Pop singer Taylor Swift, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, R&B singer Beyoncé and DJ-producer Mark Ronson lead the nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards, the cable network said yesterday.
Swift, whose 1989 was the best-selling album of 2014, earned nine nominations for the awards to be handed out on August 30. Sheeran garnered six nominations, while Beyoncé and Ronson each scored five nods.
Swift’s superhero-themed video for Bad Blood, a collaboration with hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, which also features cameos by more than a dozen other celebrities, will compete for the coveted video of the year award against Beyoncé’s 7/11, Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud, Ronson’s Uptown Funk featuring Bruno Mars and Lamar’s Alright.
Swift also earned nominations for her music video Blank Space in the best female video and best pop video categories.
The awards show, which MTV bills as “music’s most unexpected night”, hands out “Moonman” statuettes for achievements in music videos. Singer Miley Cyrus tweeted on Monday that she would host this year’s awards.