2022 VMA Nominations and Fashion Predictions

August 4, 2022

By Katerina Katakalides

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is known for making history at award ceremonies (in case you didn’t know, she’s the first woman to win Album of the Year at the Grammys THREE times.) Her success isn’t limited to the Grammys, as Taylor has been dominating the VMAs since 2010, when she became the first country musician to win any of these awards. With five nominations this year, Taylor has a strong chance of repeating her Grammy threepeat. If her self-directed video “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” secures the VMA for Video of the Year, then Taylor will become the first woman to win this coveted award three times.

While red carpet appearances have become increasingly rare for Taylor over the past decade, she’s pulled out all the stops to promote her most recent album, Red (Taylor’s Version). With five nominations hanging over her head and the strong likelihood that she will yet again make history, we’re hoping to see Taylor among the sea of attendees. Then we have an even bigger question: what will Taylor Swift wear?

Although most musicians are marked by unique eras that align with their discography, Taylor is truly known as the queen of ever-changing eras. By transitioning from country to pop to folk (with some rock covers and rap sprinkled in) Taylor has been able to try countless looks that align with each era she’s trying to promote. Now that she’s in her "Red (Taylor’s Version)" era, we don’t expect anything less than an effortlessly fun, elegant look that’s, of course, red! We picked a few of our favorite red dresses that Taylor would absolutely rock at the VMAs!

Dove Cameron

Unless you’re a Disney fanatic or someone who grew up watching the Disney Channel, you might think Dove Cameron is just another “up and coming” artist. Honestly, according to the nominations, you wouldn’t be completely wrong- Dove did receive a nomination for Best New Artist! This star, however, has been shining for decades on the silver screen and is now making her way to the radio waves. Dove’s viral hit “Boyfriend” quickly became an anthem for the LGBTQ community and skyrocketed to mainstream popularity. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Dove walk away with her first VMA, but what will she be wearing while it happens?

Doja Cat

Doja Cat skyrocketed to fame during the Tik Tok era of 2020 with her viral hit “Say So.” After being catapulted into the spotlight, Doja Cat began receiving numerous awards and accolades to recognize her unique sound, stellar production, and “must-sing-along” lyrics. At every concert, festival, award show, or red carpet, Doja Cat is there ready to turn heads with her eye-catching fashion. With three VMAs already under her belt, Doja Cat is a strong contender for Video of the Year and could easily walk away with this award for her video for “Woman.” In fact, Doja Cat is tied with Harry Styles for the second most nominations this year, having received six nods each. So, let’s see what we think Doja Cat will wear while hopefully taking home some moonmen!

Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo is easily one of the popular musicians of this upcoming generation. This Grammy-award-winning singer is only 19 years old and has made history multiple times with her debut album, Sour. Now, Olivia is ready to take on the 2022 VMAs after receiving four nominations for Best Pop Video, Best Editing, Best Long Form Video, and the prestigious Video of the Year award. Her well-deserved success in the industry has placed Olivia at numerous award ceremonies and red carpet events, which means we’ve gotten to see a ton of her fun, youthful fashion sense! Will this year’s VMAs be any different?

Adele

Adele is easily one of the most powerful and successful global singers of her generation. This, coupled with her passionate performances and moving songwriting abilities, has propelled her into the spotlight ever since she released her debut album, 19, in 2008. Since then, Adele has sold millions of albums worldwide. So, it’s no surprise that Adele has received two VMA nominations after releasing her fourth studio album, 30. While Adele’s fashion sense is more elegant and modest than other pop stars attending the VMAs, we know that she will look absolutely regal in whichever look she chooses. There are so many styles on Queenly that we can picture Adele wearing, but we decided to narrow it down to just a few that truly capture her sense of style.

GAYLE

GAYLE is one of the newest artists on the music scene who is being honored with not one, but two VMA nominations. The singer/songwriter skyrocketed up the Billboard chart with her viral Tik Tok hit “abcdefu” and is still riding her high! The self-described “emo-alphabet” girl hasn’t made too many red carpet appearances in her new career, but we can only imagine that she’d want to go all out for her first VMA appearance. Let’s bring out our boldest black gowns that we’d love to see on GAYLE!

The MTV Video Music Awards are just around the corner and we can’t wait to see all of the red carpet fashion. While watching the red carpet is always exciting, we also can't wait to see which celebrities walk away with moonmen at the end of the night.

