By Fawaz Adebisi
The nominations for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, VMAs, have been officially revealed by the event’s organizers.
The announcement was made on Wednesday.
Notably, this year’s nominations feature an inaugural Afrobeats category, marking a significant milestone in the history of the awards.
The Afrobeats category showcases a predominantly Nigerian presence among the nominees. Cameroonian-American vocalist Libianca stands as the sole non-Nigerian contender within this category.
The distinguished nominees in the Afrobeats Category are as follows:
– Ayra Starr with “Rush,” presented by Mavin Global Holdings.
– Burna Boy performing “It’s Plenty,” released under Atlantic Records / Spaceship Entertainment Ltd.
– Davido featuring Musa Keys in “UNAVAILABLE,” released by Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records.
– Fireboy DML & Asake’s collaboration “Bandana,” distributed by Empire Distribution.
– Libianca’s composition “People,” released by Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records.
– A joint effort from Rema & Selena Gomez titled “Calm Down,” jointly presented by Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records.
– Wizkid’s collaboration with Ayra Starr named “2 Sugar,” under the labels Starboy / RCA Records.
It is worth mentioning that Rema’s track “Calm Down,” featuring Selena Gomez, has garnered two additional nominations in the “Song of the Year” and “Best Collaboration” categories.
The 2023 VMAs are scheduled to take place on September 12, 2023, with a live broadcast originating from the Prudential Center located in Newark, New Jersey.
This year, Taylor Swift leads the roster of nominees with an impressive count of eight nominations.
