Nigerian Afrobeats stars Burna Boy and Tems have secured nominations at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, with Burna Boy receiving two nods and Tems earning one.
Burna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, is nominated in Best Collaboration alongside Colombian singer Shakira for their FIFA World Cup 2026 official song, “Dai Dai.” The track also earned a nomination in the Best Latin category.
Tems, born Temilade Openiyi, is nominated for Best R&B for her collaboration with British rapper Dave on “Raindance.”
The nominations were announced on Tuesday ahead of the awards ceremony, scheduled for September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Burna Boy and Shakira will compete for Best Collaboration against Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice; French Montana and Max B; Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter; PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson; and Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye.
In the Best Latin category, “Dai Dai” faces songs by Anitta and Shakira, Bad Bunny, Fuerza Regida, Karol G, Rosalía featuring Yahritza y Su Esencia, and Ryan Castro, Kapo and GANGSTA.
Tems’ “Raindance” will compete against releases by Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Kehlani, and Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis.
Madonna leads the overall nominations with 11, followed by Taylor Swift with nine.
Notably, the Best Afrobeats category is absent from this year’s awards. South African singer Tyla won the category in 2025 with “Push 2 Start”, after also winning in 2024 with “Water”. Rema and Selena Gomez won the inaugural Afrobeats award in 2023 for “Calm Down”.
The 2026 MTV VMAs will air live on CBS, with a simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+. Fans can vote in most categories daily until September 25 at 6pm ET.
