2018 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards was held on August 20, 2018 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.[1] The 35th annual award show aired live from the venue for the 12th time, the most of any previous venue in its history. [2] Cardi B led the list of nominees with twelve nominations. Cardi and Childish Gambino were the most awarded of the night with three each.[3][4] Camila Cabello won Video of the Year and Artist of the Year,[5] while Jennifer Lopez became the first Latin artist to receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. This edition of the MTV Video Music Awards saw yet another severe drop in ratings, only achieving a mere 2.2 million viewers on MTV, and only seeing 4.87 million viewers on all of its sister networks.[6]
| 2018 MTV Video Music Awards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | Monday, August 20, 2018 |
| Venue | Radio City Music Hall, (New York City, New York) |
| Country | United States |
| Most awards | Cardi B and Childish Gambino (3 each) |
| Most nominations | Cardi B (12) |
| Website | www |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | MTV, MTV2, VH1, MTV Classic, BET, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo TV, Paramount Network, TV Land & BET Her |
Performances
A This artist performed as part of the Push Artist Stage.
Presenters
Pre-show
- Terrence J – presented Song of Summer and Push Artist of the Year
Main show
- Cardi B – opened the show and introduced Shawn Mendes
- Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish – did a brief comedy routine and presented Best Hip Hop
- G-Eazy and Shay Mitchell – introduced Bazzi on the Push Artist stage
- Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively – presented Best Pop
- Teyana Taylor and Kyle – introduced Logic and Ryan Tedder
- Ken Jeong – announced the top 2 nominees for Best New Artist and explained voting procedures
- Jimmy Fallon – introduced Panic! at the Disco
- Backstreet Boys – presented Song of the Year
- Liam Payne and Shanina Shaik – presented Best Latin
- Shawn Mendes – presented the Video Vanguard Award
- Social House and Karlie Kloss – introduced Ariana Grande
- Keegan-Michael Key and Olivia Munn – presented Artist of the Year
- Millie Bobby Brown – presented Best New Artist
- DJ Khaled – introduced Travis Scott and James Blake
- Gucci Mane – presented Best Collaboration
- Amandla Stenberg, Algee Smith and Sabrina Carpenter – presented Video with a Message
- Rita Ora and Bebe Rexha – introduced Maluma
- Madonna – made a tribute speech about Aretha Franklin and presented Video of the Year
- Lenny Kravitz – introduced Post Malone and 21 Savage
Source:[8]
Winners and nominees
The nominees for most categories were revealed on July 16, 2018, via an IGTV video. Nominees for Song of Summer, however, were announced on August 13, 2018. Cardi B had the most nominations with 12,[2] with The Carters behind with 8, while Childish Gambino and Drake both received 7 nominations each.[9][10] Winners were announced on August 20, 2018, on the Video Music Awards broadcast.[11]
Video of the Year
Camila Cabello (featuring Young Thug) — "Havana"
- The Carters — "Apeshit"
- Childish Gambino — "This Is America"
- Drake — "God's Plan"
- Ariana Grande — "No Tears Left to Cry"
- Bruno Mars (featuring Cardi B) — "Finesse (Remix)"
Song of the Year
Post Malone (featuring 21 Savage) – "Rockstar"
- Camila Cabello (featuring Young Thug) – "Havana"
- Drake – "God's Plan"
- Dua Lipa – "New Rules"
