The MTV award for emerging talent that changes its rules more than its winners
In short: Since its inception in 1984, the Best New Artist category at the MTV Video Music Awards has undergone constant evolution. It has shifted between honoring individual music videos and celebrating an artist's entire annual output, while even temporarily rebranding to align with the network's promotional initiatives for rising musical stars.
When the MTV Video Music Awards debuted in 1984, the accolade for newcomers was titled Best New Artist in a Video. This original focus remained consistent for over two decades, tethering the award to the visual performance of a single track. However, in 2007, the network attempted a significant pivot by renaming the category Best New Artist and shifting the criteria to evaluate an artist's complete body of work produced throughout the calendar year. This structural change was short-lived; by 2008, the award reverted to its previous format of recognizing a specific video, despite keeping the simplified name.
The category's identity continued to fluctuate in the following years. Between 2013 and 2015, it was rebranded as Artist to Watch, though it maintained the focus on individual video achievements. A more complex integration occurred in 2020 when the award merged with the Push Artist of the Year category—which had existed from 2018 to 2019—to form the Push Best New Artist award. By 2021, MTV decoupled the award from the Push initiative, restoring the classic Best New Artist title and establishing a separate category for Push Performance of the Year.
Beyond its shifting criteria, the award maintains a unique operational quirk that distinguishes it from other categories. It is the only VMA where public voting remains open until the ceremony itself is underway. This high-stakes, real-time engagement underscores the category's role as a barometer for immediate fan sentiment. While the award occasionally overlaps with the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, the two honors remain distinct entities, with the VMA category serving as a specific reflection of MTV's evolving approach to music video culture and artist promotion.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/culture-mtv-video-music-award-for-best-new-artist.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in US culture · More in Cultures · Latest · A–Z · All topics
