This will be the second year in a row that the VMAs will have multiple Latin performances.
MTV on Tuesday announced four additions to its lineup of Video Music Awards on August 11th. The Weeknd and Maluma will each appear on the show for the second time. Roddy Ricch and Latin boy band CNCO will each perform for the first time.
BTS, Doja Cat and J Balvin were announced as artists last week. The August 30 show, hosted by Keke Palmer, will be held at several outdoor venues in New York, instead of at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, as originally planned. MTV says the show “will pay homage to New York with outdoor performances around the city.”
The Weeknd performed “Can’t Feel My Face” at the 2015 VMAs. Maluma performed “Felices los 4” on the 2018 show.
This will be the second year in a row that the VMAs will have multiple Latin performances. Last year, J Balvin collaborated with Bad Bunny to perform ‘Qué Pretendes’, and Rosalía collaborated with Ozuna to perform three songs – “A Ningún Hombre,” “Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi” and “Aute Cuture” . ” a strong suggestion that Latin music is becoming a major part of the MTV mix.
The Weeknd has six VMA nominations this year, including Video of the Year and Artist of the Year. Ricch has three, including song of the year and PUSH best new artist. CNCO has two. Maluma has one.
Following the performance of VMA’s The Weeknd from “Can’t Feel My Face” five years ago, the smash received a Grammy nomination for record of the year. The Weeknd is this year a Grammy front-runner in that category for its no. 1 smash “Blinding Lights.”
Ricch, who won Best New Artist at the June 28 BET Awards, has spent 18 weeks competing at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 so far this year. His solo hit “The Box” was on the map for 11 weeks. DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” in which he appears, took seven weeks to the top. Ricch performed ‘The Box’ and ‘High Fashion’ at the BET Awards, and collaborated with DaBaby to perform ‘Rockstar’.
Ricch aims to become the third artist to win best new artist at both the BETs and the VMAs. Alicia Keys and 50 Cent previously both won prizes. Keys also won the Grammy for Best New Artist. 50 Cent was nominated for a Grammy in that category, but lost. Ricch won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance earlier this year as a featured artist on Nipsey Hussle’s ‘Racks in the Middle’. Per Grammy rules, that distinction will prevent him from competing for best new artist when the nominations are announced later this year.
Maluma won a Latin Grammy in 2018 for best contemporary pop vocal album FAME He was nominated for a ‘regular’ Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album earlier this year 11:11.
Additional artists will be announced soon.