Find out who the official nominees are for all of your favorite categories:

Video of the Year
Doja Cat – “Woman” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Drake ft. Future & Young Thug – “Way 2 Sexy” – OVO/Republic
Ed Sheeran – “Shivers” – Atlantic Records
Harry Styles – “As It Was“ – Columbia Records
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “Industry Baby” – Columbia Records
Olivia Rodrigo – “brutal” – Geffen Records
Taylor Swift – “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” – Republic Records

Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny – Rimas Entertainment
Drake – OVO/Republic
Ed Sheeran – Atlantic Records
Harry Styles – Columbia Records
Jack Harlow – Generation Now / Atlantic Records
Lil Nas X – Columbia Records
Lizzo – Atlantic Records

Song of the Year
Adele – “Easy on Me” – Columbia Records
Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Doja Cat – “Woman” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Elton John & Dua Lipa – “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)” – EMI / Interscope Records
Lizzo – “About Damn Time” – Atlantic Records
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – “Stay” – Columbia Records

Best New Artist
Baby Keem – Columbia Records
Dove Cameron – Disruptor Records / Columbia Records
GAYLE – Atlantic Records / Arthouse Records
Latto – Streamcut / RCA Records
Måneskin – Arista Records
Seventeen – PLEDIS Entertainment/Geffen Records

Push Performance of the Year
September 2021: Griff – “One Night” – Warner Records
October 2021: Remi Wolf – “Sexy Villain” – Island Records
November 2021: Nessa Barrett – “i hope ur miserable until ur dead” – Warner Records
December 2021: SEVENTEEN – “Rock With You” – PLEDIS Entertainment / Geffen Records
January 2021: Mae Muller – “Better Days” – Capitol Records UK
February 2022: GAYLE – “abcdefu” – Atlantic Records / Arthouse Records
March 2022: Sheneesa – “R U That” – Rich Immigrants / Interscope Records
April 2022: Omar Apollo – “Tamagotchi” – Warner Records
May 2022: Wet Leg – “Chaise Longue” – Domino Recording Company
June 2022: Muni Long – “Baby Boo” – Supergiant Records LLC / Def Jam Recording
July 2022: Doechii – “Persuasive” – Top Dog Entertainment / Capitol Records

Drake ft. Future & Young Thug – “Way 2 Sexy” – OVO/Republic
Elton John & Dua Lipa – “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)” – EMI / Interscope Records
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY” – Columbia Records
Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa – “Sweetest Pie” – 300 Entertainment
Post Malone & The Weeknd – “One Right Now” – Mercury Records / Republic Records
ROSALÍA ft. The Weeknd – “LA FAMA” – Columbia Records
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – “STAY” – Columbia Records

Best Pop
Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Doja Cat – “Woman” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Ed Sheeran – “Shivers” – Atlantic Records
Harry Styles – “As It Was” – Columbia Records
Lizzo – “About Damn Time” – Atlantic Records
Olivia Rodrigo – “traitor” – Geffen Records

Best Hip-Hop
Eminem & Snoop Dogg – “From The D 2 The LBC” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
Future ft. Drake, Tems – “WAIT FOR U” – Freebandz / Epic Records
Kendrick Lamar – “N95” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records
Latto – “Big Energy” – Streamcut / RCA Records
Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Baby – “Do We Have A Problem?” – Young Money / Cash Money / Republic Records
Pusha T – “Diet Coke” – G.O.O.D. Music / Def Jam

Best Rock
Foo Fighters – “Love Dies Young” – RCA Records
Jack White – “Taking Me Back” – Third Man Records
Muse – “Won’t Stand Down” – Warner Records
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Black Summer” – Warner Records
Shinedown – “Planet Zero” – Elektra Music Group
Three Days Grace – “So Called Life” – RCA Records

Best Alternative
Avril Lavigne ft. blackbear – “Love It When You Hate Me” – Elektra Music Group / DTA Records
Imagine Dragons x JID – “Enemy” – KIDinaKORNER / Interscope Records
Machine Gun Kelly ft. WILLOW – “emo girl” – Bad Boy / Interscope Records
Måneskin – “I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE” – Arista Records
Panic! At The Disco – “Viva Las Vengeance” – Fueled By Ramen / Elektra Music Group
Twenty One Pilots – “Saturday” – Fueled By Ramen / Elektra Music Group WILLOW, Avril Lavigne ft. Travis Barker – “G R O W” – MSFTSMusic / Roc Nation Records

Best Latin
Anitta – “Envolver” – Warner Records
Bad Bunny – “Tití Me Preguntó” – Rimas Entertainment
Becky G X KAROL G – “MAMIII” – Kemosabe Records / Sony Music Latin / RCA Records
Daddy Yankee – “REMIX” – Republic Records
Farruko – “Pepas” – Sony Music US Latin
J Balvin & Skrillex – “In Da Getto” – Sueños Globales, LLC /Universal Music Latino / Asylum Records UK

