Taylor Swift leads this year's nominations with 11, closely followed by SZA with eight, while Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and BLACKPINK each tied with six.
Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ single featuring US act Selena Gomez won the Best Afrobeats Award at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) 2023 during a ceremony held at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday morning.
The song bested submissions by fellow Nigerian acts Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, CKay and Ayra Starr, as well as Cameroonian singer Libianca.
In his acceptance speech, Rema praised the global recognition of Afrobeats and paid tribute to Nigerian music legends like Fela Kuti while acknowledging the new generation of Afrobeats artists. Selena Gomez thanked Rema for collaborating with her and Nigerians for their support.
The accolade arrives days after Spotify’s announcement that the song has become the first African artist-led track to cross 1 billion streams on the platform, with its highest streams coming from the US, India, Mexico, Brazil and the UK.
The most heated competition comes in the video of the year category, which is a battle between Doja ("Attention"), Cyrus ("Flowers"), Minaj ("Super Freaky Girl"), Rodrigo ("Vampire"), Sam Smith and Kim Petras ("Unholy"), SZA ("Kill Bill") and Swift ("Anti-Hero").
Taylor Swift; Ice Spice; Nicki Minaj. PHOTO: GETTY
Meanwhile, US singer Taylor Swift emerged as the night’s biggest winner with nine trophies including Artist of the Year, while veteran hip hop artist and producer Diddy received the Global Icon Award.
Below is the full list of winners:
Best Afrobeats
- Ayra Starr – ‘Rush’
- Burna Boy – ‘It’s Plenty’
- Davido ft. Musa Keys – ‘Unavailable’
- Fireboy DML & Asake – ‘Bandana’
- Libianca – ‘People’
- Rema & Selena Gomez – ‘Calm Down’
- Wizkid ft. Ayra Starr – ‘2 Sugar’
Song of the Year
- Miley Cyrus – ‘Flowers’
- Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Vampire’
- Rema & Selena Gomez – ‘Calm Down’
- Sam Smith & Kim Petras – ‘Unholy’
- Steve Lacy – ‘Bad Habit’
- SZA – ‘Kill Bill’
- Taylor Swift – ‘Anti-Hero’
Best Collaboration
- David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – ‘I’m Good (Blue)’
- Post Malone & Doja Cat – ‘I Like You (A Happier Song)’
- Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – ‘Gotta Move On’
- KAROL G & Shakira – ‘TQG’
- Metro Boomin ft. The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Diddy – ‘Creepin’ (Remix)’
- Rema & Selena Gomez – ‘Calm Down’
Video of the Year
- Doja Cat – ‘Attention’
- Miley Cyrus – ‘Flowers’
- Nicki Minaj – ‘Super Freaky Girl’
- Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Vampire’
- Sam Smith & Kim Petras – ‘Unholy’
- SZA – ‘Kill Bill’
- Taylor Swift – ‘Anti-Hero’
Artist of the Year
- Beyoncé
- Doja Cat
- Karol G
- Nicki Minaj
- Shakira
- Taylor Swift
Best New Artist
- GloRilla
- Ice Spice
- Kaliii
- Peso Pluma
- PinkPantheress
- Reneé Rapp
Push Performance of the Year
- August 2022: Saucy Santana – ‘Booty’
- September 2022: Stephen Sanchez – ‘Until I Found You’
- October 2022: JVKE – ‘golden hour’
- November 2022: Flo Milli – ‘Conceited’
- December 2022: Reneé Rapp – ‘Colorado’
- January 2023: Sam Ryder – ‘All The Way Over’
- February 2023: Armani White – ‘GOATED’
- March 2023: Fletcher – ‘Becky’s So Hot’
- April 2023: Tomorrow X Together – ‘Sugar Rush Ride’
- May 2023: Ice Spice – ‘Princess Diana’
- June 2023: FLO – ‘Losing You’
