Some of the biggest artists in the music industry will flood the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday for the 33rd annual MTV Video Music Awards.
Katy Perry will host the show, airing live at 8 p.m. ET (delayed on the West Coast), and also will perform. Additional performers will include Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Rod Stewart with DNCE, Gucci Mane with Fifth Harmony, Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, The Weeknd, P!nk, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Shawn Mendes.
P!nk also is set to receive the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her 17-year-long career and influence on music, pop culture and fashion, joining former recipients such as Rihanna, Madonna and David Bowie.
Also, the show’s award, the Moonman, has been renamed Moon Person as part of MTV’s ongoing efforts to honor talent apart from gender distinctions. The network previously did away with gender-specific acting categories at May’s MTV Movie & TV Awards.
In an interview with The New York Times, MTV’s president Chris McCarthy opened up about the decision, saying: “Why should it be a man? It could be a man, it could be a woman, it could be transgender, it could be nonconformist.”
Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar leads the nominees with eight noms, while Perry and The Weeknd are tied for second with two nods apiece. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s hit song “Despacito” was originally snubbed when the noms were first announced, but it has seen been unveiled as one of the “song of summer” nominees; the winner of that category will be announced during the preshow.
Fans can vote for their favorite artists across eight VMA categories, including video of the year, artist of the year and best collaboration, at www.vma.mtv.com.
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The 2017 MTV VMAs will air live from The Forum in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET/PT, on Sunday, Aug. 27. A preshow will feature live performances from Bleachers, Khalid and Cardi B, with Lil Yachty serving as host alongside MTV’s Terrence J, Charlamagne Tha God and Gaby Wilson.
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