Best R&B
Alicia Keys – “City of Gods (Part II)” – AKW
Chlöe – “Have Mercy” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
H.E.R. – “For Anyone” – RCA Records
Normani ft. Cardi B – “Wild Side” – Keep Cool/RCA Records
Summer Walker, SZA & Cardi B – “No Love (Extended Version)” – LVRN / Interscope Records
The Weeknd – “Out Of Time” – XO / Republic Records

Best K-Pop
BTS – “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” – BIGHIT Music / Geffen Records
ITZY – “LOCO” – JYP Entertainment
LISA – “LALISA” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records
SEVENTEEN – “HOT” – PLEDIS Entertainment/Geffen Records
Stray Kids – “MANIAC” – JYP Entertainment
TWICE – “The Feels” – JYP Entertainment

Video for Good
Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records
Latto – “P*ssy” – Streamcut / RCA Records
Lizzo – “About Damn Time” – Atlantic Records
Rina Sawayama – “This Hell” – Dirty Hit
Stromae – ”Fils de joie” – Mosaert Label / The Darkroom / Interscope Records

Best Metaverse Performance
BLACKPINK The Virtual | PUBG – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records
BTS | Minecraft – BIGHIT Music / Geffen Records
Charli XCX | Roblox – Atlantic Records
Justin Bieber – An Interactive Virtual Experience | Wave – Def Jam
Rift Tour ft. Ariana Grande | Fortnite – Republic Records
Twenty One Pilots Concert Experience | Roblox – Fueled By Ramen / Elektra Music Group

Best Long-form Video
Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Foo Fighters – Studio 666 – RCA Records
Kacey Musgraves – star-crossed – Interscope Records / MCA Nashville
Madonna – Madame X – Interscope Records
Olivia Rodrigo – driving home 2 u – Geffen Records
Taylor Swift – “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” – Republic Records

Best Cinematography
Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar – “family ties” – Columbia Records
Camila Cabello ft. Ed Sheeran – “Bam Bam” – Epic Records
Harry Styles – “As It Was” – Columbia Records
Kendrick Lamar – “N95” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records
Normani ft. Cardi B – “Wild Side” – Keep Cool / RCA Records
Taylor Swift – “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” – Republic Records

Best Direction
Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar – “family ties” – Columbia Records
Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Ed Sheeran – “Shivers” – Atlantic Records
Harry Styles – “As It Was” – Columbia Records
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY” – Columbia Records
Taylor Swift – “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” – Republic Records

Best Art Direction
Adele – “Oh My God” – Columbia Records
Doja Cat – “Get Into It (Yuh)” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Drake ft. Future & Young Thug – “Way 2 Sexy” – OVO / Republic Records
Kacey Musgraves – “simple times” – Interscope Records / MCA Nashville
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY” – Columbia Records
Megan Thee Stallion ft. Dua Lipa – “Sweetest Pie” – 300 Entertainment

Best Visual Effects
Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Coldplay X BTS – “My Universe” – Atlantic Records
Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5” – pgLang/Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope Records
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY” – Columbia Records
Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa – “Sweetest Pie” – 300 Entertainment
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – “STAY” – Columbia Records

Best Choreography
BTS – “Permission to Dance” – BIGHIT Music/Geffen Records
Doja Cat – “Woman” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
FKA twigs ft. The Weeknd – “Tears In The Club” – Atlantic Records
Harry Styles – “As It Was” – Columbia Records
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow – “INDUSTRY BABY” – Columbia Records
Normani ft. Cardi B – “Wild Side” – Keep Cool / RCA Records

Best Editing
Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar – “family ties” – Columbia Records
Doja Cat – “Get Into It (Yuh)” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Olivia Rodrigo – “brutal” – Geffen Records
ROSALÍA – “SAOKO” – Columbia Records
Taylor Swift – “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” – Republic Records
The Weeknd – “Take My Breath” – XO / Republic Records

Wow! There are so many deserving artists nominated for the 2022 Video Music Awards. It’s such an honor to simply be nominated, but we think that any of these celebs could easily walk away with one or more moonmen!

Shopping should be a breeze! A queen like you deserves the royal treatment whether she’s buying a new dress online or shopping secondhand. At Queenly, we’ve committed ourselves to promoting sustainable fashion while making it affordable for everyone. Join our community of Queens who have listed outfits in their online closet. It’s as easy as signing up for a free account, snapping some pics, and uploading the details- that’s it!

Sources:
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow & Kendrick Lamar Lead 2022 MTV VMA Nominations: Full List
Nominees for 2022 MTV Video Music Awards