Ladies lead the pack with this year's MTV VMA nominations

The MTV VMAs are moving forward with their August 30 air date, and that means it’s time to announce the nominees. Tours have been cancelled, album release dates have been pushed back and music videos are now being filmed on iPhones in isolation, but as MTV is reminding fans this week, there are still some massive hits that came out in the past year and a new crop of artists to get to know. Fans won’t have any trouble recognizing the names of the four artists dominating this year’s list, which is led by Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga, who made it rain on the nominations with an impressive nine nods.The “Rain On Me” duet partners and their high energy empowerment track are up for Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Choreography and Best Collaboration, a category that also includes Grande’s “Stuck With U” duet with Justin Bieber.

I am so grateful and so blessed to have 9 #VMAs nominations this year for my album Chromatica, for Rain On Me, and other performances I’ve given. This is such a difficult time for people all over the world, I really honor how lucky I am to have a day like today. pic.twitter.com/rvNzAnJeMF

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) July 31, 2020

Grande and Bieber’s charity single is also up for Best Music Video From Home, a new category that has been added this year, because #2020. Also new this year is the category Best Quarantine Performance, which includes Lady Gaga (One World: Together At Home), Post Malone (Nirvana Tribute), John Legend (#TogetherAtHome Concert Series), Chloe x Halle (MTV Prom-Athon), CNCO (MTV Unplugged At Home) and DJ D-Nice (Club MTV Presents: #DanceTogether).[video_embed id='1942610']RELATED: These stars put on an unforgettable performance during One World: Together at Home[/video_embed]Gaga has also been nominated for Artist of the Year, a stacked category that has Mother Monster facing off against DaBaby, Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone and The Weeknd. The Toronto artist is tied with Billie Eilish at six nominations for this year’s MVAs. In addition to Artist of the Year, The Weeknd is also up for Video of the Year, Best R&B, Best Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Editing for “Blinding Lights.”The Weeknd isn’t the only Canadian represented on this year’s list of nominees. As mentioned, Bieber has a total of four nominations, while Drake is up for five. The Biebs and Drizzy will face off in the Best Music Video from Home category, which includes Drake’s “Toosie Slide,” a video that gave fans a look at the rapper's massive Toronto-area home. Started from the bottom, now we’re in our own postal code.

Thanks @mtv for the noms

— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) July 30, 2020

As for Eilish, the singer has racked up an impressive six nominations this year thanks largely to her hauntingly beautiful “All I Ever Wanted,” which was inspired by her relationship with her brother and co-writer, Finneas O’Connell. “All I Ever Wanted” is up for Song of the Year and Video of the Year, an especially exciting nomination for Eilish, who directed the video. The video for “xanny,” which was also directed by Eilish, scored a Best Direction nomination, a first for the 18-year-old (Eilish’s “Bad Guy” was previously nominated in this category but the video was directed by Dave Meyers). The singer’s “all good girls go to hell” is also up for Video for Good, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. Eilish’s brother Finneas has also earned his first solo nomination for Best Alternative for his song “Let's Fall in Love for the Night.”Taylor Swift’s videos and singles from her seventh studio album Lover earned four nominations, including Video of the Year and Video for Good for “The Man.” DaBaby, J Balvin and Dua Lipa also earned four nominations this year, while BTS, Post Malone, Future and Megan Thee Stallion are all up for three awards.This year’s VMAs are scheduled to air live from various stages around New York’s five boroughs. In June, New York governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed that the VMAs could shoot in the city with “limited or no audience.” The Barclays Center in Brooklyn will be the main hub for the award show, which has yet to announce a host.The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards will air live on Sunday, August 30 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on broadcast and across streaming platforms. Click here for a full list of this year’s nominees.[video_embed id='2004661']Before you go: Selena Gomez explains why she's been absent on social media[/video_embed]