The shortlist for the UK Music Video Awards 2018 is finally here, and it’s proof (if we ever needed it) that this year has been a great one for music, both British and international.
Battling it out in the Best Pop Music category are Dua Lipa’s IDGAF, Stormzy and MNEK’s Blinded by Your Grace, Ariana Grande‘s God Is a Woman and Chris‘ (formerly Christine and the Queens) Girlfriend. Florence and the Machine’s beautifully shot Big God is up against Arctic Monkeys’ breakout hit from their new album, Four Stars Out of Five in the Best Rock Video category, while Childish Gambino’s internet-breaking This Is America features as one of the year’s Best Urban Videos.
This year is the 10th anniversary of the UKMVAs. Since 2008 the event has grown into an institution which honours the creatives behind the finished product of a music video — from the editors to the cameramen, the art directors to the animators and directors. Along with the genre-specific music video shortlists, the awards also honour spectacular craft and technical prowess. This Is America is up for Best Cinematography this year, while Bjork’s Arisen My Senses appears on the shortlist for Best Production design.
Along with those impressive shortlists, i-D has, once again, collaborated with the awards on the Best Styling in a Video gong. The nominees for that are Chaka Khan’s Like Sugar, Dizzee Rascal’s Bop N Keep It Dippin, Florence + The Machine’s Big God, Neneh Cherry’s Kong, Rosalía’s Aalamente and Years & Years’ If You’re Over Me. If you want to know who reigns victorious, follow the event at London’s legendary Roundhouse on Thursday 25 October.
You can see all of the UK Music Video Award shortlists here, and tickets for the event are available here.