Nigerian music powerhouses Burna Boy, Tems, Rema, Asake, and Ayra Starr have been nominated for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), affirming the global dominance of Afrobeats.
According to CBS and MTV, organisers of the event, this year’s VMAs will take place on September 7 at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, and will be aired live on CBS.
Afrobeats Takes Centre Stage
Nigerian artists claimed six out of seven nominations in the Best Afrobeats category — a testament to the genre’s global impact. The lone non-Nigerian nominee is South African star Tyla, who joins the list with her viral hit “Push 2 Start”, also nominated for Best Choreography.
The Best Afrobeats category includes:
Asake – “Active” (with Travis Scott) and “Get It Right” (with Tems)
Tems – “Get It Right” (with Asake)
Burna Boy – “TaTaTa” (featuring Travis Scott)
Rema – “Baby Is It A Crime”
Wizkid – “Piece Of My Heart” (featuring Brent Faiyaz)
Tyla – “Push 2 Start”
Multiple Nominations for Nigerian Stars
Burna Boy earned a second nomination in the Video for Good category for his thought-provoking track “Higher.”
Asake scored two Best Afrobeats nominations for collaborations with Tems and Travis Scott.
Ayra Starr received a nomination in the Best Push Performance category for “Last Heartbreak Song” featuring Giveon.
Other nominees in the Push category include:
Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – “Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix)”
Rema – “Baby Is It A Crime”
Wizkid – “Piece Of My Heart” (featuring Brent Faiyaz)
Global Icons Dominate Overall Nominations
Lady Gaga leads the 2025 nominations with 12 nods, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Best Album, bringing her career total to 18 VMA wins.
Bruno Mars follows with 11 nominations, mostly due to his collaborations with Gaga.
Kendrick Lamar rounds out the top tier with 10 nominations.
Celebrating Global Talent and Visual Innovation
The VMAs, now in their over 40-year history, continue to honour the most influential music videos and artists shaping global culture. This year’s awards will spotlight works released between June 20, 2024, and June 18, 2025.
Two new fan-voted categories debut this year:
Best Country
Best Pop Artist
With a strong showing from Nigeria, the 2025 VMAs promise to be a landmark event for African music on the world stage.
