Stray Kids from South Korea and Colombian artist Karol G will perform at the MTV Video Music Awards for the first time. The programme will air live from the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey, on Tuesday, September 12, at 8 p.m.Maneskin, an Italian rock band, will perform on the concert for the second year in a row. Demi Lovato, an American pop veteran, is scheduled to return to the VMA stage for the first time in six years.
Stray Kids will provide the US broadcast premiere of “S-Class,” which earned them their second VMA nomination for best K-pop in as many years. The group was nominated in the same category for “Maniac” previous year, but lost to Lisa for “Lalisa.” “S- Class” appears on 5-STAR: The 3rd Album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in June, the group’s third No. 1 on that chart in less than 15 months. It came after Stray Kids Mini Albums: Odd and Maxident.
Karol G will perform “Bichota Season” on the VMAS stage. Maana Será Bonito, the singer’s all-Spanish-language album, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March, making her the first woman to do so. Karol G, who is now on her first stadium tour, won three nominations this year, including artist of the year, best Latin, and best collaboration, all for “TQG,” a collaboration with Shakira. Karol G has been nominated for best Latin for the fourth year in a row.
Lovato returns to the VMAs for the first time in six years, only days before the release of her remix album Revamped, which comprises rock renditions of her classic songs, on September 15. In 2012, Lovato performed “Give Your Heart a Break” during the VMAS pre-show. She made her main stage debut with “Cool for the Summer” in 2015, and she returned two years later to perform “Sorry Not Sorry.” The singer, who won best video with a message in 2012 for “Skyscraper,” is up for two awards this year: best pop and video for good, both for “Swine.” Lovato has 14 VMA nominations in her career.
Maneskin will perform the global premiere of their new track “Honey (Are You Coming?),” which will be released on September 1. Last year, the Italian band made their VMAs and American awards show debuts, performing “Supermodel.” They also took home the award for best alternative for “I Wanna Be Your Slave.” This year, the band is nominated for best rock for “The Loneliest,” making them the first Italian artist to be nominated in a main show category two years in a row.
This year’s VMAs are executive produced by Bruce Gillmer and Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic. Barb Bialkowski is the show’s co-executive producer.