Anitta to Perform at This Year’s MTV Video Music Awards

Anitta will be making a special appearance at this year’s MTV VMAs

The 30-year-old Brazilian superstar has been added to the list of performers for the MTV Video Music Awards.

AnittaAnitta is joined by Lil Wayne, Doja Cat, Kelsea Ballerini and K-pop band Tomorrow X Together as the latest round of performers.

They join previously announced Demi Lovato, Karol G, Måneskin and Stray Kids.

Additional performers to be announced soon.

The awards show will air live from New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Tuesday, September 12 at 8:00 pm on MTV and stream on Paramount+.

Taylor Swift leads the pack in nominations with eight, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for “Anti-Hero”.

Other multi-nominated artists include SZA with 6 noms, Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith with 5 each, and Blackpink, Diddy and Shakira with 4 each.

There also are a record number of first-ever VMAs nominees (35 total) this year, with multiple nominations for first-timers Kim Petras (5), Metro Boomin and Rema (3 each), Ayra Starr, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Peso Pluma, Reneé Rapp and Yung Miami (2 each).

Other artists receiving first-time nods include Aespa, boygenius, Burna Boy, Davido, Eslabon Armado, Fletcher, Fifty Fifty, JVKE, Lauren Spencer Smith, Musa Keys, PinkPantheress, Saucy Santana, Stephen Sanchez and Toosii, among others.

Fans can vote for their favorites across 15 gender-neutral categories, including “Video of the Year,” at vote.mtv.com through Friday, September 1st; voting for “Best New Artist” will remain active into the show on Tuesday, September 12th. Nominations for social categories including “Group of the Year” and “Song of Summer” will be announced at a later date.

Christina Aguilera Among Celebrities Urging U.S. Senators to Stop Gun Violence Now

Christina Aguilera is calling for politicians to take action on the issue of gun reform

The 40-year-old half-Ecuadorian American Grammy-winning singer has joined a roster of celebrities who’ve signed an open letter to U.S. Senators urging them stop gun violence now.

Christina Aguilera

Five years ago, amidst a string of deadly attacks at live music venues including the horrific mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016, the cover of Billboard‘s July 2016 issue featured an open letter to U.S. Congress signed by 200 artists and music industry executives calling for gun reform.

Unfortunately, the need for reform has only grown stronger as shootings have continued around the country at a terrifying rate.

So now, five years later, as venues prepare to reopen after their pandemic shutdown and music fans ready to return to concerts and festivals, we stand again with the music community to ask lawmakers to take swift action to stop the violence. — Hannah Karp, Billboard editorial director

An Open Letter to Senators: Stop Gun Violence Now

As leading artists and executives in the music industry, we are adding our voices to the chorus of Americans demanding change.

Music always has been celebrated communally, on dance floors and at concert halls. But this life-affirming ritual, like so many other daily experiences — going to school or church or work — continues to be threatened, because of gun violence in this country.

The one thing that connects the tragedies like the shootings in Boulder, El Paso, Las Vegas, Parkland and so many other places in America, to the one that happened in Orlando five years ago this June, is that it is far too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on guns.

We call on the Senate to do more to prevent the gun violence that kills more than 100 Americans every day and injures hundreds more: Take action on background checks.

Billboard and the undersigned implore you — the people who are elected to represent us — to close the deadly loopholes that put the lives of so many music fans, and all of us, at risk.

Sincerely,

Christina Aguilera, Tori Amos, Sara Barielles, Aaron Bay-Schuck, Tony Bennett, Selim Bouab, Rob Bourdon, Scooter Braun, Cortez Bryant, Michael Bublé, Vanessa Carlton, Joseph Carozza, Steve Cooper, Tom Corson, Lee Daniels, Ellen DeGeneres, Brad Delson, Diplo, Mike Easterlin, John Esposito, Melissa Etheridge, Fletcher, Luis Fonsi, Becky G, Kevin Gore, Julie Greenwald, Josh Groban, Horacio Gutierrez, Joe Hahn, Halsey, Billy Joel, Craig Kallman, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi, Carole King, Elle King, Adam Lambert, Cyndi Lauper, Kevin Liles, Dre London, Jennifer Lopez, Macklemore, Zayn Malik, Carianne Marshall, Ricky Martin, Paul McCartney, Julia Michaels, Guy Moot, Jason Mraz, Gregg Nadel, Yoko Ono, Mark Pinkus, Gregory Porter, Prince Royce, Bonnie Raitt, Dawn Richard, RMR, Paul Robinson, Maggie Rogers, Kelly Rowland, Mike Shinoda, Sia, Matt Signore, Britney Spears, Rob Stevenson, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Justin Tranter, Sir Trilli, Sharon Van Etten, Aimie Vaughn-Fruehe, Eddie Vedder, Andrew Watt.

If you’re interested in signing the letter, you can email guncontrol@billboard.com.