Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are the latest artists to be announced as performers for MTV’s 2023 Video Music Awards. The duo is set to perform thier new single “Bongos” on stage.
They will be performing alongside previously announced standalone performers Olivia Rodrigo and Nicki Minaj as well as stars Fall Out Boy, Metro Boomin, Peso Pluma, Lil Wayne, Anitta, Doja Cat, Kelsea Ballerini, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Demi Lovato, Karol G, Måneskin and Stray Kids.
For the second year in a row, Minaj will serve as the emcee of the awards show. She will also take the stage for the world premiere performance of her newest single, “Last Time I Saw You.” As for Rodrigo, she first made her VMAs debut in 2021 with her performance of “good 4 u.”
This awards show will also mark the first time Lil Wayne has returned to the VMAs stage in more than a decade. He is set to perform his new single “Kat Food,” which will drop on Friday. Demi Lovato, Måneskin, Stray Kids, Anitta and Doja Cat have all appeared on the MTV stage before. In fact, Måneskin took home Best Alternative last year, and Stray Kids were nominated for Best K-Pop. Last year also saw Anitta make history, becoming the only Brazilian to ever take home an MTV Moon Person. Doja Cat is also an alum on this stage. In 2021, she hosted the VMAs and took home two awards.
As for Karol G, Kelsea Ballerini TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Metro Boomin and Peso Pluma this will mark their first-ever appearances on the stage.
This year, Taylor Swift is leading the nominations pack with a total of eight nods, including Video of the Year, Song of the Year and Artist of the Year. She’s followed closely by SZA with six nominations, which include both Video of the Year and Song of the Year. Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith all have five nominations each.
The 2023 VMAs will air live from New Jersey’s Prudential Center on September 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Fans can vote on the awards’ show categories by visiting vote.mtv.com through September 1st. Voting for Best New Artist will remain active into the show on September 12. Nominations for social categories including Group of the Year and Song of Summer will be announced at a later date.
Check out the full list of VMAs performers below:
Demi Lovato
With 14 “VMA” nominations under her belt, Lovato is an established alum of this awards show. However, this performance will mark her first “VMAs” performance in six years. Scheduled days before the release of her new album, “Revamped,” this time around Lovato has been nominated for two categories: Best Pop and Video for Good.
Karol G
The Colombian global recording artist holds the record for being the first woman to ever debut at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart with a Spanish-language album. She will break from her first-ever stadium tour to compete for her three “VMAs” nominations, which include the coveted Artist of the Year. This will mark Karol G’s first “VMAs” performance.
Måneskin
Last year, Måneskin took home the award for Best Alternative. The Italian rock band is set to perform the world premiere of their upcoming single, “HONEY (ARE YOU COMING?),” which will release September 1. Måneskin has already made “VMAs” history. The four-time nominated group is up for Best Rock this year, marking the first time an Italian act has been nominated two consecutive years in a row for a main category.
Stray Kids
Though Stray Kids did not win their “VMAs” nomination for Best K-Pop in 2022, they will be returning in September for their first-ever “VMAs” performance. This will mark the U.S. premiere of “S-Class,” which comes from their No. 1 album, “5-Star.” They have been nominated once again in the same category.
Lil Wayne
This will mark Lil Wayne’s first VMAs appearance in more than a decade. The five-time Grammy-winning rapper is set to preform his new single, “Kat Food,” live for the very first time. Over the course of his career, Lil Wayne has sold over 120 million records worldwide, securing his legacy as one of the best-selling artists in history. The 14-time VMA nominee will once again compete in the Best Hip-Hop category for the Moon Person, an award he first won in 2008.
Anitta
The global sensation is set to performa a medley of hits from her latest release “Funk Generation: A Favela Love Story.” Last year marked her VMAs debut, where Anitta made history as the only Brazilian to ever take home an MTV Moon Person. She is nominated in the Best Latin category this year.
Doja Cat
In 2021, Doja Cat took the VMAs by storm, winning two awards and hosting the show. This year the Grammy-winning artist will return to perform ahead of her five nominations, including Best Video of the Year and Artist of the Year. She will kick off her first-ever North American tour Ice Spice and Doechii later this year.
Kelsea Ballerini
This year will mark a debut VMAs performance for the multi-platinum country star. Ballerini will perform off her critically-acclaimed EP “Rolling Up The Welcome Mat (For Good).” Ballerini’s performance will also coincide with her 30th birthday.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER
The former MTV PUSH artists will premiere a brand new single during their VMAs debut. Their appearance will also make history as they are the first K-Pop band to cross-genre for an international performance (TOMORROW X TOGETHER will be performing with the Brazilian Anitta). The four-time nominated group has been nominated for Best K-Pop and Push Performance of the Year.
Olivia Rodrigo
Rodrigo first debuted on the VMAs stage in 2021 when she performed her hit “good 4 u.” This time around, she will be performing ahead of the release for her anticipated second album, “GUTS.” The singer-songwriter is up for six VMA Awards including “Video of the Year” and “Song of the Year” for “Vampire” as well as Best Pop and Song of Summer.
Nicki Minaj
For the second year in a row Nicki Minaj will be serving as the emcee of the VMAs. When she isn’t hosting the show, the pop and hip-hop icon will be debuting the world premiere performance of her latest single, “Last Time I Saw You.” Last year, the six-time VMAs winner took home Best Hip Hop and the coveted Video Vanguard Award. This year she’s up for six more awards, including Best Hip Hop, Video of the Year and Artist of the Year.
Fall Out Boy
The first time the rock group appeared on the MTV stage was 2005 with their performance of “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down.” The multi-platinum and three time winners of VMAs have been nominated for Best Visual Effects and Best Alternative for their eighth studio album. They’re currently on their So Much For (Tour) Dust headline tour, which has been expanded to run through February 2024.
Metro Boomin ft. Future, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Swae Lee and NAV
The diamond-certified artist and producer will make his VMAs performance debut this year with two singles: “Superhero (Heroes and Villains)” with Future and “Calling” with A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Swae Lee and NAV. They will appear on stage for the first time ever. The first time nominee is up for four awards this year, including Album of the Year and Best Hip Hop.
Peso Pluma
This year will mark the inaugural performance for the “Ella Baila Sola” singer. Pluma currently boasts the biggest música Mexicana album of all time with “Genesis.” He will compete in three categories during this year’s VMAs, including Best New Artist, Best Latin and Song of the Summer.
Cardi B
Called one of the most influential female rappers of all time by Forbes, Cardi B has been nominated for 29 VMAs so far. She was first nominated in 2018 where she made headlines for faking out the audience and her husband by pretending she was holding her baby daughter (she was actually holding a Moon Man statue). This time around, the four time-winning VMA winner is up for Best Hip Hop and will be preforming “Bongos” with Megan Thee Stallion.
Megan Thee Stallion
When Megan Thee Stallion took the MTV stage in 2019, she made waves. During her first year of being nominated, she performed “Hot Girl Summer” and took home the award for Best Power Anthem. This time around, Stallion is returning to perform “Bongos” alongside fellow rapper Cardi B. With 19 total nominations and two wins to date, she’s up for Best Choreography and Best Art Direction this year.
