Taylor Swift, BTS & More: Who Was Snubbed By The 2018 VMAs?
Today (July 16) the nominations were revealed for the 2018 MTV VMAs. Breakout rapper (and new mother) Cardi B leads the pack with nods in 10 categories including Artist of The Year, Best New Artist and Video Of The Year. Meanwhile, The Carters (as in Beyonce and JAY-Z) landed 8 nominations of their own after taking over The Louvre in their “APESHIT” video. Childish Gambino, Drake and Camila Cabello also received some well-deserved recognition. However, there is no denying that this year snubbed several qualified artists including Taylor Swift, BTS and Becky G.
Although Taylor’s dramatic “Look What You Made Me Do” is in the running for three technical categories, it likely deserved to be up for Video Of The Year. The diva came for a variety of her biggest haters in the release and did so with absolute ease. The end result landed countless headlines and has been viewed more than 925 million times. Another missed opportunity is Dua Lipa’s breakout hit “New Rules.” Shockingly, the mega-viral release is only up for Song Of The Year. This is another one that deserved much more. K-pop legends BTS are totally absent on the list. The septet landed several high-profile appearances at American awards shows last year and made history with “Fake Love.” Boasting brilliant practical effects (so bombastic they look like special effects), gorgeous sets and jaw-dropping choreography, the video should be in the running for multiple awards.
On the topic of streaming giants, we can hardly avoid Becky G. The 21-year-old racked up an incredible 1.2 billion streams on “Mayores” last year and has more than 510 million for “Sin Pijama.” However, she did not even land a nod in the Best Latin category. Surely, one or both of the visuals should be in the running for something. Another pop princess with an impressive videography is Selena Gomez. Although she didn’t have an album out, she rolled out videos for “Bad Liar,” “Fetish,” “Wolves” and most recently “Back To You.” Of the quartet, “Bad Liar” and “Back To You” in particular are both ingenious moments. Surely she should have been recognized in the Best Pop category.
One of the most confusing categories this year is Best Choreography. Here, several acts (including BTS) are criminally under-represented. Both Khalid and Normani’s “Love Lies” and Janelle Monáe’s “PYNK” would have been better fits than several acts currently in the running. The former includes some of the former Fifth Harmony member’s best moves to date, while the latter also delivered iconic imagery. Another artist who should have been in the running is Tinashe. The “Like I Used To” siren easily could have been recognized for either “Faded Love” or “Me So Bad.” Both were intricately choreographed feats. It is impossible to forget Diplo and Mø’s “Get It Right,” where the pair channeled Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. On the topic, why is it not in the running for Best Dance?
Breakout star Hayley Kiyoko is in the running for Best New Artist, but none of her videos are up for awards. “Curious” and the Kehlani-assisted “What I Need” are both highlights from the first half of 2018. Meanwhile, Troye Sivan’s gender-bending and arty “Bloom” also should have been in the running for at least a technical category or two if not Best Pop. Other notable snubs include Christina Aguilera and Demi Lovato’s “Fall In Line” (an iconic meeting of two pop divas), Celine Dion’s “Ashes” (another dance extravaganza), Paramore’s retro output and Christine and The Queens’ memorable “Girlfriend.” Revisit Tay’s very iconic video below!
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EDIT: An earlier version of this post mentioned that BTS’ “Fake Love” video contained special effects. However, the video was actually filmed using practical effects including pyrotechnic explosions and moving set pieces. This only makes the already impressive video more deserving of recognition. I have updated the story to reflect this.
