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Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow, & Harry Styles Lead The 2022 MTV VMAs Nominations

Artists like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish also scored big on VMAs nominations day.

by Jake Viswanath
The 2022 MTV VMAs Nominations List: Harry Styles & Doja Cat Lead
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc/Getty Images; Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow aren’t industry babies anymore, they’re vets. The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards nominations were announced on July 26, and the “Industry Baby” rappers lead the pack with seven nods each, including Artist of the Year and Video of the Year for their Grammy-nominated collaboration. Kendrick Lamar joins the duo in receiving seven nods, while Harry Styles and Doja Cat follow closely behind with six noms. Taylor Swift also scored five nominations for her self-directed “All Too Well” short film, tying with Billie Eilish, Drake, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, and The Weeknd.

This year, the VMAs have introduced two new categories: Best Metaverse Performance, which honors virtual experiences like Ariana Grande’s Fortnite concert, and Best Longform Video, which recognizes short films and music documentaries like Olivia Rodrigo’s Disney+ concert film. History was also made thanks to the latter category. With her nod in Best Longform Video, Madonna becomes the first and only artist to be nominated in each of the five decades of the VMAs, from the 1980s to the 2020s.

The 2022 MTV VMAs will take place on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and broadcast live from New Jersey’s Prudential Center. Performers, presenters, and a host have yet to be announced, but MTV promises that the ceremony will be filled with “show-stopping surprises, epic performances, and a fan-filled audience.” Fans can vote for VMA winners through Aug. 19 on vote.mtv.com, and nominations for social-driven categories like Group of the Year and Song of the Summer will be announced at a later date. Read the full list of VMAs nominations below.

Video Of The Year

  • Doja Cat – “Woman”
  • Drake ft. Future & Young Thug – “Way 2 Sexy”
  • Ed Sheeran – “Shivers”
  • Harry Styles – “As It Was“
  • Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY”
  • Olivia Rodrigo – “brutal”
  • Taylor Swift – “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)

Artist Of The Year

  • Bad Bunny
  • Drake
  • Ed Sheeran
  • Harry Styles
  • Jack Harlow
  • Lil Nas X
  • Lizzo

Song Of The Year

  • Adele – “Easy On Me”
  • Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever”
  • Doja Cat – “Woman”
  • Elton John & Dua Lipa – “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)”
  • Lizzo – “About Damn Time”
  • The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – “STAY”

Best New Artist

  • Baby Keem
  • Dove Cameron
  • GAYLE
  • Latto
  • Måneskin
  • SEVENTEEN

Push Performance Of The Year

  • September 2021: Griff – “One Night”
  • October 2021: Remi Wolf – “Sexy Villain”
  • November 2021: Nessa Barrett – “i hope ur miserable until ur dead”
  • December 2021: SEVENTEEN – “Rock With You”
  • January 2021: Mae Muller – “Better Days”
  • February 2022: GAYLE – “abcdefu”
  • March 2022: Sheneesa – “R U That”
  • April 2022: Omar Apollo – “Tamagotchi”
  • May 2022: Wet Leg – “Chaise Longue”
  • June 2022: Muni Long – “Baby Boo”
  • July 2022: Doechii – “Persuasive”

Best Collaboration

  • Drake ft. Future & Young Thug – “Way 2 Sexy”
  • Elton John & Dua Lipa – “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)”
  • Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY”
  • Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa – “Sweetest Pie”
  • Post Malone & The Weeknd – “One Right Now”
  • ROSALÍA ft. The Weeknd – “LA FAMA”
  • The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – “STAY”

Best Pop

  • Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever”
  • Doja Cat – “Woman”
  • Ed Sheeran – “Shivers”
  • Harry Styles – “As It Was”
  • Lizzo – “About Damn Time”
  • Olivia Rodrigo – “traitor”

Best Hip-Hop

  • Eminem & Snoop Dogg – “From The D 2 The LBC”
  • Future ft. Drake, Tems – “WAIT FOR U”
  • Kendrick Lamar – “N95”
  • Latto – “Big Energy”
  • Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Baby – “Do We Have A Problem?”
  • Pusha T – “Diet Coke”

Best Rock

  • Foo Fighters – “Love Dies Young”
  • Jack White – “Taking Me Back”
  • Muse – “Won’t Stand Down”
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Black Summer”
  • Shinedown – “Planet Zero”
  • Three Days Grace – “So Called Life”

Best Alternative

  • Avril Lavigne ft. blackbear - “Love It When You Hate Me”
  • Imagine Dragons x JID – “Enemy”
  • Machine Gun Kelly ft. WILLOW – “emo girl”
  • Måneskin – “I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE”
  • Panic! At The Disco – “Viva Las Vengeance”
  • Twenty One Pilots – “Saturday”
  • WILLOW, Avril Lavigne ft. Travis Barker – “G R O W”

Best Latin

  • Anitta – “Envolver”
  • Bad Bunny – “Tití Me Preguntó”
  • Becky G X KAROL G – “MAMIII”
  • Daddy Yankee – “REMIX”
  • Farruko – “Pepas”
  • J Balvin & Skrillex – “In Da Getto”

Best R&B

  • Alicia Keys – “City of Gods (Part II)”
  • Chlöe – “Have Mercy”
  • H.E.R. – “For Anyone”
  • Normani ft. Cardi B – “Wild Side”
  • Summer Walker, SZA & Cardi B – “No Love (Extended Version)”
  • The Weeknd – “Out Of Time”

Best K-Pop

  • BTS – “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)”
  • ITZY – “LOCO”
  • LISA – “LALISA”
  • SEVENTEEN – “HOT”
  • Stray Kids – “MANIAC”
  • TWICE – “The Feels”

Video For Good

  • Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5”
  • Latto – “P*ssy”
  • Lizzo – “About Damn Time”
  • Rina Sawayama – “This Hell”
  • Stromae – “Fils de joie”

Best Metaverse Performance

  • BLACKPINK The Virtual | PUBG
  • BTS | Minecraft
  • Charli XCX | Roblox
  • Justin Bieber – An Interactive Virtual Experience | Wave
  • Rift Tour ft. Ariana Grande | Fortnite
  • Twenty One Pilots Concert Experience | Roblox

Best Longform Video

  • Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles
  • Foo Fighters – Studio 666
  • Kacey Musgraves – star-crossed
  • Madonna – Madame X
  • Olivia Rodrigo – driving home 2 u
  • Taylor Swift – “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)

Best Direction

  • Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar – “family ties”
  • Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever”
  • Ed Sheeran – “Shivers”
  • Harry Styles – “As It Was”
  • Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY”
  • Taylor Swift – “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)

Best Cinematography

  • Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar – “family ties”
  • Camila Cabello ft. Ed Sheeran – “Bam Bam”
  • Harry Styles – “As It Was”
  • Kendrick Lamar – “N95”
  • Normani ft. Cardi B – “Wild Side”
  • Taylor Swift – “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)

Best Art Direction

  • Adele – “Oh My God”
  • Doja Cat – “Get Into It (Yuh)”
  • Drake ft. Future & Young Thug – “Way 2 Sexy”
  • Kacey Musgraves – “simple times”
  • Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY”
  • Megan Thee Stallion ft. Dua Lipa – “Sweetest Pie”

Best Visual Effects

  • Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever”
  • Coldplay X BTS – “My Universe”
  • Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5”
  • Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY”
  • Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa – “Sweetest Pie”
  • The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – “STAY”

Best Choreography

  • BTS – “Permission to Dance”
  • Doja Cat – “Woman”
  • FKA twigs ft. The Weeknd – “Tears In The Club”
  • Harry Styles – “As It Was”
  • Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY”
  • Normani ft. Cardi B – “Wild Side”

Best Editing

  • Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar – “family ties”
  • Doja Cat – “Get Into It (Yuh)”
  • Olivia Rodrigo – “brutal”
  • ROSALÍA – “SAOKO”
  • Taylor Swift – “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)
  • The Weeknd – “Take My Breath”