MTV announced four additions to its Video Music Awards lineup on Tuesday (Aug. 11). The Weeknd and Maluma will each perform 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 performers last week. The Aug. 30 show, to be hosted by Keke Palmer, will be held at various outdoor sites in New York, rather than at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, as originally planned. MTV is saying the show “will pay homage to New York with outdoor performances around the City.”
The Weeknd performed “Can’t Feel My Face” on 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 teamed with Bad Bunny to perform “Qué Pretendes,” and Rosalía teamed with Ozuna to perform three songs — “A Ningún Hombre,” “Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi” and “Aute Cuture.” This is a strong suggestion that Latin music is becoming a more important 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 Weeknd’s VMAs performance of “Can’t Feel My Face” five years ago, the smash received a Grammy nomination for record of the year. The Weeknd is a Grammy front-runner in that category this year for his No. 1 smash “Blinding Lights.”
Ricch, who won best new artist at the BET Awards on June 28, has logged 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 so far this year. His solo smash “The Box” headed the chart for 11 weeks. DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” on which he is featured, spent seven weeks on top. Ricch performed “The Box” and “High Fashion” on the BET Awards, and teamed with DaBaby to perform “Rockstar.”
Ricch is vying to become the third artist to win best new artist at both the BETs and the VMAs. Alicia Keys and 50 Cent previously swept both prizes. Keys also won the Grammy for best new artist. 50 Cent was nominated for the Grammy in that category, but lost. Ricch won a Grammy earlier this year for best rap performance as a featured artist on Nipsey Hussle’s “Racks in the Middle.” Per Grammy rules, that award will prevent him from competing for best new artist when the nominations are announced later this year.
Maluma won a Latin Grammy for best contemporary pop vocal album in 2018 for F.A.M.E. He was nominated for a “regular” Grammy earlier this year for best Latin pop album for 11:11.
Additional performers to be announced soon.