At the 2015 MTV's Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift swept the board. She was nominated for a total of 10 awards, and went on to win four of them, including the prestigious "Video of the Year" award for her star-studded "Bad Blood" video. With this in mind, it's more than a little strange that Taylor Swift isn't nominated once for a 2016 MTV VMA. While it's been almost two years since her last album, 1989, came out, the singer has released several videos since last year's ceremony which would've been eligible, including the controversial "Wildest Dreams" (which features the beautiful Scott Eastwood), "Out of the Woods," and, most recently, "New Romantics." Was Taylor Swift snubbed by the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards? Did any of her recent music videos deserve a nomination?
The former country singer is no stranger to controversy, and is currently embroiled in sagas with the likes of ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris (who happens to be nominated for three VMAs), and queen of the world Kim Kardashian. Incidentally, Kanye West's "Famous," which features a line about Swift, and a video which includes a wax model replica of her alongside a whole host of celebrities, is nominated for two 2016 VMAs. That the song responsible for one of 2016's most awkward arguments is being recognized, but Swift's work isn't, is more than a little suspicious.
1989 is Taylor Swift's most successful album to date, and it's easy to assume that all of her singles have been a success. While "Bad Blood" and "Blank Space" both won awards at the 2015 MTV VMAs, it's important to note that "Style" and "Shake It Off" weren't even nominated, despite doing well commercially. Because of its widely criticized video, "Wildest Dreams" was unlikely to secure many awards, despite looking beautiful and featuring my personal fave, Scott Eastwood (who I'm pretty certain I mentioned already).
Swift's ambitious "Out of the Woods" video was definitely a departure for the artist in terms of its scope. Largely CGI, it has Swift running through a forest, with the elements forever changing around her. But it likely didn't catch the attention of voters, as its content is fairly generic. "New Romantics" compiles impressive footage of Swift's 1989 tour -- which, it could be argued, means it isn't technically a music video.
While it would be easy to claim that Taylor Swift has been snubbed at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, her lack of nominations seems to correlate with the fact that her focus has been on touring over the past 12 months, rather than creating new and exciting content. Maybe next year.
Image: Giphy (2)
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