Rihanna, Drake Lead 2012 MTV Video Music Award Nominees

By: Jul. 31, 2012
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MTV has announced the nominees for the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. The awards will be  held in Los Angeles on September 6. 

Since the first "MTV Video Music Awards" aired in 1984, the VMAs instantly earned its reputation for delivering the most popular bands and artists to create the loudest, most influential and at times, the most controversial, annual live celebration of music in the world. No other award show has been responsible for creating more memorable or bigger musical moments in pop culture history than the MTV Video Music Awards. From Madonna, Michael Jackson, Guns N' Roses and Nirvana to Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Beyoncé, an appearance on the VMA stage can forever change the trajectory of an artist's career in one single night.

The 2012 "MTV Video Music Awards" will air across MTV's global network of more than 60 channels reaching more than 600 million households around the world as well as through syndication. In addition, its convergent programming and content will reach the entire interactive community, via MTV's more than 200 digital media properties around the world. Ratings for the 2011 VMAs were up +30% YOY internationally, and the show was one of MTV's top performers in key markets across Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia.

The full list of nominees at the MTV Video Music Awards 2012 is as follows:

Best Pop Video
fun. f/ Janelle Monae - 'We Are Young'
Justin Bieber - 'Boyfriend'
Maroon 5 f/ Wiz Khalifa - 'Payphone'
One Direction - 'What Makes You Beautiful'
Rihanna - 'We Found Love'

Best Rock Video
The Black Keys - 'Lonely Boy'
Coldplay - 'Paradise'
Imagine Dragons - 'It's Time'
Jack White - 'Sixteen Saltines'
Linkin Park - 'Burn It Down'

Best Hip-Hop Video
Childish Gambino - 'Heartbeat'
Drake f/ Lil Wayne - 'HYFR'
Kanye West f/ Pusha T, Big Sean, and 2 Chainz - 'Mercy'
Nicki Minaj f/ 2 Chainz - 'Beez in the Trap'
The Throne - 'Paris'

Best New Artist
Carly Rae Jepsen - 'Call Me Maybe'
Frank Ocean - 'Swim Good'
fun. f/ Janelle Monae - 'We Are Young'
One Direction - 'What Makes You Beautiful'
The Wanted - 'Glad You Came'

Best Female Video
Beyoncé - 'Love on Top'
Katy Perry - 'Part of Me'
Nicki Minaj - 'Starships'
Rihanna - 'We Found Love'
Selena Gomez & The Scene - 'Love You Like a Love Song'

Best Male Video
Chris Brown - 'Turn Up the Music'
Drake f/ Rihanna - 'Take Care'
Frank Ocean - 'Swim Good'
Justin Bieber - 'Boyfriend'
Usher - 'Climax'

Best Electronic Dance Music Video
Avicii - 'Le7els'
Calvin Harris - 'Feels So Close'
Duck Sauce - 'Big Bad Wolf'
Martin Solveig - 'The Night Out'
Skrillex - 'First of the Year (Equinox)'

Best Video with a Message
Demi Lovato - 'Skyscraper'
Gym Class Heroes f/ Ryan Tedder - 'The Fighter'
Kelly Clarkson - 'Dark Side'
K'Naan f/ Nelly Furtado - 'Is Anybody Out There?'
Lil Wayne - 'How to Love'
Rise Against - 'Ballad of Hollis Brown'

Video of the Year
Drake f/ Rihanna - 'Take Care'
Gotye - 'Somebody That I Used to Know'
Katy Perry - 'Wide Awake'
M.I.A. - 'Bad Girls'
Rihanna - 'We Found Love'

Best Art Direction
Drake f/ Rihanna - 'Take Care'
Katy Perry - 'Wide Awake'
Lana Del Rey - 'Born to Die'
Of Monsters & Men - 'Little Talks'
Regina Spektor - 'All the Rowboats'

Best Choreography
Avicii - 'Le7els'
Beyoncé - 'Countdown'
Chris Brown - 'Turn Up the Music'
Jennifer Lopez f/ Pitbull - 'Dance Again'
Rihanna - 'Where Have You Been'

Best Cinematography
Adele - 'Someone Like You'
Coldplay f/ Rihanna - 'Princess of China'
Drake f/ Rihanna - 'Take Care'
Lana Del Rey - 'Born to Die'
M.I.A. - 'Bad Girls'

Best Direction
Coldplay f/ Rihanna - 'Princess of China'
Duck Sauce - 'Big Bad Wolf'
Frank Ocean - 'Swim Good'
M.I.A. - 'Bad Girls'
The Throne - 'Otis'

Best Editing
A$AP Rocky - 'Goldie'
Beyoncé - 'Countdown'
Gotye - 'Somebody That I Used to Know'
Kanye West f/ Pusha T, Big Sean and 2 Chainz - 'Mercy'
The Throne - 'Paris'

Best Visual Effects
David Guetta f/ Nicki Minaj - 'Turn Me On'
Katy Perry - 'Wide Awake'
Linkin Park - 'Burn It Down'
Rihanna - 'Where Have You Been'
Skrillex - 'First of the Year (Equinox)'

About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

 



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