Madonna surpasses Taylor Swift in MTV nominations

Veteran pop star Madonna has secured the most nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards, four decades after the Material Girl singer put the ceremony on the cultural map with a performance that sparked widespread media controversy.

Madonna received 11 nominations for next month’s MTV Video Music Awards, including a nomination for Video of the Year for “Confessions Part II: The Film” and Artist of the Year, surpassing Taylor Swift, who earned nine nominations. Swift will compete for Video of the Year with “The Fate of Ophelia,” from her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Both singers already hold multiple VMAs. Madonna won her first award in 1986, receiving the Video Vanguard Award in recognition of her pioneering role in shaping the music video format. In 1987, she won Best Female Video for “Papa Don’t Preach,” and has accumulated 20 MTV Video Music Awards throughout her career.

Her performance at the inaugural VMA ceremony in 1984 remains one of the most iconic moments in the event’s history.

This year, Madonna competes against Taylor Swift, who recently concluded the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. Swift shares the record for the most MTV Video Music Awards won by an artist with Beyoncé, each having received 30 awards.

Other nominees this year include Ariana Grande, who won the VMA for Video of the Year last year, and Sabrina Carpenter, both of whom received seven nominations.

Fans can vote online in 13 categories for this year’s awards. The winners will be announced on September 27 during a live broadcast on CBS and MTV, as well as on the Paramount+ platform.