African music continues to dominate the global stage as some of the continent’s biggest stars secured major nominations at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, held on Sunday night into the early hours of Monday, in UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, hosted by LL Cool J and broadcast live on CBS and MTV
The highly anticipated event placed Afrobeats and African pop at the centre of international recognition, with artists from Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana making significant waves.
Nigeria had the strongest representation, with six artists, Asake, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tems, Rema, and Ayra Starr, earning multiple nominations across categories.
Asake led the charge with two nods in the Best Afrobeats category for Active featuring Travis Scott and Get It Right alongside Tems.
Burna Boy followed closely with TaTaTa, also in collaboration with Travis Scott, and Higher in the Video for Good category.
South Africa’s Tyla, still riding the momentum of her global breakthrough, scored nominations in both Best Afrobeats and Best Choreography for her hit Push 2 Start, and Ghanaian singer Moliy also made the list with her remix Shake It To The Max (FLY).
Other notable mentions include Wizkid for Piece Of My Heart featuring Brent Faiyaz, Rema with Baby (Is It a Crime), and Tems, who featured on Asake’s Get It Right.
Nigerian rising star Ayra Starr received recognition for her MTV PUSH Performance of the Year with “Last Heartbreak Song.”
On the red carpet, Nigerian singer Ayra Starr spoke with Billboard’s Kyle Denis about her newly released “Hot Body” music video.
“It was stressful, but I just went to have fun. I feel like I’ve been playing it safe, I’ve been playing it cool for a while, so I just went to do something crazy, and I did it,” she said, reflecting her bold artistic evolution.
This impressive lineup reflects the surging global appeal of Afrobeats, which has moved beyond a niche sound to a dominant force shaping mainstream music.
With winners set to be announced later tonight, many across the continent are already celebrating this historic moment, seeing it as proof that African music has not just arrived, it is here to stay.
