The nominations for the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards included major awards for artists such as Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Eminem And ArianaGrandeBut like every year, the nominations saw a number of unexpected results, from artists missing out on major nominations to some welcome (and some not so welcome) surprises in certain categories.
Snub – Billie Eilish in … most categories
Oddly enough, VMA favorite Eilish, who regularly receives major nominations at the awards show, was relegated to two categories this year: Video of the Year for “Lunch” and Video for Good for “What Was I Made For?” Her absence from other categories is odd considering she was undoubtedly one of the most popular artists over the past 12 months. One would have imagined her smash hit “Birds of a Feather” or her Oscar-winning “What Was I Made For?” would be up for Song of the Year.
Even stranger, she didn’t receive a nomination for Best Pop despite being up for Video of the Year. Additionally, Eilish didn’t receive any technical nominations, which is pretty bizarre considering the “What Was I Made For?” music video was nominated for a Grammy. And if “Lunch” really was one of the best videos of the year, why is it missing from the entire rest of the list? Head shaking.
Surprise – viewers get a glimpse
The alternative band Bleachers, led by superstar producer and Taylor Swift collaborator Jack Antonoffreceived three nominations, including the prestigious Best Director. This was a welcome surprise, as her video for “Tiny Moves” features amazing choreography from the Emmy-nominated actress and director Margaret Qualleywho is also Antonoff’s wife. The directing nomination is a big deal, as it could mean a possible Grammy nomination for Best Music Video. It’s also nominated for Best Choreography and Best Alternative. Let’s see if Antonoff can win at least one award, perhaps with some help from the devoted Swifties.
Snub – Ariana Grande in Best Pop and Song of the Year
Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” is one of the biggest hits of the year, topping the Billboard Hot 100 thanks in part to its acclaimed, viral music video, so it was a shock that the artist wasn’t nominated in either the Best Pop or Song of the Year categories, especially since the former features artists who didn’t necessarily hit career highs this year. However, Grande is nominated in six categories overall, including Video of the Year and Best Director for “We Can’t Be Friends,” and Best Visual Effects for “The Boy Is Mine.” She also extended her record as the most nominated artist in the Artist of the Year category (five), only missing out in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
Surprise – Benson Boone and Teddy Swims are “alternative”
Like other awards shows, the VMAs have their share of strange genre nomenclature, and this year was no exception. Perhaps the strangest came in the Best Alternative category, where pop stars Benson Boone and Teddy Swims were nominated for their hits “Beautiful Things” and “Lose Control (Live),” respectively.
If it wasn’t in the pop category, Boone would have been a much better fit in the Best Rock category, as the song turns into a rock ballad in the middle, but it’s not remotely alternative. Swims’ case is even stranger, as “Lose Control” is obviously a pop song and has no alternative genre appeal; it’s more of a soul or rock song. The VMAs may have just wanted to nominate the two huge hits without sacrificing a spot in the Best Pop category, but these are odd placements nonetheless.
Snub – Little love for Chappell Roan
One of the biggest breakthroughs of the year (if not the biggest) was pop star Chappell Roan, who took the world by storm with her album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” and her hit single “Good Luck, Babe!” Despite this, Roan’s performance this year was rather disappointing, earning her only nominations for Best New Artist and Push Performance of the Year (also for breakthrough acts).
It’s likely that Roan will win Best New Artist, but even so, it would have been cool to see her in more categories. They could have nominated her for Best Pop, or some technical award like Best Art Direction, Best Choreography, or Best Direction. Plus, “Good Luck, Babe!” would have been a worthy nomination for Song of the Year, and Roan herself had a strong enough year to win Artist of the Year. All in all, the rejections can be interpreted as MTV once again losing touch with reality.
Surprise – Tyla’s “Water” in both R&B and Afrobeats
Can one video represent two genres at once? It seems so, as Tyla’s “Water” was nominated in both the Best R&B and Best Afrobeats categories. The starlet is a genre-bending artist, so it’s no big surprise that she herself is in the running for both. But for the same video? That’s especially baffling considering Tyla had plenty of other videos to choose from, including “Jump,” which enjoyed viral success, as well as “Art” and “Truth or Dare.” It will be interesting to see if this leads to more crossover artists and videos in multiple genres being nominated.
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