Madonna, the queen of pop, is making a grand return to reclaim her throne. Surpassing Taylor Swift, an iconic figure at the MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna has secured the top spot in nominations this year for the third time in her career. With a total of 11 nominations at the upcoming ceremony, Madonna’s stellar performance in the chart-topping album “Confessions II” and its corresponding film has garnered her nods for categories including artist and video of the year.

Outshining Taylor Swift, who holds the record for the most solo artist awards in VMA history, Madonna has earned recognition for her outstanding work, while Taylor Swift received nine nominations for her album “The Life of a Showgirl” and the music video “The Fate of Ophelia.” Following closely behind Swift are Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, both with seven nominations each.

This year marks Madonna’s third time leading the VMA nominations, having previously dominated in 1990 and 1998 with her “Vogue” and “Ray of Light” eras. Notably, Madonna’s unforgettable performance at the inaugural 1984 ceremony, where she provocatively donned a wedding dress and a “Boy Toy” belt buckle while singing “Like a Virgin,” remains a pivotal moment in VMA history, pushing the boundaries of cable television standards.

Madonna’s impressive nominations include video of the year, artist of the year, and song and collaboration of the year for “Bring Your Love,” a collaboration with fellow nominee Sabrina Carpenter. In the highly coveted category of video of the year, Madonna’s “Confessions” will compete against Taylor Swift’s “Ophelia,” along with Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Tears,” Bruno Mars’s “I Just Might,” and Gener8ion and Yung Lean’s “Storm.”

With voting open to the public for 13 categories this year, fans will have the opportunity to participate in selecting the winners. The winners will be revealed during the live broadcast of the ceremony on September 27, airing on CBS, MTV, and streaming on Paramount+.