- July 2023: Lauren Spencer Smith – ‘That Part’
Best Pop
- Demi Lovato – ‘Swine’
- Dua Lipa – ‘Dance the Night’
- Ed Sheeran – ‘Eyes Closed’
- Miley Cyrus – ‘Flowers’
- Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Vampire’
- P!NK – ‘Trustfall’
- Taylor Swift – ‘Anti-Hero’
Best Hip Hop
- Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – ‘Gotta Move On’
- DJ Khaled ft. Drake & Lil Baby – ‘STAYING ALIVE’
- GloRilla & Cardi B – ‘Tomorrow 2’
- Lil Uzi Vert – ‘Just Wanna Rock’
- Lil Wayne ft. Swizz Beatz & DMX – ‘Kant Nobody’
- Metro Boomin ft. Future – ‘Superhero (Heroes and Villains)’
- Nicki Minaj – ‘Super Freaky Girl’
Best Rock
- Foo Fighters – ‘The Teacher’
- Linkin Park – ‘Lost (Original Version)’
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – ‘Tippa My Tongue’
- Måneskin – ‘The Loneliest’
- Metallica – ‘Lux Æterna’
- Muse – ‘You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween’
Best Alternative
- Blink-182 – ‘Edging’
- Boygenius – ‘The Film’
- Fall Out Boy – ‘Hold Me Like a Grudge’
- Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – ‘Candy Necklace’
- Paramore – ‘This Is Why’
- Thirty Seconds To Mars – ‘Stuck’
Best Latin
- Anitta – ‘Funk Rave’
- Bad Bunny – ‘Where She Goes’
- Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma – ‘Ella Baila Sola’
- Grupo Frontera & Bad Bunny – ‘un x100to’
- Karol G & Shakira – ‘TQG’
- Rosalía – ‘Despechá’
- Shakira – ‘Acróstico’
Best R&B
- Alicia Keys ft. Lucky Daye – ‘Stay’
- Chlöe ft. Chris Brown – ‘How Does It Feel’
- Metro Boomin ft. The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Diddy – ‘Creepin’ (Remix)’
- SZA – ‘Shirt’
- Toosii – ‘Favorite Song’
- Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj – ‘Love In The Way’
Best K-Pop
- Aespa – ‘Girls’
- Blackpink – ‘Pink Venom’
- Fiffty Fifty – ‘Cupid’
- Seventeen – ‘Super’
- Stray Kids – ‘S-Class’
- Tomorrow X Together – ‘Sugar Rush Ride’
Video for Good
- Alicia Keys – ‘If I Ain’t Got You (Orchestral)’
- Bad Bunny – ‘El Apagón – Aquí Vive Gente’
- Demi Lovato – ‘Swine’
- Dove Cameron – ‘Breakfast’
- Imagine Dragons – ‘Crushed’
- Maluma – ‘La Reina’
Best Cinematography
- Adele – ‘I Drink Wine’
- Ed Sheeran – ‘Eyes Closed’
- Janelle Monae – ‘Lipstick Lover’
- Kendrick Lamar – ‘Count Me Out’
- Miley Cyrus – ‘Flowers’
- Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Vampire’
- Taylor Swift – ‘Anti-Hero’
Best Direction
- Doja Cat – ‘Attention’
- Drake – ‘Falling Back’
- Kendrick Lamar – ‘Count Me Out’
- Megan Thee Stallion – ‘Her’
- Sam Smith & Kim Petras – ‘Unholy’
- SZA – ‘Kill Bill’
- Taylor Swift – ‘Anti-Hero’
Best Art Direction
- Boygenius – ‘The Film’
- Blackpink – ‘Pink Venom’
- Doja Cat – ‘Attention’
- Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – ‘Candy Necklace’
- Megan Thee Stallion – ‘Her’
- SZA – ‘Shirt’
Best Visual Effects
- Fall Out Boy – ‘Love From the Other Side’
- Harry Styles – ‘Music for a Sushi Restaurant’
- Melanie Martinez – ‘Void’
- Nicki Minaj – ‘Super Freaky Girl’
- Sam Smith & Kim Petras – ‘Unholy’
- Taylor Swift – ‘Anti-Hero’
Best Choreography
- Blackpink – ‘Pink Venom’
- Dua Lipa – ‘Dance the Night’
- Jonas Brothers – ‘Waffle House’
- Megan Thee Stallion – ‘Her’
- Panic! at the Disco – ‘Middle of a Breakup’
- Sam Smith & Kim Petras – ‘Unholy’
Best Editing
- Blackpink – ‘Pink Venom’
- Kendrick Lamar – ‘Rich Spirit’
- Miley Cyrus – ‘River’
- Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Vampire’
- SZA – ‘Kill Bill’
- Taylor Swift – ‘Anti-Hero’