Talk about star-studded! This year’s MTV Video Music Awards is packed to the brim with bold-faced names and A-list performances, so here’s a comprehensive breakdown of who to look out for, who’ll take the stage, and what wild antics to anticipate for the night of Sunday, Aug. 30.
However, as we’ve seen from the past, anything goes when it comes to the VMAs — especially with Miley Cyrus at the helm. Luckily for nervous parents, though, the show’s executive producers, Van Toffler and Garrett English, told Billboard in a recent interview that the show will broadcast with “a delay so we’re prepared for Miley.”
Before the show even officially kicks off, Nick Jonas, Kelly Osbourne, and band Walk the Moon will be getting the party started during the VMA pre-show.
“I’m thrilled to showcase my new single, ‘Level,’ at such an incredible night in music,” Jonas said of the news. “There’s nothing like playing new songs live for the first time, and I can’t wait to surprise my fans during this performance.”
Also along for the ride will be Sway and Girl Code Live stars Carly Aquilino, Nessa Diab, and Nora “Awkwafina” Lum.
Expect Nicki Minaj to deliver another show-stopping performance when she opens the show (remember her jaw-dropping performance of “Anaconda” at last year’s VMAs?).
But Minaj won’t be the only gal to show us what she’s workin’ with. Other empowered female performers for the night include Demi Lovato with “Cool for the Summer,” and, of course, current squad empress Taylor Swift will premiere her new music video for “Wildest Dreams,” the fifth single off her record-breaking 1989 album.
Other performers will include Macklemore, Justin Bieber (debuting his first single in three years), Pharrell Williams, Bruno Mars, A$AP Rocky, and Twenty One Pilots.
And one performer who’s no stranger to the MTV VMA stage will grace it once more with his presence as the recipient of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, MTV’s version of a lifetime achievement award: Kanye West.
West made headlines in 2009 when he stormed the stage while Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video, telling the audience that “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!”
Previous winners of the Video Vanguard Award have included, in fact, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake.
As for presenters for the evening, be on the lookout for some familiar faces, like Britney Spears, Rebel Wilson, John Legend, Rita Ora, Emily Ratajowski, Ne-Yo, Kylie Jenner, and Empire’s Jussie Smollett.
Tune into the 2015 MTV VMAs on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 9 p.m. EST on MTV.
