There are pop stars, there are legends, and then there is Madonna, who has spent roughly four decades treating the VMA stage like her personal playground — and apparently she’s not done yet.
While Michael Jackson remains the uncontested King of Pop, Madonna has more than earned her crown as its queen. She has survived — and usually dominated — multiple generations of pop, constantly changing her sound, image and aesthetic before anyone else could even finish copying the previous one.
Puerto Rican freestyle-inspired Madonna? Check. Evita Madonna? Absolutely. Spiritual, electronica-loving Ray of Light Madonna? Naturally. Disco diva Confessions on a Dance Floor Madonna? We were there, and some of us are still recovering. Now she’s adding another chapter to the legend.
Eleven nominations. One Madonna. Zero chill.
Madonna’s follow-up to the wildly popular Confessions on a Dance Floor, Confessions II, has landed her 11 MTV VMA nominations, making her the most-nominated artist this year.
RELATED: Madonna Drops ‘Confessions II’ on iHeartRadio. All for the Gays!
That takes her career total to a staggering 80 VMA nominations, alongside her existing 20 wins. At this stage, Madonna isn’t so much competing at the VMAs as maintaining a long-running relationship with the Moon Person. And honestly, their relationship has history.
Madonna has never simply attended the VMAs
At the first-ever VMAs in 1984, Madonna emerged from a cake dressed as a bride and performed “Like a Virgin.” It was provocative, theatrical and sufficiently scandalous to make conservatives clutch their pearls. That was merely the opening act.
In 1990, she delivered her legendary “Vogue” performance dressed in extravagant Marie Antoinette-inspired regalia. In 2003, she performed “Hollywood” and famously kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
when Madonna kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 VMAs https://t.co/aabK4wkp0Q pic.twitter.com/adII6UhQCU
— ۟ (@sallibop) August 19, 2026
And in 2009, she put the spectacle aside to deliver an emotional eulogy for Michael Jackson. So when someone says Madonna has “VMA history,” they’re not being dramatic. Madonna IS VMA history.
Confessions II has the gays feeling free
The new album has also reminded LGBTQ+ fans why Madonna has remained such a beloved figure in queer culture for so long.
“I Feel So Free” has gone viral on social media, reigniting the fandom and giving Madonna’s LGBTQ+ audience yet another reason to clear some space on the dance floor.
Because apparently the gays were never going to say no to Madonna giving them a beat, a look and a little emotional chaos.
The energy is reminiscent of Lady Gaga’s Chromatica era: pop diva returns with dance music, queer people immediately understand the assignment, and suddenly everyone’s bedroom is a nightclub.
Since Confessions II arrived, Madonna has also joined forces with Kylie Minogue on a remix of “Love Sensation.” The two pop icons later appeared together during Madonna’s WorldPride performance in Amsterdam.
Two queens. One stage. Frankly, the venue was lucky.
Madonna said “music video?” and made a movie instead
A normal music video would apparently have been far too reasonable. Instead, Madonna released CONFESSIONS II – THE FILM, a star-studded visual project featuring Sabrina Carpenter, Benedict Cumberbatch, longtime friend Debi Mazar, Honey Dijon, Kate Moss, Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie and Madonna’s daughter, Lourdes Leon.
And because Madonna apparently enjoys making things complicated, Julia Garner also appears in Madonna drag. Garner’s involvement has an extra layer of intrigue given her connection to Madonna’s long-discussed biopic, which remains in limbo.
The film is also responsible for most of Madonna’s nominations this year, picking up nods for everything from choreography and editing to visual effects, direction, art direction and cinematography. Basically, Madonna looked at the concept of submitting a music video and said: “No, let’s make this an entire production.”
Madonna’s 11 nominations
This year’s Madonna haul includes:
- Artist of the Year
- Video of the Year — CONFESSIONS II – THE FILM
- Song of the Year — “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter
- Best Collaboration — Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter
- Best Dance — CONFESSIONS II – THE FILM
- Best Choreography — CONFESSIONS II – THE FILM
- Best Editing — CONFESSIONS II – THE FILM
- Best Visual Effects — CONFESSIONS II – THE FILM
- Best Direction — CONFESSIONS II – THE FILM
- Best Art Direction — CONFESSIONS II – THE FILM
- Best Cinematography — CONFESSIONS II – THE FILM
With 11 chances to win, Madonna could potentially leave the ceremony with a few more Moon Persons for the mantelpiece. But let’s be honest: the trophies aren’t necessarily the most exciting part.
This is Madonna at the VMAs. The woman who crawled out of a wedding cake. The woman who turned Marie Antoinette into a pop performance. The woman who kissed Britney and Christina on live television. The woman who has spent decades making reinvention look less like a career strategy and more like a basic human need.
So yes, we would like to know how many awards Madonna takes home on September 27. But we’d also like to know something more important:
What the hell is she going to do on that stage?
Because if Madonna has taught us anything, it’s that a Madonna performance is rarely just a performance. It’s an event. And somewhere, a conservative is already clutching a pearl necklace in anticipation.
Source: Washington Blade