Since 1984, MTV’s Video Music Awards have been a global phenomenon— and 2025 has been no different. Hundreds of different artists who made leaps and bounds in the music industry were recognized on September 7th, live during the VMAs. Prior to the ceremony, The public votes for their favorite nominee in each category— in other words, the artist that they think deserves to win. Whichever artist receives the most votes in a certain category wins! Below are some key takeaways from the memorable night.
For the category “Video of the Year,” the fan favorite video of 2025 is highlighted. Arianna Grande won with Brighter Days Ahead from her renowned album Eternal Sunshine. Other nominees included Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, The Weeknd and more.
The Next category announced was “Artist of the Year”, which was won by Lady Gaga. This year Gaga released Die with a Smile (with Bruno Mars) and Abracadabra. Abracadabra was meant to assimilate to her iconic 2010’s pop albums like Fame Monster and Born this Way. Other significant artists such as Taylor Swift, the Weeknd and Morgan Wallen were nominated for this category
2025 was a groundbreaking year for pop, with singers like Sabrina Carpenter, Arianna Grande, Lorde, Charli XCX,and Tate McRae producing massive global hits. For this category, there really was no projected and/or clear winner due tot he fact that all of the nominees produced incredible music. Moreover, “Best Pop Artist” is a particularly competitive contest. Sabrina Carpenter was able to secure the title of “Best Pop Artist” 2025. This past year Carpenter released Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe) and Man’s Best Friend. Additionally, Carpenter has been traveling for the majority of 2025 on her Short n’ Sweet global tour.
The “Best New Artist” award stirred up some controversy on platforms like Instagram and Tiktok. A multitude of fans and creators were anxiously anticipating Sombr to take home the trophy. This past year Sombr created waves in the alternative pop space in music. With hits like 12 to 12 or Back to Friends, fans were excited to see what the VMAs would bring for the young artist. Alex Warren, an artist that gained publicity through the Hype House (a content creation group) in 2020, ended up taking home the award. Although Warren has been recording music since 2021, his career took off in 2024 with the release of Ordinary. Warren was able to keep the momentum going with his album You’ll Be Alright, Kid which produced numerous hits counting Before you Leave me, Burning down and Carry you Home. Although Sombr wasn’t able to win “Best New Artist,” he did win “Best Alternitive” with his hit song Back to Friends. Both artists have yielded incredible music and extensive success this past year and it will be exciting to see what comes next for the two.
Other nominees for “Best New Artist” were Lola Young, The Mariás, Gigi Perez and Ella Langley
With over 20 annual awards given out, MTV’s VMA Awards are an awesome opportunity to praise and celebrate artists who have not only released captivating music, but contributed to the music world culture as a whole.
The Grammy Awards, another ceremony to honor musical artists, is right around the corner. On February 2nd 2026, tune in to see your favorite artists get recognized!
