Women Artists Dominate 2025 VMAs with Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande Leading the Charge

Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande Shine at 2025 MTV Video Music Awards

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) took place at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Sunday, September 7. The event was a celebration of music, artistry, and innovation, with Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande emerging as the top winners. Their performances and achievements highlighted the night’s significance and set the tone for what many consider one of the most memorable VMAs in recent years.

Lady Gaga secured four awards, making her the most awarded artist of the evening. This brings her career total to 22 wins, placing her third on the all-time VMA leaderboard behind Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, who each have 30 wins. She also became the second artist to win the Artist of the Year award twice, following Taylor Swift, who was the first to achieve this feat when the category was introduced in 2017.

Ariana Grande claimed the highly coveted Video of the Year award for her track "Brighter Days Ahead." This win marked a significant milestone for her, as it was the first time she had won this prestigious award. Additionally, "Brighter Days Ahead" also earned the Best Long-Form Video award, making it only the fourth video to receive this honor in the history of the VMAs. Previous winners include Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection (1991), Beyoncé’s Lemonade (2016), and Taylor Swift’s All Too Well: The Short Film (2022).

Women Dominated the Night

Women made a powerful statement at the 2025 VMAs, winning the majority of the 30 awards presented. Female solo artists or all-female groups took home 22 of the awards, while male solo artists and one all-male group, Coldplay, won six. Two additional awards went to male/female collaborations, including Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars for their hit "Die With a Smile," and ROSÉ and Mars for "APT."

In the genre-specific categories, eight out of the 10 awards went to female artists. Sabrina Carpenter won Best Pop Artist, while Ariana Grande took Best Pop. Doechii won Best Hip-Hop, Mariah Carey won Best R&B, Shakira won Best Latin, LISA featuring Doja Cat & RAYE won Best K-Pop, Tyla won Best Afrobeats, and Megan Moroney won Best Country. Only two genre-specific awards went to male artists: sombr for Best Alternative and Coldplay for Best Rock.

A Night of Firsts and Records

Lady Gaga also won Best Direction for her work on "Abracadabra," which she co-directed with Bethany Vargas and Parris Goebel. This marks the sixth consecutive year that an artist has won in this category for directing or co-directing their own video. Taylor Swift has won four times since 2020 as the sole director of her videos, while Lil Nas X won four years ago for co-directing "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" with Tanu Muino.

Gaga and Mars also won Best Collaboration for "Die With a Smile," marking Gaga’s third win in the category. This ties her with Taylor Swift, who has won the award for collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Zayn, and Post Malone.

Sabrina Carpenter also had a successful night, winning three awards, including Album of the Year for Short n' Sweet. This album also won Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys earlier this year. Other multiple winners included Bruno Mars, Tate McRae, Doechii, and Mariah Carey, each taking home two awards. ROSÉ and Lisa also won two awards, combining their individual wins with BLACKPINK’s Best Group victory.

Notable Moments and Firsts

Alex Warren made history by winning Best New Artist, becoming the first man to take the title since Khalid in 2017. He beat out competitors sombr and The Marías. The final three nominees included Ella Langley, Gigi Perez, and Lola Young, all of whom are considered strong contenders for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

BLACKPINK continued their dominance in the Best Group category, winning for the seventh consecutive year. Since the category was revived in 2019, it has been won by BTS four times, BLACKPINK twice, and SEVENTEEN once.

Mariah Carey made history by winning Best R&B for "Type Dangerous," marking her first VMA win. She also received the Video Vanguard Award, becoming the oldest recipient of the award at 56. She is the first person to receive the award since the Beastie Boys in 1998 without having previously won a single VMA.

Megan Moroney’s "Am I Okay?" was the inaugural winner of Best Country, a category added in its 42nd year. Tate McRae won Song of the Summer for "Just Keep Watching," beating out several high-charting songs, including Alex Warren's "Ordinary" and Morgan Wallen's "What I Want."

A New Era for the VMAs

This year’s VMAs marked a shift in broadcasting, as the event aired on CBS for the first time and was simulcasted on MTV. It was also available for streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S. Despite the changes, the night remained a highlight of the music industry, celebrating both established stars and new talent.

With no artist receiving more than four awards, the VMAs spread the recognition across a wide range of performers, ensuring that the spotlight shone on many deserving artists. While some heavy hitters like The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, and Miley Cyrus were shut out despite multiple nominations, the event still managed to deliver a memorable and impactful night.