Nigerian music stars Burna Boy and Tems have landed a total of three nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, as the American network released its full list of nominees recently.
Burna Boy picked up two nominations for his song “Dai Dai,” a collaboration with Colombian singer Shakira. The track is up for Best Collaboration and Best Latin, two of the night’s marquee categories.
Tems on the other hand earned a nomination in the Best R&B category for “Raindance,” her joint effort with British rapper Dave. She is up against a strong field that includes Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Kehlani, and the duo of Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis.
The recognition adds to a growing list of international honours for both artists, who have built reputations for blending Afrobeats with other global sounds. It also signals that Nigerian musicians are increasingly breaking into award categories beyond genre-specific slots historically reserved for African acts.
This year’s VMAs nominations are led by American pop icon Madonna, who scored 11 nominations, her highest tally yet at the awards. Taylor Swift follows with nine nominations, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter earned seven nominations each. Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress, and Zara Larsson each picked up five nominations.
Shakira, Burna Boy’s collaborator on “Dai Dai,” received three nominations in total, counting a separate nomination for her duet with Brazilian singer Anitta on “Choka Choka” in the Best Latin category. Bruno Mars was named the most-nominated artist of Latino heritage this year, with five nominations spanning Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best R&B, and Best Direction.
Fan voting for the awards opened alongside the nominee announcement and will run until 6pm Eastern Time on September 25, and will cover 13 categories. Voting for Best New Artist will remain open through the live broadcast.
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will hold on September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, airing on CBS with a simulcast on MTV.
