As the festival circuit starts to fizzle out and the scorching summer temps begin feeling a little breezy, that can only mean awards season is nearly upon us. One of the first on the docket is MTV’s Video Music Awards, which just dropped its list of nominations for the 2025 ceremony.
Lady Gaga is up for the most Moon Person awards this year, including major categories like Video of the Year and Artist of the Year for “Abracadabra” and “Die With a Smile.” Other frontrunners this year include Kendrick Lamar with 10 nominations, Rosé with 8, and Ariana Grande with 7. There are even 33 artists (!!!) who have scored their first VMA noms and two new categories, Best Country and Best Pop Artist, have been introduced for the 2025 show, which airs on CBS and MTV on Sunday, September 7.
I don’t have many issues with many of the nominations, but I will point out that there are some key players who are absent from the list. That’s why I’m naming them here instead—y’all are seen and will never be forgotten on this corner of the internet. It’s essential to note that the VMAs’ eligibility period this year ran from June 20, 2024, to June 18, 2025, so I’m only including artists who have been active within that timeframe. So, without further ado, here are the 2025 VMAs snubs that deserved a chance at a Moon Person in these specific categories.
Best New Artist
ROLE MODEL
I won’t lie, I’m pretty pleased with this year’s Best New Artist nominations, from sombr and Gigi Perez to Ella Langley and The Marías (who landed on Cosmopolitan’s best albums list last year). However… Tucker Pillsbury/saintlaurentcowboy/ROLE MODEL is clearly missing. Though he’s up for his first-ever Moon Person this year with “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” in the MTV Push Performance of the Year category, Tucker’s cultural impact deserves more recognition.
His sophomore album, Kansas Anymore, dropped last summer, and its deluxe edition has earned more than 95 million streams since it was released this year. He’s toured with artists like Gracie Abrams and LANY, and seemingly every celebrity under the sun has been his “Sally” during live performances. Reneé Rapp and Olivia Rodrigo wouldn’t hop on stage with just anyone, people!
Best Pop
As an early believer in Main Pop Girl Addison Rae, I am not here for this erasure. Was it delusional for me to expect a VMA nom for pop’s newly minted princess? Not in the slightest. She’s got co-signs from some of the biggest names in pop, from Charli XCX and Olivia Rodrigo to Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga. She naturally oozed star power on the red carpet at last year’s show in an instantly iconic feathered outfit by Miss Claire Sullivan.
Addison’s self-titled debut album dropped on June 6, a few days shy of the VMAs eligibility deadline, and did we mention? It debuted at No. 4 and marked her first entry on the Billboard 200 chart. The fact that Addison didn’t snag a single nomination (especially in the Best Pop category) is egregious, and her army of 34 million Instagram followers and nearly 454 million streams on “Diet Pepsi” would agree.
Best Pop Artist
Lady Gaga
Not to be confused with Best Pop, the Best Pop Artist is a new category that was introduced this year. It’s not that I necessarily disagree with the noms. The list is pretty stacked with VMA vets and rising stars alike (Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Justin Bieber, Lorde, Miley Cyrus, Sabrina Carpenter, and Tate McRae). Still, I couldn’t help but notice one name was fully left out, and that’s Lady Gaga.
Granted, Mother Monster leads the charge with 12 nominations this year for Mayhem and her Bruno Mars collab, “Die With a Smile,” but it begs the question: why omit her from this category, too? Perhaps she doesn’t need another nom, but it feels a little weird that she wasn’t recognized here.
Video of the Year
Doechii
Our Swamp Princess—who tore up the stage with Katy Perry last year—is nominated for four Moon Person trophies at the 2025 ceremony, including Song of the Year, Best Hip-Hop, Video for Good, and Best Choreography. All those nominations are thanks to her viral hit, “Anxiety,” which was noticeably absent from the Video of the Year category. Past winners include Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” Britney Spears’s “Piece of Me,” and Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” and, to me, “Anxiety” has what it takes, too.
I mean, aside from everyone and their mother knowing this song, its visual component is incredible on so many levels. It not only features cameos from Doechii’s twin sisters, but also calls back to the original video where she performed the flow over Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” instrumental. Thankfully, the intricate dance break is already being recognized in the Best Choreography category. So, why wouldn’t this join the ranks for Video of the Year?
Honorable Mention
Kesha
So, I originally wanted to shout out Kesha for the Best Album category for . (PERIOD), but it dropped outside of this year’s eligibility deadline. Released on July 4, it’s her first album as an independent artist under her label, Kesha Records. The move came after a decade-long legal battle with producer Dr. Luke, which took place while she was still bound to a contract under his label following allegations of sexual assault. Now, she’s released a full body of work and produced her ongoing Tits Out Tour on her terms, as a free woman.
While she may not have made the eligibility cutoff, I’d love to see her receive her overdue, well-deserved flowers with the coveted Video Vanguard Award. There’s no word on who’s in the running for the golden Moon Person, let alone if MTV is even honoring an artist with the award this year. However, one thing’s for certain: Kesha’s got nearly 15 years’ worth of hits, and she’s been performing re-produced versions of them on tour, so it’s definitely possible to honor her legacy.
