The 2020 VMAs: The 5 Biggest Surprises, Good & Bad

The 2020 Video Music Awards (VMAs) nominations have arrived. And, as fans of the nominees bask in the glory of recognition, there’s nothing left to do but dive into the intricacies of this year’s upcoming award show. Every award season brings with it a slew of “how were they left out?” and “oh wow, they were nominated?” tags with it. And, while some of these questions are purely for internet table talk, sometimes, the nominee lists truly are shocking.

Here are 5 of the biggest surprises from this year’s MTV VMAs Nominee List. 

1. Dua Lipa Lands Zero Nominations

In what is the most shocking result from this year’s nominee list, pop megastar Dua Lipa landed 0 nominations. Dua’s album, “Future Nostalgia” has arguably had the biggest impact on the pop music landscape since its release.

Just recently, the release crossed 2 billion online streams ever since its release in March. To add to that, Dua Lipa has, in the last two weeks, become the only female artist in Spotify history to notch four songs with more than 1 billion streams each. She was also recently shortlisted for the Mercury Prize – a prize that celebrates the best British albums in music, across genres.

Yet, the singer makes no appearance on this year’s VMAs nominee list. With all the criteria in place – eligible release date, chart rankings and massive video views on her recent music videos, her absence from the list is shocking to say the least. She is, however, nominated for three technical awards. ‘Don’t Start Now’ was nominated for Best Direction. While ‘Physical‘ was nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, and Best Choreography.