Jack Harlow, Kendrick Lamar and Lil Nas X lead the way with seven nominations each, followed by Doja Cat and Harry Styles with six each. Billie Eilish, Drake, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd are among the other performers up for awards this year.
The metaverse is coming for you.
Do you have any experience going to concerts in the metaverse? According to the most recent MTV Video Music Awards category addition, you probably should. There is no information on whether the award will be accepted virtually, but the Moon Person for “Best Metaverse Performance” at this year’s VMAs will be given out.
The artists nominated are Ariana Grande, Twenty One Pilots, BLACKPINK, BTS, Charli XCX, and Justin Bieber. Yes, your favorite performers have been active in the metaverse.
Each performer gave their metaverse concert their own unique spin. While BLACKPINK’s hyperrealistic avatars brought their “pretty savage” spirit to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUGB) Mobile, Ariana Grande performed a space-themed concert in Fortnite.
BTS performed “Butter” and “Permission to Dance,” two of their English language hits, on a stage in Minecraft while the lads’ boxy avatars attempted to imitate their distinctive dance movements. Twenty One Pilots and Charli XCX choose to perform at Roblox concerts, respectively. Charli XCX’s performance (which was made possible through her collaboration with Samsung) and Justin Bieber both performed on Wave, the virtual entertainment platform.
They’re not the only performers in the metaverse, either. When real, in-person entertainment was suspended due to the epidemic, virtual and metaverse concerts gained popularity. However, virtual performances and online concerts are here to stay, especially as the metaverse grows more integrated into our daily lives.
The VMAs’ recognition of it hints that metaverse performances might possibly take over as a cornerstone of the music business. Only time will tell.
22 gender-neutral categories, including video of the year, artist of the year, best collaboration, and two brand-new categories—best longform video and best metaverse performance—let fans vote for their favorite artists.
The 2022 “VMAs” will return to celebrate the biggest names in music on Sunday, August 28th at 8PM ET/PT live from New Jersey’s famed Prudential Center.
