MTV Video Music Awards 2025: All the winners

The award, which has grown in prominence in recent years, highlighted the global impact of African music, with Afrobeats, amapiano and other African styles now a fixture in international music spaces.

Beyond the African category, Lady Gaga was awarded Artist of the Year, extending her long-standing influence on the global pop scene. She also won Best Direction for ‘Abracadabra’.

Ariana Grande secured Video of the Year with ‘brighter days ahead’, while ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ collaboration ‘APT.’ was named Song of the Year. Sabrina Carpenter won Best Pop Artist and Best Pop Video for ‘Manchild’, in addition to Best Visual Effects.

In other categories, Alex Warren was recognised as Best New Artist, Coldplay won Best Rock Video with ‘ALL MY LOVE’, and Shakira led the Best Latin category with ‘Soltera’. LISA’s ‘Born Again’ claimed Best K-Pop, and Megan Moroney’s ‘Am I Okay?’ earned Best Country.

The Weeknd, who continues to dominate global charts, received Best R&B with ‘Timeless’, a collaboration with Playboi Carti, while Canadian artist sombre won Best Alternative with ‘back to friends’.

Below is the full list of winners:

Best Afrobeats

• Tyla – ‘PUSH 2 START’
• Asake & Travis Scott – ‘Active’
• Burna Boy ft. Travis Scott – ‘TaTaTa’
• MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – ‘Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix)’
• Rema – ‘Baby (Is It A Crime)’
• Tems ft. Asake – ‘Get It Right’
• Wizkid ft. Brent Faiyaz – ‘Piece Of My Heart’

Video of the Year

• Ariana Grande – ‘brighter days ahead’
• Billie Eilish – ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’
• Kendrick Lamar – ‘Not Like Us’
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – ‘Die With A Smile’
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – ‘APT.’
• Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Manchild’
• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – ‘Timeless’

Artist of the Year

• Lady Gaga – Interscope Records
• Bad Bunny – Rimas Entertainment
• Beyoncé – Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records
• Kendrick Lamar – pgLang/Interscope Records
• Morgan Wallen – Big Loud Records/Mercury Records
• Taylor Swift – Republic Records
• The Weeknd – XO/Republic Records

Song of the Year

• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – ‘APT.’
• Alex Warren – ‘Ordinary’
• Billie Eilish – ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’
• Doechii – ‘Anxiety’
• Ed Sheeran – ‘Sapphire’
• Gracie Abrams – ‘I Love You, I'm Sorry’
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – ‘Die With A Smile’
• Lorde – ‘What Was That’
• Tate McRae – ‘Sports Car’
• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – ‘Timeless’

Best New Artist

• Alex Warren – Atlantic Records
• Ella Langley – SAWGOD/Columbia Records
• Gigi Perez – Island
• Lola Young – Island
• sombr – SMB Music/Warner Records
• The Marías – Nice Life/Atlantic Records

Best Pop Artist

• Sabrina Carpenter – Island
• Ariana Grande – Republic Records
• Charli xcx – Atlantic Records
• Justin Bieber – Def Jam Recordings
• Lorde – Republic Records
• Miley Cyrus – Columbia Records
• Tate McRae – RCA Records

MTV Push Performance of the Year

• Jan 2025 – KATSEYE – ‘Touch’
• Aug 2024 – Shaboozey – ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’
• Sept 2024 – Ayra Starr – ‘Last Heartbreak Song’
• Oct 2024 – Mark Ambor – ‘Belong Together’
• Nov 2024 – Lay Bankz – ‘Graveyard’
• Dec 2024 – Dasha – ‘Bye Bye Bye’
• Feb 2025 – Jordan Adetunji – ‘KEHLANI’
• Mar 2025 – Leon Thomas – ‘YES IT IS’
• Apr 2025 – Livingston – ‘Shadow’
• May 2025 – Damiano David – ‘Next Summer’
• June 2025 – Gigi Perez – ‘Sailor Song’
• July 2025 – ROLE MODEL – ‘Sally, When The Wine Runs Out’

Best Collaboration

• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – ‘Die With A Smile’
• Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs – ‘Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)’ –
• Kendrick Lamar & SZA – ‘luther’
• Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton – ‘Pour Me A Drink’
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – ‘APT’
• Selena Gomez, benny blanco – ‘Sunset Blvd’

Best Pop

• Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Manchild’
• Alex Warren – ‘Ordinary’
• Ariana Grande – ‘brighter days ahead’
• Ed Sheeran – ‘Sapphire’
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – ‘Die With A Smile’
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – ‘APT.’

Best Hip Hop

• Doechii – ‘Anxiety’
• Drake – ‘NOKIA’
• Eminem ft. Jelly Roll – ‘Somebody Save Me’
• GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red – ‘WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME’
• Kendrick Lamar – ‘Not Like Us’
• LL COOL J ft. Eminem – ‘Murdergram Deux’
• Travis Scott – ‘4X4’

Best R&B

• Mariah Carey – ‘Type Dangerous’
• Chris Brown – ‘Residuals’
• Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs – ‘MUTT (REMIX)’
• PARTYNEXTDOOR – ‘N o C h i l l’
• Summer Walker – ‘Heart Of A Woman’
• SZA – ‘Drive’
• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – ‘Timeless’

Best Alternative

• sombr – ‘back to friends’
• Gigi Perez – ‘Sailor Song’
• Imagine Dragons – ‘Wake Up’
• Lola Young – ‘Messy’
• mgk & Jelly Roll – ‘Lonely Road’
• The Marías – ‘Back To Me’

Best Rock

• Coldplay – ‘ALL MY LOVE’
• Evanescence – ‘Afterlife (From the Netflix Series "Devil May Cry")’
• Green Day – ‘One Eyed Bastard’
• Lenny Kravitz – ‘Honey’
• Linkin Park – ‘The Emptiness Machine’
• Twenty One Pilots – ‘The Contract’              

Best Latin

• Shakira – ‘Soltera’
• Bad Bunny – ‘BAILE INoLVIDABLE’      
• J Balvin – ‘Rio’         
• KAROL G – ‘Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido’         
• Peso Pluma – ‘LA PATRULLA’      
• Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos – ‘Khé?’         

Best K-Pop

• LISA ft. Doja Cat & RAYE – ‘Born Again’       
• aespa – ‘Whiplash’
• JENNIE – ‘like JENNIE’ 
• Jimin – ‘Who’
• JISOO – ‘earthquake’
• Stray Kids – ‘Chk Chk Boom’
• ROSÉ – ‘toxic till the end’    

Best Country

• Megan Moroney – ‘Am I Okay?’    
• Chris Stapleton – ‘Think I'm In Love With You’        
• Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood – ‘I’m Gonna Love You’
• Jelly Roll – ‘Liar’    
• Lainey Wilson – ‘4x4xU’
• Morgan Wallen – Smile’

Best Album

• Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Short n' Sweet’
• Bad Bunny – ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’
• Kendrick Lamar – ‘GNX’
• Lady Gaga – Mayhem’
• Morgan Wallen – ‘I’m The Problem’
• The Weeknd – ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’

Best Longform Video

• Ariana Grande – ‘brighter days ahead’
• Bad Bunny – ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Short Film)’         
• Damiano David – ‘FUNNY little STORIES’   
• Mac Miller – ‘Balloonerism’  
• Miley Cyrus – ‘Something Beautiful’
• The Weeknd – ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’     

Video For Good

• Charli xcx – ‘Guess’ featuring Billie Eilish
• Burna Boy – ‘Higher’               
• Doechii – ‘Anxiety’             
• Eminem ft. Jelly Roll – ‘Somebody Save Me’                      
• Selena Gomez, benny blanco – ‘Younger And Hotter Than Me’
• Zach Hood ft. Sasha Alex Sloan – ‘Sleepwalking’

Best Direction

• Lady Gaga – ‘Abracadabra’
• Ariana Grande – ‘brighter days ahead’
• Charli xcx – ‘Guess’ featuring Billie Eilish
• Kendrick Lamar – ‘Not Like Us’
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – ‘APT’
• Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Manchild’

Best Art Direction

• Lady Gaga – ‘Abracadabra’
• Charli xcx – ‘Guess’ featuring Billie Eilish’
• Kendrick Lamar – ‘Not Like Us’
• Lorde – ‘Man Of The Year’
• Miley Cyrus – ‘End of the World’
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – ‘APT’

Best Cinematography

• Kendrick Lamar – ‘Not Like Us’
• Ariana Grande – ‘brighter days ahead’
• Ed Sheeran – ‘Sapphire’
• Lady Gaga – ‘Abracadabra’
• Miley Cyrus – ‘Easy Lover’
• Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Manchild’ 

Best Editing

• Tate McRae – ‘Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie)’
• Charli xcx – ‘Guess’ featuring Billie Eilish
• Ed Sheeran – ‘Sapphire’
• Kendrick Lamar – ‘Not Like Us’
• Lady Gaga – ‘Abracadabra’
• Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Manchild’

Best Choreography

• Doechii – ‘Anxiety’
• FKA twigs – ‘Eusexua’
• Kendrick Lamar – ‘Not Like Us’
• Lady Gaga – ‘Abracadabra’
• Tyla – ‘PUSH 2 START’
• Zara Larsson – ‘Pretty Ugly’

Best Visual Effects

• Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Manchild’
• Ariana Grande – ‘brighter days ahead’
• Lady Gaga – ‘Abracadabra’
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – ‘APT’
• Tate McRae – ‘Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie)’
• The Weeknd – ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’