By Neia Balao
4:52am PDT, Aug 28, 2020
What's there to know about some of the biggest names in music right now? More than you'd think! In honor of the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, which are set for Aug. 30, Wonderwall.com is listing off thing you should know about this year's nominees… starting with Billie Eilish. So far, 2020 has proven to be an extremely successful year for the Los Angeles native. At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards back in January, the 18-year-old singer made history when she won in all four major categories: album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best new artist. That evening, she also took home a fifth Grammy, for pop vocal album of the year for "When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" As for the 2020 MTV VMAs, Billie earned nominations in six categories including video of the year and song of the year for "everything i wanted" and best direction for "xanny." Keep reading for more…
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In addition to releasing his seventh studio album, "Bigger Love," in June 2020, John Legend — who earned two VMA nominations (for best quarantine performance and best music video from home) — found out he'll be a father for the third time! In August, the "All Of Me" singer and wife Chrissy Teigen, who already share daughter Luna and son Miles, revealed that they're expecting their third child. They shared the news at the end of John's latest music video for his song "Wild," in which Chrissy appears.
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In late July, Taylor Swift — who's nominated in five VMA categories including video of the year — gave fans an unexpected but much needed quarantine surprise: a new album! July 24 marked the surprise release of Tay's eighth studio album, "folklore," which was written and recorded amidst the coronavirus pandemic. "Before this year I probably would've overthought when to release this music at the 'perfect' time, but the times we're living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed," she wrote on Instagram prior to the album's release. "My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That's the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much ♥️." As of Aug. 23, "folklore" had been in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart for its fourth week.
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In February 2020, Justin Bieber broke a major record set by Elvis Presley 59 years earlier. Following the release of his fifth studio album, "Changes," Justin — who was just shy of his 26th birthday — broke the U.S. chart record for the youngest artist to earn seven No. 1 albums. Elvis's seventh album, "Blue Hawaii," debuted in 1961 when he was 26. "Purpose," "Believe," "Under the Mistletoe" and My World 2.0″ are among Justin's other chart-topping albums. He's nominated for four VMAs including artist of the year.
Believe it or not, before she ever wanted to become a TV actress or a pop star, Ariana Grande wanted to be on Broadway — and she was! The "Sweetener" singer was 15 when she made her Broadway debut as Charlotte in the musical "13," which focuses on navigating adolescence. While she hasn't made her way back to the Broadway stage since, Ariana has frequently covered notable Broadway hits including "Suddenly Seymour" from "Little Shop of Horrors," "The Wizard and I" from "Wicked" and "Still Hurting" from "The Last Five Years." Ari's up for nine VMAs in 2020 including video of the year and song of the year for her Lady Gaga collaboration, "Rain On Me."
Actress, pop star… and makeup mogul?! In 2020, Selena Gomez added beauty line founder to her growing list of accomplishments! The "Lose You to Love Me" singer took to Instagram to announce the launch of her new brand, Rare Beauty, which is sold exclusively at Sephora. "I'm SO excited to finally share that @RareBeauty will be launching September 3rd…" she wrote. "I've had so much fun creating everything and can't wait for y'all to try it all! I hope you love it as much as I do!" In a separate post, Selena also shared the brand's intention. "Our mission is to shape conversations around beauty, self-acceptance and mental health," she wrote. "We want to help people get more access to support and services, and help people feel more authentically connected to one another and less alone in the world." Selena's video for "Boyfriend" earned a VMA nomination for best art direction.
Prior to becoming a two-time Grammy winner, Dua Lipa was a model. The English pop star was approached to model when she was younger — an experience she says put her in "a really bad mindset" and in part inspired her track "Blow Ya Mind." She told Harper's Bazaar, "The reason why I thought modeling was a good idea was because I thought I could make loads of friends that could help me in music and that I could really push myself. Obviously, that wasn't the case. I'm really grateful that I did it because it was part of my journey to where I am now, but it also showed me a lot of what I wanted and what made me happy, and it wasn't that at all." Dua's music video, "Don't Start Now," is up for best direction at the VMAs while "Physical" is up for best art direction, best visual effects and best choreography.
Harry Styles — whose "Adore You" video is nominated for best visual effects, best direction and best art direction at the VMAs — broke a record with his latest work. His 2019 sophomore album, "Fine Line," debuted in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 with 478,000 album-equivalent units sold, delivering the biggest debut from a British male artist since Nielsen SoundScan began. "Fine Line," which includes standout singles "Lights Up," "Adore You, "Falling" and "Watermelon Sugar," was also the last No. 1 album of the 2010s and the first No. 1 album of the 2020s.
