MTV Video Music Awards Return: Will Taylor Swift Make History?

NEW YORK (AP) — The excitement is building as the MTV Video Music Awards prepare to take place on Wednesday night, with Taylor Swift at the center of the spotlight. She leads the nominations this year with an impressive total of 12 nods, including eight for her popular music video “Fortnight,” two for social categories, and additional nominations for both Best Pop and Artist of the Year.

Following closely behind Swift is her collaborator on “Fortnight,” Post Malone, who has secured 11 nominations. He shares ten nominations with Swift and earned an additional nod for his country hit, “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen.

The big question remains whether Swift will attend the VMAs. If she does make an appearance and secures a win, it might provide her with a significant platform to express her support for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Swift publicly endorsed the vice president just moments after Harris’s recent debate with former president Donald Trump.

If history is any guide, Swift could be taking the stage multiple times. Last year, she dominated the ceremony, bringing home nine VMAs, which increased her total trophy count to an impressive 23. This total puts her just behind Beyoncé, who holds the record with 30 awards, while Madonna follows closely with 20. Lady Gaga stands at 19 awards.

Should Swift win seven awards this year, she would tie Beyoncé’s record, and an eighth win would secure her the title of the most awarded musician in VMAs history.

However, Beyoncé has her own chances of winning, as she is vying for the Song of the Year with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” as well as competing in two social categories.

The VMAs are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, hosted by Megan Thee Stallion. This event marks her debut as an awards show host and she is also set to perform during the show. In recent years, the hosting duties have been held by Nicki Minaj, who emceed solo in 2023 and partnered with Lil Wayne and Jack Harlow in 2022.

This year, Katy Perry will receive the Video Vanguard Award, a prestigious honor given to artists who have made significant contributions to the music industry. Perry is also set to perform at the event. Notable past recipients of this award include Shakira, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, and Missy Elliott.

In addition to Perry, a star-studded lineup of performers is on the slate for the night. Eminem will kick off the show, and other performers include Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Megan Thee Stallion, Chappell Roan, GloRilla, Halsey, Lenny Kravitz, LISA, Rauw Alejandro, Karol G, LL COOL J, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, and Anitta, who will collaborate with Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, and Tiago PZK during her performance.

The excitement around the VMAs extends beyond the live ceremony, as fans can catch the event airing on MTV. The awards show will also be simulcast across various networks such as BET, BET Her, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV2, Nick at Nite, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land, VH1, and even in Spanish on Univision.