M.I.A., Earl Sweatshirt Added To YouTube Music Awards
A few weeks ago, we learned that the first-ever YouTube Music Awards show would go down in New York this fall, with Jason Schwartzman as host and Spike Jonze as creative director. The three performers announced were all total heavyweights: Arcade Fire, Eminem, and Lady Gaga. And now we have some more names to add to that list. M.I.A., Earl Sweatshirt, and Tyler, The Creator will all perform, as will not-really-our-bag types Avicii and Walk Off The Earth, as Variety reports. YouTube has also announced this initial year’s slate of nominees, which includes some goofy categories (Response of the Year – best fan remix, parody or response video), and nominations for Kendrick Lamar, Toro Y Moi, Atoms For Peace, Bat For Lashes, and Baauer. Check below for the full list.
• Video of the Year – videos with most fan engagement: Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”; Justin Bieber (feat. Nicki Minaj) – “Beauty and a Beat”; Lady Gaga – “Applause”; One Direction – “Best Song Ever”; PSY – “Gentleman”; Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Mary Lambert) – “Same Love”; Girls’ Generation – “I Got A Boy”; Demi Lovato – “Heart Attack”; Selena Gomez – “Come & Get It”; Epic Rap Battles Of History – “Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney.”
• Artist of the Year – most watched, shared, liked, and subscribed-to artists: Eminem, Epic Rap Battles of History, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, PSY, Rihanna, Taylor Swift
• Response of the Year – best fan remix, parody or response video: Boyce Avenue (feat. Fifth Harmony) – “Mirrors”; Jayesslee – “Gangnam Style”; Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix – “Radioactive”; ThePianoGuys – “Titanium/Pavane”; Walk Off the Earth (feat. KRNFX) – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
• YouTube Phenomenon – songs that generated the most fan videos: “Diamonds,” “Gangnam Style,” “Harlem Shake,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Thrift Shop”
YouTube Breakthrough – artists with biggest growth in views and subscribers: Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Naughty Boy, Passenger, Rudimental
• Innovation of the Year – creative video innovations with most views, likes, shares and comments: Anamanaguchi – “Endless Fantasy”; Atoms For Peace – “Ingenue”; Bat For Lashes – “Lilies”; DeStorm – “See Me Standing”; Toro Y Moi – “Say That”
(via Variety)
The show happens 11/3 at New York’s Pier 36, and the Taylor Swift/screaming goats collaboration was robbed.