Taylor Swift accepts the Video of the Year award onstage at the 2022 MTV VMAs at Prudential Center on August 28, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey© Getty Images

Taylor Swift receives major news a year after her record-breaking VMAs night

Midnights was born at the 2022 MTV VMAs, and hence, The Eras Tour

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
August 8, 2023

Taylor Swift may be ruling the world's stages with the ongoing Eras Tour, but her accomplishments on screen aren't going unrecognized either.

The nominees for the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards have been announced, the first music awards show slated to take place since the SAG-AFTRA strike was called this July.

Taylor, 33, leads the nominees with eight total nods, one for herself in Artist of the Year, and seven more for her smash 2022 song "Anti-Hero."

Taylor Swift attends the 2022 MTV VMAs at Prudential Center on August 28, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey© Getty Images
Taylor is returning to the VMAs this year, securing eight total nominations, the most of the night

The track has picked up nods for Song of the Year, Best Pop, Direction, Editing, Cinematography, Visual Effects, and the coveted Video of the Year category. The pop icon is gunning for her fourth win for the night's top prize.

If Taylor were to win, it would extend her record as artist with the most Video of the Year victories, a record she broke at the 2022 VMAs with her win for "All Too Well: The Short Film."

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That fateful night nearly a year ago, August 28, 2022, proved to be monumental for Swifties, as Taylor announced for the first time that she would be releasing Midnights that October.

WATCH: Taylor Swift reveals first details of "Midnights"

Wiping her social media slate clean, and initiating a countdown clock on her website, the moment nearly broke the internet thanks to immense social media traffic, and crashed her website.

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The other artists with multiple leading noms this year are SZA with six; Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sam Smith with five; and BLACKPINK, Diddy, and Shakira with three. Other A-list names making the cut with more than one nom include Demi Lovato, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, Selena Gomez, Lana Del Rey, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, and Drake.

© Getty Images
Taylor won three VMAs at last year's ceremony

If Taylor were to pick up wins in at least seven categories come September 12, the night of the show, she would surpass Madonna's tally to become the artist with the second-most wins in MTV VMA history, only trailing behind Beyoncé with 25.

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This year's Video Vanguard Award is also up for grabs, with the "Lavender Haze" singer being touted as one of the favorites to take home the prize, alongside the likes of pop superstars like Miley and Katy Perry.

© Getty Images
She won the all-important Video of the Year prize last year, her record third moon-person

Meanwhile, as the Eras Tour makes its way into the concert tour hall of fame, thanks to its multiple sold out shows, with the latest at LA's SoFi Stadium, Taylor achieves another milestone on the charts.

READ: Taylor Swift's feud with Scooter Braun, 'Taylor's Version' recordings explained

Thanks to her acclaimed performances on the tour, her song "Cruel Summer" rose 6-4 on the latest Billboard Hot 100 music chart, becoming her 27th top five hit, tying Mariah Carey for the fourth most (only behind Madonna, The Beatles, and Drake).

© Getty Images
The singer-songwriter is currently on "The Eras Tour"

The track, off her 2019 album Lover, is being promoted as her newest single to radio, despite first being released four years ago. "Cruel Summer" was well received upon release and frequently considered single material. Her label, hence, decided to promote it as a single starting in June when the song surged in popularity thanks to Eras.

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