MTV Video Music Awards Add “Country” Category For First Time Ever, Nominees Include Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton & More

Two new categories are coming to this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.

The MTV Video Music Awards have been a prominent show for their controversial moments and iconic Moonman trophies. And if you’re not thinking about Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech, let us let you relive one of the most viral moments from the awards show over the last 20 years.

Founded in 1984 as an alternative to the Grammy Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards initially highlighted many pop, hip-hop, and R&B artists, while largely overlooking another major genre: country music. For many years, country music was underrepresented at the awards show, with only one or two artists nominated in the Artist of the Year category, despite the genre’s significant visual contributions.

That is until now.

It’s not a secret that country music is having its moment. Beyoncé set the internet on fire when she won Best Country Album and Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards earlier this year, with many country music fans up in arms that she won the honor after explicitly saying that Cowboy Carter was not a country album. However, given that many awards shows are notorious for not staying current with what country fans are listening to, and being accused many times of playing into politics, I’m not surprised that Beyoncé won these Grammys. I mean, let us not forget an even bigger snag from awards season with Old Dominion beating out the Red Clay Strays at the CMA Awards this year.

After country fans were enraged with this year’s Grammy Awards because of the country category, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. announced that the show would be adding new categories to the 2026 awards show. The new categories separate the Best Country Album category into two subcategories: Best Traditional Country Album and Best Contemporary Country Album. Other genres already have separate categories for “Traditional” and “Contemporary” albums and songs, and Mason added that they want to create “space for where the genre is going.”

While it’s not confirmed that the Grammys’ addition of these categories inspired the MTV Video Music Awards to introduce a country category, the timing of these new categories is interesting, given that it has never existed previously, and country music is a mainstream genre. At the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, a Best Country category will highlight some of the visual content created over the last year. I must admit, this list of nominees came as a pleasant surprise.

While quite a few artists are playing the radio game on this list, it’s nice to see no Beyoncé, Old Dominion, Dasha or Kane Brown. All the songs and artists on this list are liked (for the most part) by country fans of all ilk.

Best Country Nominees:

Chris Stapleton – “Think I’m in Love with You” – Mercury Nashville
Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood – “I’m Gonna Love You” – CoJo Music / Warner Music Nashville
Jelly Roll – “Liar” – BBR Music Group/BMG/Republic Records
Lainey Wilson – “4x4xU” – Broken Bow Records
Megan Moroney – “Am I Okay?” – Columbia Records
Morgan Wallen – “Smile” – Big Loud Records/Mercury Records

Given that this awards show is notorious for drawing a younger viewing crowd and has a fan voting aspect, it will be interesting to hear the voice of the people in this category. While this is a new, strictly country music category, there is some representation of country artists in other categories, such as Post Malone, Ella Langley, and Morgan Wallen.

While you’re here, check out the other categories with country artist representation:

Artist of the Year:

Bad Bunny – Rimas Entertainment
Beyoncé – Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records
Kendrick Lamar – pgLang/Interscope Records
Lady Gaga – Interscope Records
Morgan Wallen – Big Loud Records/Mercury Records
Taylor Swift – Republic Records
The Weeknd – XO/Republic Records

Best New Artist:

Alex Warren – Atlantic Records
Ella Langley – SAWGOD/Columbia Records
Gigi Perez – Island
Lola Young – Island
sombr – SMB Music/Warner Records
The Marías – Nice Life/Atlantic Records

Best Collaboration:

Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs – “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)” – Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “luther” – pgLang/Interscope Records
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die with a Smile” – Interscope Records
Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton – “Pour Me a Drink” – Mercury Records
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.” – Atlantic Records
Selena Gomez, benny blanco – “Sunset Blvd” – SMG Music/Friends Keep Secrets/Interscope Records

Shaboozey is also nominated for MTV Push Performance of the Year with “Tipsy (A Bar Song),” but let’s be honest… that’s not country either. Nevertheless, Shaboozey has presence in the space, so it’s worth mentioning.

The Video Music Awards show will air live on Sunday, September 8, at 8 PM ET on CBS and MTV, and stream on Paramount+. Fan voting for all categories is open now and will end on September  5 at 6 PM ET, except for the Best New Artist category, which remains active until the showThe post MTV Video Music Awards Add “Country” Category For First Time Ever, Nominees Include Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton & More first appeared on Whiskey Riff.