The Spire

Catherine Cox

Staff Writer

The MTV Video Music Awards, also known as the VMAs, has been one of the most popular music award shows over the past few decades. With memorable moments such as Lady Gaga’s meat dress in 2010 and Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic failing to catch his bass after throwing it in the air in 1992, the VMAs have had high cultural significance in countless genres, fan bases, and pop culture within the media.

This year’s VMAs took place on Sep. 27, 2026. I have been a viewer of the award show since before I can remember, and I have to say that I am disappointed even more each year. This year, I was excited for Madonna’s opening performance, as she performed at the first ever MTV VMAs in 1984, as well as Nirvana’s receiving of the Video Vanguard Award to recognize their contributions and legacy in relation to their music videos. However, there were some nominations that made me audibly sigh, as I believe that there are artists who have received very few nominations in their lifetime who deserve to be recognized for the work and the significant contributions they make in the music industry today.

The main categories of “Artist of the Year,” “Album of the Year,” and “Best New Artist” always get me. I think there are many artists who have made a significant impact on the music industry over the past year, such as Charli xcx and Geese, who were not nominated in these categories. As for the “Best New Artist” category, the parameters around who is considered to be the “new artists” in the music industry interests me, as their releases and popularity all vary in many different ways and levels. 

I was relieved to see, though, that Charli xcx was included among the nominees for “Best Pop” for the second single from her latest album, Music, Fashion, Film (2026), “SS26.” Even though this track was most certainly not the best on the record, in my opinion, it does deserve the attention that it is getting with this nomination. Charli’s MFF album was a completely different sound and approach than her last release, the hit album Brat (2024). I am glad to see MFF getting the recognition that it deserves, as I believe that it is some of Charli’s best work to date.

Charli’s nominations continued in two categories that I really care about. Her work was nominated for the “Best Long Form Video” award, as well as for the “Best Art Direction” award, crediting Nicola Scarlino for her work on the “SS26” music video. As someone who has done creative direction work myself, I am always interested in who gets nominated for these categories. I believe that the visual storytelling of the artist’s era is just as important as the music itself, and Charli is a great example of the importance of this. Her work with creative director, Aidan Zamiri, is some of my favorite creative direction projects of the modern music industry era, and deserves all of the attention, and recognition, that it gets.

As for the band Geese, I was feeling torn between feeling glad that their work was being recognized, but then feeling a bit disappointed when I saw who their fellow nominees were. I am in agreement with all of the attention that Geese gets, as I believe they are one of the best rock groups out there right now. Geese is changing the rock scene within the modern music industry, as their experimental work sets them apart from all of the other rock acts out there at the moment. Geese landed the nominations in the categories of “Best Group,” as well as “Best Alternative,” which some of their inspirations had also been nominated for in previous years. Even though they lost the first round of the fan based voting for the “Best Group” category, their recognition in being nominated is still an accomplishment. Geese’s hard work is paying off, and if they are happy with their recognition in their VMA nominations, then I can be, too.

The MTV VMAs have always been an interesting award show to me, as I have been watching it consistently for a long time now. Among my criticisms of the modern state of the award show, the VMAs, no doubt, have had a significant cultural impact on the music industry, musicians from a wide variety of genres and eras, as well as the general pop culture. I am excited to see where the event goes next, and I am interested in seeing the legacy of the award show continue.