Justin Bieber leads all nominees for the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards.
The singer, who is currently at the top of the U.S. pop charts with Stay, has landed seven nods, including Artist of the Year — one more than Megan Thee Stallion.
Billie Eilish, BTS, Doja Cat, Drake, Giveon, Lil Nas X, and Olivia Rodrigo have each scored five mentions.
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s WAP will compete for the night’s top prize, Video of the Year, along with Popstar by DJ Khaled featuring Drake, Kiss Me More by Doja Cat featuring SZA, Ed Sheeran’s Bad Habits, Lil Nas X’s Montero (Call Me By Your Name), and Save Your Tears by The Weeknd.
Meanwhile, Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion are up for Artist of the Year against Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift.
The awards will be handed out on Sept. 12 at the Barclays Center in New York City.
Similarly, popular Nigerian singer, Ibrahim Balogun, better known as Wizkid has hit big, thereby bagging two nominations at a time with his song ‘Brown Skin Girl’ by Beyonce, featuring Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, in the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards.
Billboard reported that the nominations rolled out on Wednesday featured “Brown Skin Girl” in the Best R&B and Best Cinematography categories.
In the Best R&B category, “Brown Skin Girl” is up against “Leave the Door Open” by Bruno Mars, Anderson. Paak and Silk Sonic, “Go Crazy” by Chris Brown and Young Thug, “Heartbreak Anniversary” by Giveon, “Come Through” by H.E.R. ft. Chris Brown and “Good Days” by SZA.
With cinematography by Benoit Soler, “Brown Skin Girl” competes with Rob Witt in “Therefore I Am” by Malik H. Sayeed, Mohammed Atta Ahmed, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant and Billie Eilish and Santiago Gonzalez in Foo Fighters’ “Shame Shame.”
Other nominees for the best cinematography category include Elias Talbot in “Holy” by Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper, Jeff Cronenweth in Lady Gaga’s “911″ and Andrew Stroud in Lorde’s “Solar Power.”
Wizkid and SAINt JHN joined Beyonce in the 2019 record, “Brown Skin Girl” for her 2019 soundtrack album, The Lion King: The Gift.