It’s been a busy month, what with all the premiere parties and end-of-the-year award show season. But don’t fret — we’ve got you covered on this front, with a curated list of everything you may have missed.
First up, it’s the MTV European Music Awards, where music fans can walk away with prizes thanks to the combined efforts of music fans and artists alike. And the list of nominees is pretty impressive, with Ariana Grande, Frank Ocean, and Cardi B all up for awards.
Then, there’s the Soundclound Music Awards, which recognize the biggest musical performances of the past year. Cardi B took home the award for best rap/hip-hop award, and Travis Scott was named best singer-songwriter. Unfortunately, Post Malone and Lil Nas X were both shut out of the award. Hopefully, they’ll get the recognition they truly deserve in the near future.
MTV Europe Music Awards: The Nominees
As mentioned above, the MTV European Music Awards will be taking place this month, and the nominees were just announced. Here’s a list of the top 11 contenders, in no particular order.
1. Ariana Grande
Grande is one of the biggest names in music today, having had five number-one singles on the Billboard Top 40 chart. And, well, you know exactly what kind of music she puts out. So it’s no surprise she’s nominated for five awards, including video of the year for her hit “7 Rings”. If Grande wins video of the year, she’ll become the first artist to win the award twice.
The pop star performed at the 2019 Met Gala last month, and many consider the evening to be one of the biggest events of the year. Grande has also been nominated for album of the year for her fourth studio album, “Rainbow”. If she wins for that, she’ll become the first artist to win the award for album of the year twice.
2. Cardi B
The rapper Cardi B won the award for best new artist last year, and she’s nominated for a whopping six awards this year. “Bodak Yellow” was the biggest hit of 2018, and it seems as though it wasn’t even close. The track, which features the legendary Beyoncé, has spent 23 weeks atop the Billboard Top 100 chart, and has been certified diamond.
Bardot, Getty, and BTS are some of the many celebrities that have credited the song for changing their lives. Whether you believe that to be true or not, it’s obvious that Cardi B is having a profound impact on the music world. She’s also nominated for song of the year for “Apeshit” with Bruno Mars, and for best rap/hip-hop song for her song “I Like” with Offset from Migos. If Cardi B wins any of these awards, she’ll walk away with the statuette as the year’s biggest winner.
3. Liam Payne
Liam Payne is best known as the son of Cheryl and Liam, but he’s also established himself as a solo artist. His debut album, “Tomorrow Night”, was released in April 2019, and it includes his viral “Legends”, which saw him team up with Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, and more for a song about legendary mobster Frank Sinatra. The album has since earned Payne a spot on the prestigious BRIT Awards 2021 shortlist.
4. Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is one of the most famous bands in the world, and it’s been around for more than 20 years. They’re best known for their massive hit “One More Night”, which spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2019. But, beyond their Billboard history, Maroon 5 is also responsible for some of the most memorable videos of all time. Their most recent video, for their song “Memories”, was nominated for video of the year at the 2020 MTV European Music Awards. If the band wins, they’ll have accumulated an armful of awards by the end of the night.
5. Lizzo
While Maroon 5 were responsible for some of the most memorable videos of all time, Lizzo is responsible for some pretty incredible music. Her debut album, “Cuz I Love You”, was released in September 2019, and it’s already received rave reviews. The album is available to buy now, which you may choose to do if you agree that Lizzo is responsible for some of the most memorable music of the past year. She’s up for album of the year, as well as best pop album and best collaborative album for her work with Island Jungle. And if Lizzo wins album of the year, she’ll become the first solo artist to win the award twice. She’s also up for best pop album, due to her solo work, and for best song for “Black Girl”, which she wrote and performed herself.
6. The Killers
The Killers are one of the world’s biggest bands, and have been around for more than two decades. They’ve released 10 studio albums, and have sold more than 75 million records worldwide. If they were ever to win an award, it might be difficult to believe that they’ve never won anything before. But, in 2019 alone, they’ve received 12 nominations, including album of the year and song of the year. It’s the latter category, for “Walk of Life”, that’s really responsible for the bulk of their nominations. If they win, then they’ll become the first band to win the award for song of the year three years in a row. Sadly, they’ve never won the award for album of the year before, but it’s a feat they’re most certainly worthy of.
7. Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves is one of the hottest up-and-coming artists in music, particularly in country music. Her song “High Horse” was released in May 2019, and it became her first song to go viral, spending more than 43 million views on YouTube. The track is one of the biggest country hits of the year, and it’s attracted a lot of supportive fans, as well as critics. Now, Musgraves is nominated for album of the year, and song of the year for “High Horse”, as well as best country solo performance, for a duet with Dan + Shay, on her song “Mullet”. If Musgraves wins song of the year for “High Horse”, then she’ll become the first country artist to win the award twice. She’s also up for best country album for her own music, and for co-writing “Mullet”. Country artists are especially proud if they can win the award for song of the year, as it usually goes to pop or rock artists. But, with things like YouTube’s new music platform, it’s possible for country artists to break through the mainstream.
8. James Bay
Bay is best known as the lead singer of the English band, “The James Bay Collaboration”, but he’s also established himself as a solo artist. His album, “Painter”, was released in May 2019 to critical acclaim. The album is available to buy now, and it features some of the most iconic artists of all time, including Elton John, Bryan Ferry, and more. It also serves as the soundtrack for the forthcoming film, The Lost City, which Bay is set to star in, and to co-write, with frequent collaborator, Stephen Street. If “Painter” is any indication of what’s to come, then Bay’s solo career is off to an incredible start.