2020 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA): Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, BTS rule; The Weeknd wins Video of the Year

Erik Anderson August 30, 2020

The Weeknd took home the Video of the Year award at the 2020 MTV Music Video Awards, which were held tonight in New York City. Lady Gaga was the night’s biggest winner with four, including the new Tricon Award with Ariana Grande and BTS winning three each.

This year’s MTV VMAs are taking at the Barclays Center in New York City. It’s the first time the show has hit the iconic Downtown Brooklyn venue since 2013. But this time, the action isn’t contained just to the arena, or even the borough in which it sits.

The 2020 VMAs will be the first event to take place at Barclays Center since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the city. Of course, the virus is still very real, which means an added emphasis and focus on safety. The governor’s announcement came with the note of “limited or no audience.”

Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga lead the 2020 MTV Video Music Award nominations with nine apiece going into tonight’s show, including co-nominations for Video of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Collaboration for “Rain on Me,” the last two they won, followed by Billie Eilish and The Weeknd with six each. Keke Palmer hosted the show.

Lady Gaga was the recipient of the first ever ‘Tricon’ Award, which is the repurposed Video Vanguard Award that was originally named after Michael Jackson, therefore allowing them to not directly address the Michael Jackson situation by supporting him or cancelling him, even after his death 11 years ago.

Two new categories this year speak the current times of life in the era of coronavirus: Best Music Video from home and Best Quarantine Performance. They were won by Justin Bieber & Ariana Grande and CNCO, respectively.

Taylor Swift won for Best Direction for her video “The Man,” in which she plays, yes, the man. In her speech from home she said, “This is amazing! This is the very first video that I’ve ever directed on my own & I’m so grateful for this… I really wanna thank the fans… everything you’ve done for “folklore” this summer I’m blown away… I hope I get to see you soon.” Swift also thanked her director of photography, Rodrigo Prieto, an Academy Award nominee for the film Brokeback Mountain in 2005.

The world needs more superheroes, and we all deserve to see ourselves in them. Chadwick Boseman helped make that happen. Rest in power. pic.twitter.com/d05kkkQR6b
— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2020

“Show producers alongside Barclays Center management have been working closely with state and local officials to implement best practices for everyone involved,” according to a statement. “Among the measures all parties involved have aligned on include extensive social distancing procedures, meaningful capacity limitations and the virtualization of components where possible.”

The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards began by dedicating the show to Chadwick Boseman, the star of Black Panther who died on Friday at 43 due to colon cancer.

“We dedicate tonight’s show to a man whose spirit touched so many,” said VMA host Keke Palmer. “He is a true hero, not just on screen, but in everything he did. His impact lives forever.”

See the full list of winners below.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Billie Eilish – “everything i wanted”
Eminem ft. Juice WRLD – “Godzilla”
Future ft. Drake – “Life Is Good”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
Taylor Swift – “The Man”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights” (WINNER)

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

DaBaby
Justin Bieber
Lady Gaga (WINNER)
Megan Thee Stallion
Post Malone
The Weeknd

SONG OF THE YEAR

Billie Eilish – “everything i wanted”
Doja Cat – “Say So”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me” (WINNER)
Megan Thee Stallion – “Savage”
Post Malone – “Circles”

PUSH BEST NEW ARTIST, Presented by Chime Banking

Doja Cat (WINNER)
Jack Harlow
Lewis Capaldi
Roddy Ricch
Tate McRae
YUNGBLUD

BEST POP

BTS – “On” (WINNER)
Halsey – “You should be sad”
Jonas Brothers – “What a Man Gotta Do”
Justin Bieber ft. Quavo – “Intentions”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
Taylor Swift – “Lover”

BEST HIP-HOP

DaBaby – “BOP”
Eminem ft. Juice WRLD – “Godzilla”
Future ft. Drake – “Life Is Good”
Megan Thee Stallion – “Savage” (WINNER)
Roddy Ricch – “The Box”
Travis Scott – “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM”

BEST ROCK

blink-182 – “Happy Days”
Coldplay – “Orphans” (WINNER)
Evanescence – “Wasted On You”
Fall Out Boy ft. Wyclef Jean – “Dear Future Self (Hands Up)”
Green Day – “Oh Yeah!”
The Killers – “Caution”

BEST LATIN

Anuel AA ft. Daddy Yankee, Ozuna, Karol G & J Balvin – “China”
Bad Bunny – “Yo Perreo Sola”
Black Eyed Peas ft. Ozuna & J. Rey Soul – “MAMACITA”
J Balvin – “Amarillo”
Karol G ft. Nicki Minaj – “Tusa”
Maluma ft. J Balvin – “Qué Pena” (WINNER)