- Bruno Mars (featuring Cardi B) – "Finesse (Remix)"
- Ed Sheeran – "Perfect"
Best Collaboration
Jennifer Lopez (featuring DJ Khaled and Cardi B) – "Dinero"
- The Carters – "Apeshit"
- Logic (featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid) – "1-800-273-8255"
- Bruno Mars (featuring Cardi B) – "Finesse (Remix)"
- N.E.R.D and Rihanna – "Lemon"
- Bebe Rexha (featuring Florida Georgia Line) – "Meant to Be"
Push Artist of the Year
Best Pop
Ariana Grande – "No Tears Left to Cry"
- Camila Cabello (featuring Young Thug) – "Havana"
- Demi Lovato – "Sorry Not Sorry"
- Shawn Mendes – "In My Blood"
- Pink – "What About Us"
- Ed Sheeran – "Perfect"
Best Hip Hop
Nicki Minaj – "Chun-Li"
- Cardi B (featuring 21 Savage) – "Bartier Cardi"
- The Carters – "Apeshit"
- J. Cole – "ATM"
- Drake – "God's Plan"
- Migos (featuring Drake) – "Walk It Talk It"
Best Latin
J Balvin and Willy William – "Mi Gente"
- Daddy Yankee – "Dura"
- Luis Fonsi and Demi Lovato – "Échame la Culpa"
- Jennifer Lopez (featuring DJ Khaled and Cardi B) – "Dinero"
- Maluma – "Felices los 4"
- Shakira (featuring Maluma) – "Chantaje"
Best Dance
Avicii (featuring Rita Ora) – "Lonely Together"
- The Chainsmokers – "Everybody Hates Me"
- David Guetta and Sia – "Flames"
- Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa – "One Kiss"
- Marshmello (featuring Khalid) – "Silence"
- Zedd and Liam Payne – "Get Low"
Video with a Message
Childish Gambino – "This Is America"
- Drake – "God's Plan"
- Dej Loaf and Leon Bridges – "Liberated"
- Logic (featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid) – "1-800-273-8255"
- Janelle Monáe (featuring Grimes) – "Pynk"
- Jessie Reyez – "Gatekeeper"
Best Art Direction
The Carters – "Apeshit" (Art Directors: Jan Houllevigue and the Louvre)
- Childish Gambino – "This Is America" (Art Director: Jason Kisvarday)
- J. Cole – "ATM" (Art Director: Miles Mullin)
- Janelle Monáe – "Make Me Feel" (Art Director: Pepper Nguyen)
- Taylor Swift – "Look What You Made Me Do" (Art Director: Brett Hess)
- SZA – "The Weekend" (Art Directors: SZA and Solange)
Best Choreography
Childish Gambino – "This Is America" (Choreographer: Sherrie Silver)
- Camila Cabello (featuring Young Thug) – "Havana" (Choreographers: Calvit Hodge, Sara Bivens and Galen Hooks)
- The Carters – "Apeshit" (Choreographers: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and JaQuel Knight)
- Dua Lipa – "IDGAF" (Choreographer: Marion Motin)
- Bruno Mars (featuring Cardi B) – "Finesse (Remix)" (Choreographers: Phil Tayag and Bruno Mars)
- Justin Timberlake – "Filthy" (Choreographers: Marty Kudelka, AJ Harpold, Tracey Phillips and Ivan Koumaev)
Best Cinematography
The Carters – "Apeshit" (Director of Photography: Benoît Debie)
- Alessia Cara – "Growing Pains" (Director of Photography: Pau Castejón)
- Childish Gambino – "This Is America" (Director of Photography: Larkin Seiple)
- Eminem (featuring Ed Sheeran) – "River" (Directors of Photography: Frank Mobilio and Patrick Meller)
- Ariana Grande – "No Tears Left to Cry" (Director of Photography: Scott Cunningham)
- Shawn Mendes – "In My Blood" (Director of Photography: Jonathan Sela)
Best Direction
Childish Gambino – "This Is America" (Director: Hiro Murai)
- The Carters – "Apeshit" (Director: Ricky Saix)
- Drake – "God's Plan" (Director: Karena Evans)
- Shawn Mendes – "In My Blood" (Director: Jay Martin)
- Ed Sheeran – "Perfect" (Director: Jason Koenig)
- Justin Timberlake (featuring Chris Stapleton) – "Say Something" (Director: Arturo Perez Jr.)
