MTV released the 2025 Video Music Awards nominations on 5 August, with Lady Gaga leading the field at 12 nods, driven by her single "Abracadabra" and Bruno Mars collaboration "Die With a Smile." Mars follows with 11 nominations, while Kendrick Lamar secures 10. Rosé and Sabrina Carpenter earned eight apiece; Ariana Grande and The Weeknd collected seven each. Gaga’s haul positions her within reach of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift’s all-time record of 30 career VMAs. Beyoncé and Swift, each already on that mark, are both shortlisted for Artist of the Year alongside Gaga, Bad Bunny, Lamar, Morgan Wallen and The Weeknd. K-pop maintains a high profile: all four BLACKPINK members gained solo nods in Best K-Pop, and Rosé’s eight total nominations set a new record for a K-pop act in a single year, surpassing BTS. MTV also introduced a Best Country category, where Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney and Wallen will compete. The awards will be broadcast live on CBS and MTV from UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on 7 September at 8 p.m. ET, with streaming on Paramount+. Fan voting is open in 19 categories at vote.mtv.com until 5 September, while Best New Artist balloting will remain active through the show.