Queer takeover! This year’s VMA noms are gayer than ever
This year's crop of nominees is especially gay.
VMAs? More like VM-gays.
On Tuesday, MTV revealed the nominees for the upcoming 2023 Video Music Awards. You know, that storied award show where Britney and Madonna kissed, Gaga did drag, and Lil Nas X shouted out the gay agenda?
The VMAs certainly have a history of queerness –– if only because gays love getting together and dissecting music videos –– but this year’s crop of nominees is especially gay.
Most notably, no men were nominated for the coveted Video of the Year award, which features some stiff competition: “Attention” by Doja Cat, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “Super Freaky Girl” by Nicki Minaj, “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Kill Bill” by SZA, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, and “Unholy” by Sam Smith (who identifies as non-binary) and Kim Petras.
This year’s VMAs are set for Tuesday, September 12 at 8 PM ET/PT at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. Check out some of the nominated LGBTQ+ artists repping the fam below.
Sam Smith & Kim Petras
“Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras has been inescapable over the past year, so it’s only fitting that their naughty little bop is well represented. In addition to Video of the Year, the A Clockwork Orange-inspired visual (which features cameos from Gottmik and Violet Chachki) is up for Song of the Year, Best Direction, Best Visual Effects, and Best Choreography. The five nods also make Ms. Petras a first-time VMA nominee. Woo-ah!
Demi Lovato
“SWINE” by Demi Lovato may not have been the Artpop cover song you were expecting, but the rocking protest anthem called out the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on its one-year anniversary. The raging visual (featuring a cast of angry queer hotties) is up for Best Pop and Video for Good.
Saucy Santana
We are living in a material world, and Saucy Santana is a MATERIAL GWORL! After making his VMAs debut with a pre-show performance last year, the fabulous rapper has scored his first nom for Push Performance of the Year.
Steve Lacy
“Bad Habit” is a queer yearning anthem, so it’s only fitting that the dreamy viral track (which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100) scored a Song of the Year nod. Although we’re sure the bisexual singer-songwriter knew this was coming –– after all, “You can’t surprise a Gemini.”
Boygenius
Sapphics rise! Earlier this summer, alt-rock trio boygenius (Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker) made headlines for donning drag at a Nashville show as a means of protesting Tennessee’s drag bans. Their epic musical short film (aptly titled “The Film”) earned them two nominations: Best Alternative and Best Direction. As if things couldn’t get any gayer, the visual was directed by Kristen Stewart.
Miley Cyrus
This one is for the plant gays! “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus‘ chart-topping self-love anthem, is a strong contender at this year’s awards with nominations for Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.
Ice Spice
Ice Spice has been everywhere this year –– from Taylor Swift music videos, to the Barbie movie soundtrack. It looks like the bisexual Bronx rapper is about to add VMAs to that list with her first-ever nominations for Best New Artist and Push Performance of the Year.
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe’s visuals have always been sexy, cutting edge, and unabashedly queer. Considering her horny video for “Lipstick Lover” could set a Guinness World Record for the most booty onscreen in 3-minutes or less, its Best Cinematography nomination is well-deserved.
FLETCHER
The lore behind Fletcher’s WLW bop “Becky’s So Hot” had lesbian TikTok in shambles, and it’s also earned the queer pop singer her first-ever VMA nomination for Push Performance of the Year.
Måneskin
Måneskin gave us some much needed male nudity with their bulge-filled performance of “Supermodel” at last year’s VMAs, and it was enough to score the cutting edge (and mostly queer) European rockers another invite. Their somber visual for “THE LONELIEST” is up for Best Rock.
Check out the rest of this year’s nominees, including other LGBTQ+ artists like Dove Cameron and Anitta, and allies like Tay, Bey, and Dua, here.
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