Best Editing
N.E.R.D and Rihanna – "Lemon" (Editor: Taylor Ward)
- The Carters – "Apeshit" (Editors: Taylor Ward and Sam Ostrove)
- Childish Gambino – "This Is America" (Editor: Ernie Gilbert)
- Bruno Mars (featuring Cardi B) – "Finesse (Remix)" (Editor: Jacquelyn London)
- Janelle Monáe – "Make Me Feel" (Editor: Deji Laray)
- Taylor Swift – "Look What You Made Me Do" (Editor: Chancler Haynes for Cosmo)
Best Visual Effects
Kendrick Lamar and SZA – "All the Stars" (Visual Effects: Loris Paillier at BUF Paris)
- Avicii (featuring Rita Ora) – "Lonely Together" (Visual Effects: KPP)
- Eminem (featuring Beyoncé) – "Walk on Water" (Visual Effects: Rich Lee for Drive Studios)
- Ariana Grande – "No Tears Left to Cry" (Visual Effects: Vidal and Loris Paillier at BUF Paris)
- Maroon 5 – "Wait" (Visual Effects: Timber)
- Taylor Swift – "Look What You Made Me Do" (Visual Effects: Ingenuity Studios)
Song of Summer
Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin – "I Like It"
- DJ Khaled (featuring Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper and Quavo) – "No Brainer"
- Drake – "In My Feelings"
- Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa – "One Kiss"
- Juice Wrld – "Lucid Dreams"
- Ella Mai – "Boo'd Up"
- Post Malone – "Better Now"
- Maroon 5 (featuring Cardi B) – "Girls Like You"
Artists with multiple wins and nominations
| Wins | Artist |
|---|---|
| 3 | Childish Gambino |
| Cardi B | |
| 2 | Camila Cabello |
| The Carters | |
| Jennifer Lopez |
| Nominations | Artist |
|---|---|
| 13 | Cardi B |
| 8 | The Carters |
| 7 | Childish Gambino |
| Drake | |
| 6 | Bruno Mars |
| 5 | Ariana Grande |
| Camila Cabello | |
| 4 | Ed Sheeran |
| Khalid | |
| Young Thug | |
| 3 | Dua Lipa |
| Alessia Cara | |
| Janelle Monáe | |
| Shawn Mendes | |
| SZA | |
| Taylor Swift | |
| 2 | Post Malone |
| Chloe x Halle | |
| Hayley Kiyoko | |
| Jennifer Lopez | |
| DJ Khaled | |
| Logic | |
| N.E.R.D | |
| Rihanna | |
| Jessie Reyez | |
| Demi Lovato | |
| 21 Savage | |
| J. Cole | |
| Eminem | |
| Maluma | |
| Avicii | |
| Rita Ora | |
| Calvin Harris | |
| Justin Timberlake | |
| Maroon 5 |
Critical reception
Entertainment Weekly's writer Darren Franich gave the show a B– and said, "MTV's tagline for the 2018 Video Music Awards was 'Everything might happen.' Hey, they said might. The 35th VMAs had some fiery performances, but the show never quite sparked [...] This was a reasonably satisfying awards show, not the boring trainwreck some VMAs have been, not the exciting trainwreck supernova some VMAs dare to be."[13] For Variety, Daniel D'addario said, "There was a time when the VMAs were a change-of-season status report on pop: As MTV’s target audience heads back to school and those slightly outside that audience get ready to turn their mind to graver things, the pop world had historically united to put on a show that could carry viewers into the fall." and unfavorably compared it to the 2013 show line up.[14] In Billboard, Leila Cobo wrote, "although this year's awards haven't escaped criticism, it hasn't been for lack of Latin power," noting that "Maluma, Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez and Camila Cabello (finally) put Latin music center stage at VMAs."[15]
See also
References
- Hosken, Patrick (April 17, 2018). "Get Ready: The 2018 VMAs Are Officially Invading New York City". MTV News. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
- Schulman, Alissa (August 15, 2018). "Everything You Need To Know About The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards". MTV News. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- Mesfin Fekadu (August 20, 2018). "MTV VMAs to feature Cardi B, J. Lo and Aretha tribute". Associated Press. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- "MTV VMAs: Madonna tribute to Aretha Franklin proves divisive as Camila Cabello wins big". Guardian. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- https://variety.com/2018/music/news/2018-vma-winners-list-mtv-video-music-awards-1202910437/
- Porter, Rick (August 21, 2018). "TV Ratings: Video Music Awards Hit All-Time Low on MTV". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- Roth, Madeline (August 14, 2018). "Backstreet Boys, Bazzi, And Bryce Vine Will Make the VMA Pre-Show Larger Than Life". MTV News. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- https://ew.com/music/2018/08/13/mtv-vmas-2018-presenters/
- "Cardi B & The Carters Lead 2018 MTV Video Music Awards Nominations". Billboard. July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- "MTV announces 2018 "vmas" nominations". MTV Press. July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- "VMAs: Camila Cabello Wins Video of the Year for "Havana"; Complete List of Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- Lewis, Hilary (July 31, 2018). "VMAs: Jennifer Lopez to Receive Video Vanguard Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- Franich, Darren (August 21, 2018). "MTV's shiny VMAs was heavy on glitz, light on soul: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- D'addario, Daniel (August 21, 2018). "TV Review: MTV's Video Music Awards Were Low on Star Power". Variety. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- Cobo, Leila (August 21, 2018). "Maluma, Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez & Camila Cabello (Finally) Put Latin Music Center Stage at VMAs". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2018.