BEST R&B

Alicia Keys – “Underdog”
Chloe x Halle – “Do It”
H.E.R. ft. YG – “Slide”
Khalid ft. Summer Walker – “Eleven”
Lizzo – “Cuz I Love You”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights” (WINNER)

BEST COLLABORATION

Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me” (WINNER)
Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber – “Stuck with U”
Black Eyed Peas ft. J Balvin – “RITMO (Bad Boys For Life)”
Ed Sheeran ft. Khalid – “Beautiful People”
Future ft. Drake – “Life Is Good”
Karol G ft. Nicki Minaj – “Tusa”

BEST K-POP

BTS – “On” (WINNER)
(G)I-DLE – “Oh My God”
EXO – “Obsession”
Monsta X – “SOMEONE’S SOMEONE”
Tomorrow X Together – “9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)”
Red Velvet – “Psycho” – SM Entertainment

BEST GROUP

BTS (WINNER)
5 Seconds of Summer
The 1975
BLACKPINK
Chloe x Halle
CNCO
Little Mix
MONSTA X
Now United
twenty one pilots

BEST ALTERNATIVE

Machine Gun Kelly – “Bloody Valentine” (WINNER)
The 1975 – “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”
All Time Low – “Some Kind Of Disaster”
FINNEAS – “Let’s Fall in Love for the Night”
Lana Del Rey – “Doin’ Time
twenty one pilots – “Level of Concern”

VIDEO FOR GOOD

Anderson .Paak – “Lockdown”
Billie Eilish – “all the good girls go to hell”
Demi Lovato – “I Love Me”
H.E.R. – ”I Can’t Breathe” (WINNER)
Lil Baby – “The Bigger Picture”
Taylor Swift – “The Man” – Republic Records

BEST MUSIC VIDEO FROM HOME

5 Seconds of Summer – “Wildflower”
Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber – “Stuck with U” (WINNER)
blink-182 – “Happy Days”
Drake – “Toosie Slide”
John Legend – “Bigger Love”
twenty one pilots – “Level of Concern”

BEST QUARANTINE PERFORMANCE

Chloe & Halle – “Do It” from MTV’s Prom-athon
CNCO – Unplugged At Home (WINNER)
DJ D-Nice – Club MTV presents #DanceTogether
John Legend – #togetherathome Concert Series
Lady Gaga – “Smile” from One World: Together At Home
Post Malone – Nirvana Tribute

BEST DIRECTION

Billie Eilish – “xanny”
Doja Cat – “Say So”
Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now”
Harry Styles – “Adore You”
Taylor Swift – “The Man”(WINNER)
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

5 Seconds of Summer – “Old Me”
Camila Cabello ft. DaBaby – “My Oh My”
Billie Eilish – “all the good girls go to hell”
Katy Perry – “Harleys In Hawaii”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me” (WINNER)
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”

BEST ART DIRECTION

A$AP Rocky – “Babushka Boi”
Dua Lipa – “Physical”
Harry Styles – “Adore You”
Miley Cyrus – “Mother’s Daughter” (WINNER)
Selena Gomez – “Boyfriend”
Taylor Swift – “Lover”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Billie Eilish – “all the good girls go to hell”
Demi Lovato – “I Love Me”
Dua Lipa – “Physical” (WINNER)
Harry Styles – “Adore You”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
Travis Scott – “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM”

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

BTS – “On” (WINNER)
CNCO & Natti Natasha – “Honey Boo”
DaBaby – “BOP”
Dua Lipa – “Physical”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
Normani – “Motivation”

BEST EDITING

Halsey – “Graveyard”
James Blake – “Can’t Believe the Way We Flow”
Lizzo – “Good As Hell”
Miley Cyrus – “Mother’s Daughter” (WINNER)
ROSALÍA – “A Palé”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”

SONG OF THE SUMMER

BLACKPINK “How You Like That” (WINNER)
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch “Rockstar”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake “Popstar”
Doja Cat – “Say So”
Dua Lipa – “Break My Heart”
Harry Styles –“Watermelon Sugar”
Jack Harlow – “Whats Poppin”
Lil Baby ft. 42 Dugg – “We Paid”
Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyoncé – “Savage (Remix)”
Miley Cyrus – “Midnight Sky”
Pop Smoke ft. 50 Cent & Roddy Ricch – “The Woo”
SAINt JHN – “Roses”
Saweetie – “Tap In”
Taylor Swift – “cardigan”
The Weeknd – “Blinding Lights”

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.