MTV VMAs 2025: Blackpink's Rose leads with 8 nominations, BTS J-Hope’s Mona Lisa snub sparks fan outrage

On August 5 (local time), MTV dropped the official list of nominees for the 2025 Video Music Awards — and once again, K-pop is making its presence felt in a big way.

Leading the charge is Blackpink's Rosé, who racked up a stunning eight nominations, including top-tier categories like Video of the Year and Song of the Year. Her viral collaboration with Bruno Mars, “APT.”, swept seven of those nods — appearing in categories such as Best Pop, Best Collaboration, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, and Best Visual Effects. Meanwhile, Rosé’s solo track “toxic till the end” earned a spot in Best K-Pop.

In fact, every BLACKPINK member is in the running for Best K-Pop this year:

Other nominees in the category include aespa’s Whiplash, Stray Kids Chk Chk Boom, and BTS’s Jimin with 'Who.'

But the announcement wasn’t without drama. Despite being fully eligible, J-Hope's critically acclaimed Mona Lisa— released on March 21, 2025, within MTV’s official eligibility window — was completely snubbed.

The omission sparked outrage across ARMY fandom, who took to social media to express their frustration. Fans pointed out that Mona Lisa peaked at #12, but they nominated songs that barely scraped into the top 100?” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter). Another added: “Genuinely wondering how J-Hope didn’t get nominated for Best K-Pop?"

To make matters worse, J-Hope wasn’t the only BTS member left out — Jin, too, was absent from the nominee list, fanning the flames of disappointment within the fandom.

Meanwhile, rising girl group KATSEYE landed a nomination for Push Performance of the Year with their debut track “Touch.”