VMA Awards: Swift & Grande Lead the Pack, K‑Pop Gets a Shuffle
At the MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande stole the spotlight – each racked up ten nominations. Cool, right? But a puzzle emerged when the mega‑popular Korean groups were slid into a separate K‑Pop category, sparking a wave of yells from die‑hard fans.
Julia‑Jazzy Songs in the Hall of Fame
- Ariana’s breakout “thank u, next” hits the bull’s‑eye for Song of the Year, Best Pop, and Video of the Year.
- Taylor’s “You Need to Calm Down” takes the same shots, plus a spotlight on her bold critique of social media trolls and the love for LGBTQ folks.
Both artists also snagged nods for Artist of the Year, standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder with Cardi B, Billie Eilish (who was a teen sensation on the block), Halsey, the Jonas Brothers and Shawn Mendes.
BTS Mishap: “Too Much” Not Enough Recognition?
BTS, the household name that’s been rocking the US charts for the past year with three #1 Billboard albums, received only four nominations. Three of those fell into the newly created K‑Pop category.
Fans were livid. One BTS devotee, Chioma, tweeted, “BTS outsold every single artist in the Artist of the Year category but the VMAs didn’t wanna see that, so they made a whole new category just to not acknowledge the power and influence bts has had over the whole industry.”
Another fan, Shivani Shintre, stomached it: “I am getting so sick of the westerners not giving BTS the due respect. They ignore stats, facts, achievements, charts and the people as well.”
MTV’s silence on the matter only added fuel to the fire.
Collabs, Moving Music & the Good‑Vibe Zone
The superstar duet “Boy With Luv” (BTS + Halsey) snagged nods for Best Collaboration, Art Direction and Choreography. Other K‑Pop heavyweights in the field? BlackPink, Monsta X, NCT 127, EXO and Tomorrow X Together.
In the Video for Good category, songs that aim to beat the world’s aches surface. This lineup includes:
- Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” – solid empathy for queer folks.
- Halsey’s “Nightmare” – a fierce female-empowerment anthem.
- “Earth” by Lil Dicky, blazing a path for planet‑savvy vibes.
- John Legend’s “Preach” – a rally against social injustices.
More in this category: The Killers’ “Land Of The Free” (a protest against the Trump wall), and “Runaway Train,” a stirring call spotlighting missing children.
THE NEXT STEPS
Fans will decide the winners at the VMA night in Newark, New Jersey, on August 26. Note: They vote only for the winners, not for the nominations themselves.