Where did H.E.R. get her moniker? According to the 23-year-old singer-songwriter, H.E.R. stands for "Having Everything Revealed," which she thought of while dealing with a breakup. "I remember saying I'll never be that girl, I'll never be that girl that falls for the wrong guy. I was constantly criticizing that girl and eventually I found myself being that girl, being her," she told the Los Angeles Times. "You can't avoid heartbreak, you can't avoid a lot of things. You have to go through them in order to become the person you're going to be. So being H.E.R. is just the evolution of being a woman," the "Focus" singer told Now Toronto. At the 2020 MTV VMAs, she's in the running for two Moonmen: best R&B video for "Slide" featuring YG and best video for good for "I Can't Breathe."
The Jonas Brothers are back, and we couldn't be more happy about it. While Nick, Joe and Kevin are up for best pop video for "Sucker" at this year's MTV VMAs, it's not their only major nomination of 2020 — the band of brothers also earned their second ever Grammys nod this year, for best pop duo/group performance for "Sucker." Their first Grammy nomination came 11 years prior for best new artist in 2009.
How did R&B sister-duo Chloe x Halle score their big break? Through a little website called YouTube. After posting a series of music covers, the Atlanta-born sisters were discovered by none other than Beyonce and were subsequently signed to Parkwood Entertainment, her label. Since then, their career has skyrocketed: They released the EP "Sugar Symphony" in 2016 and followed it with the mixtape "The Two of Us" in 2017. In addition to landing starring roles on the series "Grown-ish," they released their debut studio album, "The Kids Are Grown Up," in 2018 (and earned two Grammy nominations) and their second album, "Ungodly Hour," in 2020. Chloe x Halle are up for two VMAs: best R&B video for "Do It" and best quarantine performance for "Do It" from MTV's "Prom-athon."
In addition to being a talented singer-songwriter, Grammy-winning artist Lizzo is also a skilled flutist! The "Truth Hurts" singer started playing as a child and still brings the instrument out today for some live performances. It even has a name: Sasha Flute. The "Like A Girl" hitmaker is up for best R&B video for "Cuz I Love You" at the 2020 MTV VMAs.
Looks like Post Malone, who's nominated for artist of the year, song of the year and best quarantine performance, is recently off the market! The "Sunflower" crooner is reportedly dating Korean rapper and TikTok star MLMA, which stands for "Me Love Me A Lot." In August, MLMA took to Instagram to share a series of photos including one that featured both her and the "Circles" rapper. "All I want is him to be happy and i like to be in love…💖," she captioned the set of pics.
2019 marked the release of Normani's first solo track, "Motivation," and it did not disappoint. The single was co-written by fellow MTV VMA nominee Ariana Grande and certified platinum by the RIAA. It will be featured on Normani's forthcoming debut studio album, which is slated to come out later in 2020. "Motivation," which is nominated for best choreography, was also recognized as one of the best songs of 2019 by multiple music publications.
Another MTV VMA nominee who's blissfully in love? Demi Lovato! The pop star, who's up for best video for good and best visual effects for "I Love Me," got engaged to her boyfriend of just a few months, Max Ehrich, in July. The "Sorry Not Sorry" hitmaker took to Instagram to announce the happy news. "You never pressure me to be anything other than myself. And you make me want to be the best version of myself," she wrote. "I'm honored to accept your hand in marriage. I love you more than a caption could express but I'm ecstatic to start a family and life with you. I love you forever my baby. My partner. Here's to our future!!!! 😩😭❤️🥰😍"
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Lady Gaga scored a whopping nine nominations at the MTV VMAs including artist of the year, video of the year and song of the year for her collaboration with Ariana Grande, "Rain On Me." Gaga — one of the world's bestselling artists — is no stranger to setting exceptional records: She was one of the 10 top-earning musicians of the 2010s thanks to paydays adding up to an estimated $500 million during the decade. Not bad at all, Mother Monster!
How did Megan Thee Stallion go viral? With the help of the beloved Gen Z app TikTok. In 2020, the Houston-raised rapper's song "Savage" went viral on the video-sharing app with the "Savage Challenge," which saw people recreating a choreographed dance to the track. As a result, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The "Hot Girl Summer" hitmaker is nominated for three VMAs: artist of the year as well as song of the year and best hip-hop video for "Savage."
In July 2020, it was reported that Miley Cyrus — whose video for "Mother's Daughter" earned two nominations at the VMAs (for best art direction and best editing) — had expanded her real estate portfolio to include a $5 million home in Hidden Hills, a city and gated community in Los Angeles county that's home to celebs like Gabrielle Union, Drake, The Weeknd and several Kardashian-Jenner family members. The home includes a spa and a lagoon-style pool, a terrace with panoramic views and a home theater complete with a 135-inch screen.
