The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards are less than a month away, and MTV just announced the first slate of performers for the show. This year there’s a wide range of different musical tastes taking the stage to entertain you and rock out with their socks out. Here’s a list of all of them, but before that let’s do some housekeeping.
When are the 2023 MTV VMA’s?
The 2023 MTV VMA’s air live on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. They’ll take place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. This year, Taylor Swift has the most nominations with eleven, followed by SZA with eight, and Blackpink, Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, and Olivia Rodrigo with six.
Who’s performing at the 2023 MTV VMA’s?
The first five acts were announced back on Aug. 22, but since then the full list of all 30 performers has dropped, including a unique group performance celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. Let’s dive into the stars rocking it out on the VMA stage.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato’s album Holy Fvck came out in August of last year and she’s had a string of hits starting with “Skin of my Teeth.” The album debuted at number 7 on the Billboard charts and became her eighth-consecutive album to debut in the top ten.
This is Lovato’s first time back on the VMA stage since 2017, when she sang “Sorry Not Sorry” at the show. She is a 14-time VMA nominee.
She’s nominated for VMA’s in the Pop Video and Video for Good categories.
Shakira
The Legendary music artist with the truthful hips, Shakira, will also be performing. She’s going to be honored with the coveted Video Vanguard Award. The Vanguard award is the VMA’s version of a lifetime achievement award. Because she’s getting the award, she’ll also be doing the “spotlight” performance of the night. If her recent stint at the Super Bowl Halftime show was any indication, she’s going to pull out all the stops.
For the 2023 ceremony, Shakira was nominated in the Collaboration, Artist, and twice in the Latin Video categories, for a total of four nominations.
Måneskin
Måneskin is one of the more popular new rock bands around. They performed at last year’s ceremony and gained some notoriety for a risque performance where bassist Victoria De Angelis suffered a wardrobe malfunction. Remember when those were a big deal?
They’ll be performing and debuting their brand new single “HONEY (ARE YOU COMING?).” They’re nominated in the Rock Video category.
Stray Kids
Stray Kids are a K-Pop group, and they join the ranks of BTS and BLACKPINK as the only K-Pop groups to ever perform at the ceremony. They are reportedly performing their single “S-Class.”
The group recently released their 3rd album 5 Star, and they’ve gotten wildly popular recently. There are eight members of the group. They are: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N.
The group is nominated for a VMA in the K-Pop category.
Karol G
Karol G, real name Carolina Giraldo Navarro, is a Colombian singer who dabbles in reggaeton, Hip-Hop and Latin trap. She released her first album Unstoppable in 2017 and has been steadily rising in popularity ever since.
She released her first English song “Don’t Be Shy” in 2021 and has had several Number One hits on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. She’s also one of Spotify’s Top 50 Artists Worldwide.
She’s nominated for 3 VMAs in the Collaboration, Artist, and Latin Video categories.
Diddy
Whether you started listening to Sean Combs as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, or just Diddy, the multi-platinum rapper and music producer has been a driving force when it comes to rap and R&B music. Producing music for The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Jennifer Lopez, in addition to his own music, Diddy is a lasting name in the rap game.
That’s why Diddy has been chosen as the 2023 recipient of the Global Icon Award, a newer award adapted from the MTV Europe Music Awards. He’ll join previous recipients the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters.
Diddy is up for 4 awards at the ceremony, two for Best Collaboration, one for Best Hip-Hop, and one for Best R&B. This will also be Diddy’s first appearance on the VMA stage since 2005.
Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion
The two rappers have both graced the VMAs stage separately, but the two will team up on Sept. 12 to debut their new collaboration live. Cardi B released the latest single off her forthcoming album “Bongos” on Sept. 8, featuring Megan Thee Stallion. This marks the second collaboration between the two stars after 2020’s “WAP.”
While the song wasn’t eligible for awards at this year’s ceremony, both performers are in the running for some minor awards. Megan Thee Stallion is up for Best Direction, Best Choreography, and Best Art Direction for her “Her” music video, while Cardi B is up for Best Hip-Hop.
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy has had a tumultuous history since its formation in 2001, yet the group continues to see success after all these years. The group recently completed the first U.S. leg of their So Much for (Tour) Dust tour, and are set to begin their European leg in October. While their song of choice has yet to be announced, one can assume Fall Out Boy will bring their VMA nominated song to life on the stage.
