally votes eagerly.
The nominee announcement drew both praise and apprehension from commenters across social media. The Artist of the Year category is one of the most consistently debated each year, with this year no different. The all-female nominees include Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Taylor Swift, KAROL G, Nicki Minaj, and Shakira.
AND THE NOMINEES FOR ARTIST OF THE YEAR ARE 🥁…
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) August 8, 2023
🚀 @Beyonce
🚀 @DojaCat
🚀 @karolg
🚀 @NICKIMINAJ
🚀 @Shakira
🚀 @taylorswift13
Vote for the 2023 #VMAs at https://t.co/jpKQNi80FS ⭐ Find out who wins September 12 on @MTV! pic.twitter.com/3UObVHjUlj
Since a few of these artists are currently on tour, such as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, this announcement came as little surprise to some. However, many were surprised by the inclusion of Doja Cat on the list of nominees for this particular category. Although Doja Cat is set to drop her upcoming album soon, the artist hasn’t released as much music as some of her fellow nominees this year (the period of eligibility runs from August 2022 to July 2023). However, her single “Attention” is up for its own VMA.
All of the #VMAs Artist of The Year nominees being women is EVERYTHINGGGGGG 👑
— Nick Anastasi (@nick_anastasi) August 8, 2023
Unlike the Grammy’s, the VMAs rely on fan votes to decide the winner of each category. Doja Cat has recently come under fire for comments she has made about her fans, leading to many of her fans deactivating their accounts. This current tumultuous relationship with her fans may potentially negatively impact her votes this year.
Many fans also took to social media to express their frustration that SZA wasn’t nominated for Artist of the Year.
Doja getting nominated for artist of the year at #VMAs but not SZA ??? pic.twitter.com/1PntGLXHqN
— ᖇƖHᗷᗩᖇᗪƖ | JEALOUSY IS OUT NOW (@RIHBARDII) August 8, 2023
SZA’s album SOS was an instant chart-topper and massive success. “Kill Bill,” one of the hit songs on the album, is even up for Song of the Year. The artist has a total of six nominations, despite not being nominated for Artist of the Year.
Fans have already begun campaigning for votes, with the VMAs just around the corner. You can vote for your favorite artists now at the VMA official website. The VMAs will be streamed on September 12 on MTV and Paramount+. A full list of nominations is available here.
