Madonna beats Taylor Swift in the race for MTV VMA-2026: the queen of pop decided to shake things up

Madonna received a record 11 nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards this season, beating Taylor Swift herself with nine. The ceremony will take place on September 27 in Los Angeles, and it will be a real battle of generations — from 1984's «Like a Virgin» to «The Fate of Ophelia» from Swift's latest album.

The Queen returned to the throne

On Tuesday, MTV announced the list of nominees for the 2026 Video Music Awards, and the top line surprised only those who haven’t followed Madonna’s career for a long time, notes xrust. The 67-year-old singer, whom the industry has dubbed «The Queen of Pop» for decades, beat out everyone — including reigning pop superstar Taylor Swift.

Madonna has 11 nominations. Among them are the video of the year for the short film “Confessions II — The Film”, the artist of the year statuette and even the song of the year for the joint track with Sabrina Carpenter “Bring Your Love”. Swift has nine nominations, including the same video of the year, but with the video “The Fate of Ophelia” from her new album “The Life of a Showgirl,” which she released just a couple of weeks after the wedding.

Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter shared third place with seven nominations each.

Why these are not just statistics

At first glance, the difference in two nominations does not look sensational. But if you remember that Madonna began her career before most of the current artists were born, and received her first VMA award in 1986, the plot will play out differently. This is not a nostalgic gesture from the organizers towards the veteran of the scene, but a working competition: Madonna’s video and album actually fell into the same categories as the releases of artists old enough to be her children.

For almost 40 years, Madonna has collected about 19-20 competitive “Moon Men”, plus a separate Video Vanguard award — an analogue of the award for contribution to the development of the industry, which she received first among women back in 1986. Since then, she has been nominated in every decade of the VMA's existence—an almost unique case for a music award.

Wedding dress and naked buckle: how it all began

The story deserves special mention, without which today's plot loses half its meaning. At the very first VMA ceremony in 1984, Madonna took the stage in a wedding dress with a massive belt buckle that said “Boy Toy,” rolled on the floor and sang “Like a Virgin,” a performance that would define what the MTV show would be like for decades to come. The producers of that time, by the way, were horrified — but the audience, on the contrary, was delighted. It is this number that is considered to be the starting point for the very concept of a “scandalous VMA performance,” without which it is difficult to imagine the subsequent antics of Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga.

Taylor Swift has her own trump card — records

Taylor Swift, however, has nothing to be offended by: nine nominations is also a serious claim, especially considering that the album “The Life of a Showgirl” was released quite recently. In addition, in terms of the total number of victories in her career, Swift shares first place in VMA history with Beyoncé — both have 30 statuettes. A victory this season could make one of them the sole record holder.

Don't forget the context: Swift just completed the highest-grossing concert tour in the history of the music industry, so her presence in the Artist of the Year category is more of a formality than an intrigue.

Who else is vying for the statuette

In addition to the main characters of the plot, the following are eligible for prizes:

• Ariana Grande — last year’s winner in the “Video of the Year” category, this season is back in the game with the track “Hate That I Made You Love Me”;
• Sabrina Carpenter — with the “Tears” video, while she is also listed as a co-author of Madonna’s song of the year;
• Bruno Mars — with “I Just Might”;
• Gener8ion — with “Storm”, featuring Yung Lean.

In total, there are six candidates in the “Video of the Year” nomination, and, symbolically, the competition here turned out to be as intergenerational as possible: from debutants to an artist who began her career under Reagan.

Where to vote and when to watch

You can vote for your favorite artists in 13 categories online—votes are accepted until September 25. The ceremony itself will take place on September 27 and will be notable for another reason: the show will return to Los Angeles for the first time in nine years, to the stage of the Peacock Theatre. Broadcast on CBS and MTV, as well as on Paramount+ streaming.

What does this mean for the industry

Madonna’s return to the top of the nomination list is not a musical signal, but a cultural one. In an era when the pop scene is usually measured by streams and viral videos on TikTok, it turns out that betting on an artist with forty years of experience still works — provided that she is ready to experiment and not exploit old hits. “Confessions II” is a full-fledged short film, not just a video, and it is this format, judging by the nominations, that the VMA Academy is now more interested in than the classic three-minute video.

For the Russian audience, the story is also interesting because both artists — Madonna and Taylor Swift — regularly found themselves at the center of media scandals and political statements, which is why their work is perceived ambiguously in Russia. Nevertheless, interest in the VMA ceremony among the Russian-speaking audience traditionally remains — at least as an occasion to observe fashion, nominations and behind-the-scenes stories of the pop industry.

Sources:

variety.com
billboard.com
hollywoodreporter.com

Xrust Madonna beat Taylor Swift in the race for MTV VMA-2026: the queen of pop decided to shake up the old days