In addition to their Best Alternative Video nomination for “Hold Me Like a Grudge”, they were also nominated for Best Visual Effects on their “Love From the Other Side” video.
Nicki Minaj
Taking on hosting duties for the second year in a row, Nicki Minaj has the special honor of getting to perform twice during the 2023 VMA ceremony. Once to perform her new single “Last Time I Saw You” off her upcoming album Pink Friday 2, and as part of a medley celebrating 50 years of Hip Hop alongside other rap legends such as DMC, Doug E. Fresh, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, LL Cool J, and Lil Wayne.
Minaj added 6 more nominations to her belt this year, including another Artist of the Year and Video of the Year nomination. Her other nominations are for Best Hip-Hop, Best R&B, Best Visual Effects., and Song of the Summer.
Metro Boomin
Metro Boomin is bringing out Swae Lee, Nav, Future, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie to perform two songs during the ceremony: “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)” off of Heroes & Villains, and “Calling” off of Metro Boomin Presents Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse.
On the awards side, Metro Boomin is nominated for 4 VMAs this year: Best Collaboration, Best R&B, Best Hip-Hop, and Album of the Year.
Doja Cat
Doja Cat’s upcoming album Scarlet has already seen massive success, with the single “Paint the Town Red” going viral on TikTok and charting number 1 in multiple countries. Considering her album debuts September 22, it’s safe to guess Doja will be performing the hit during the VMAs.
At the ceremony, Doja Cat is up for 5 VMAs this year: Video of the Year, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Collaboration, and Artist of the Year.
Olivia Rodrigo
Awarded Best New Artist at the 2021 VMAs, Olivia Rodrigo broke out onto the scene with her debut single “drivers license” and hasn’t looked back since. Her second album Guts was released September 8, so we’re expecting a rendition of “Vampire” or “bad idea right?” during the show.
Rodrigo is nominated for 6 VMAs, including Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop, Song of the Summer, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography.
Anitta
The Brazillian singer returns to the VMA stage for the second year in a row, performing a medley of singles from her most recent EP Funk Generation: A Favela Love Story. The three songs announced are “Funk Rave”, “Casi Casi”, and “Used to Be”. She’ll be taking the stage as well, performing with K-Pop group TXT as they debut their new single, “Back for More.”
Anitta is also defending her title this year, as she is nominated again for Best Latin for the “Funk Rave” video. She won this category last year for her video “Envolver”.
Lil Wayne
Just like his fellow Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne has the honor of performing as a group and as a solo artist during the 2023 VMAs. He’ll join the previously mentioned group performing for 50 years of hip-hop, while also taking the stage himself to perform “Kat Food,” his new single that dropped back on September 8.
Lil Wayne is nominated for only one VMA this year, Best Hip-Hop, for his song “Kant Nobody” featuring Swizz Beatz and DMX.
Peso Pluma
Nominated this year for Best New Artist, Peso Pluma broke out in the Latin music scene in 2022, blowing up on TikTok for his song “El Belicón” with Raul Vega. His highly album Génesis topped the Billboard Latin Album charts on its debut, and has continued to see success throughout the summer.
In addition to his Best New Artist nomination, Pluma is also nominated for Best Latin and Song of the Summer. While his setlist has yet to be announced, his collaboration with Yng Lvcas, “La Bebe,” seems like a likely candidate.
Kelsea Ballerini
Performing at the VMAs is definitely one way to celebrate your birthday! The country star turns 30 on September 12, when she is set to take the VMAs stage. She just released an extended version of ther EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat last month, which her single “Blindsided” was released off of. Many are speculating that will be her song of choice during the ceremony.
Pre-Show/Extended Stage Performances
If you’re looking to tune into the show before the show, MTV is hosting a 90 minute pre-show hosted by Saweetie starting at 6:30pm EST, with help from Nessa, Dometi Pongo, and Kevan Kenney. Those lucky enough to tune in will be treated to performances by NLE Choppa and Sabrina Carpenter.
In addition to the main stage performances during the show, three artists have been tapped to play the Extended Stage: Kaliii, Renee Rapp, and The Warning. While MTV hasn’t exactly announced what these performances are, whether they’re in between the big moments on stage or if they’re airing at all during the ceremony, they keep telling fans to tune in during the main show to see the three stars perform.