On Sunday, Sept. 7, MTV hosted the forty-first annual Video Music Awards (VMAs), celebrating new artists on the scene. The VMA award show began with an iconic red carpet followed by the ceremony and afterparty. Awards celebrated the best music, specifically music videos, of the year. Both awards and nominations went to an array of up-and-coming artists, signaling a new wave of Gen Z success within the music industry.
2025 has been a tremendous year for new music with new artists popping up left and right. A credit to this success is the musical app TikTok, where up-and-coming artists have skyrocketed to fame just weeks after releasing music on the platform. Another credit for this success is the viral trends, specifically dances, which artists have started through their music videos.
Dancing popstar Tate McRae not only won her first-ever VMA this year, but also had a killer performance of her hit song, “Sports car.” McRae was nominated for five awards in total: Pop Artist, Song, Visual Effects, Editing, and Song of the Summer. The star took home two awards, Best Editing and Song of the Summer, for “Just Keep Watching,” her collaboration with the recent blockbuster film F1: The Movie.
McRae has been releasing music since 2017 and is finally reaching superstardom after blowing up on TikTok. As a former company dancer, fans have praised McRae for her incredible stage presence and performing ability, making her a powerhouse artist.
Similarly, singer Alex Warren has possessed a large social media presence for almost five years, amassing over 19 million followers across platforms, but his worldwide success really began with the release of his single on February 7th 2025, “Ordinary.” “Ordinary” won Warren the Best New Artist Award and marked Warren’s first-ever music award. Warren’s success likely won’t be slowing down soon, as praise from his fan base is only growing.
At 20 years old, musician Sombr similarly exemplifies this quick climb to fame through social media with his singles “back to friends” and “undressed.” During the awards show, Sombr performed “back to friends,” the song that won Sombr his first VMA in the category Best Alternative Video. The song has already reached almost 800 million streams on Spotify and has become one of the biggest hits of 2025.
Girl group Katseye has been making headlines since their formation on the Netflix reality show Pop Star Academy. Known for their incredible dancing skills and unique choreography, the group reaches worldwide audiences with its diverse members. Katseye has gone viral multiple times with their controversial song “Gnarly,” their Lollapalooza performance, and their recent GAP ad. The group debuted in June 2024, and despite only having been in the public eye for one year, Katseye has won their first VMA for their single “Touch” for MTV Push Performance of the Year.
Gen Z artists are continuing to take up additional space in the music industry and connecting with adolescents through social media. All the fresh faces and new wins made these VMAs especially exciting, giving audiences something to look forward to in seeing these new artists’ impacts on the industry. Thus, this year’s VMAs earns itself a five out of five feathers.
