BTS, BLACKPINK's Lisa Land Major MTV VMA Nominations

BTS and BLACKPINK's Lisa both landed major nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, one of the four leading pop music award shows in the United States, extending K-pop artists' global run at this year's ceremony.

According to the nominee list MTV released on the 18th, BTS earned two nominations for "SWIM" — Song of the Year and Best K-Pop. In the Song of the Year category, "Golden" by HUNTR/X, the signature track from the animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters," also made the list, underscoring K-pop's strength. The song was performed by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami.

BLACKPINK's Lisa earned four nominations for her solo track "Dream," competing in Best Pop as well as major music-video categories including Best K-Pop, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. BLACKPINK also earned a Best K-Pop nomination for "JUMP."

The strong showing by new K-pop groups also stood out. CORTIS was nominated for Best New Artist and Best K-Pop with "REDRED," while KATSEYE earned nominations for Best Choreography and Best K-Pop with "PINKY UP." LE SSERAFIM's "SPAGHETTI," featuring BTS member J-Hope, secured a Best K-Pop nomination.

As a result, six songs are competing for Best K-Pop this year: BTS's "SWIM," BLACKPINK's "JUMP," Lisa's "Dream," CORTIS's "REDRED," KATSEYE's "PINKY UP" and LE SSERAFIM's "SPAGHETTI."

In the Song of the Year category, K-pop artists again earned nominations a year after BLACKPINK's Rosé became the first K-pop act to win the award with "APT.," a collaboration with Bruno Mars, keeping the genre's chances alive.

Among global pop stars, Madonna led all artists with 11 nominations for "Confessions II – The Film," the most of any act this year. Taylor Swift followed with nine, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each earned seven.

The 2026 VMAs will be held on September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS.