Lisa just became the most-nominated K-pop soloist in MTV Video Music Awards history. Her music video for “Dream,” featuring actor Kentaro Sakaguchi, picked up four nominations for the 2026 ceremony, pushing her career total to 10.
FAQ
How many nominations does Lisa have at the 2026 VMAs?
Four, for her “Dream” music video: Best Pop, Best K-Pop, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.
Is Lisa the most-nominated K-pop soloist ever?
Yes. With these four nods, she becomes the first K-pop soloist to reach 10 career MTV VMA nominations.
When are the 2026 MTV VMAs?
The ceremony takes place September 27, 2026, at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
Four Nominations for One Video
All four of Lisa’s nominations trace back to a single music video: “Dream,” which features actor Kentaro Sakaguchi. Landing nods across Best Pop, Best K-Pop, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing in one video is a notable spread, reflecting recognition for the song’s commercial appeal alongside its visual and technical craft rather than a single narrow category.
A Perfect Track Record in Best K-Pop
Among this year’s nominations, Lisa’s Best K-Pop nod carries particular weight given her history with the category: she has won Best K-Pop every single time she’s been nominated, having already claimed the award three times previously. That streak makes her one of the safer bets on this year’s ballot heading into the ceremony, even in a category that typically draws intense competition from across the industry.
The Most Nominated K-Pop Artist This Year
Lisa’s four nominations lead all K-pop artists on the 2026 VMAs ballot, ahead of a field that also includes nods for BTS, BLACKPINK as a group, CORTIS, LE SSERAFIM, KATSEYE, and HUNTR/X. That breadth across the K-pop nominee list underscores how thoroughly the genre has become embedded in MTV’s mainstream award categories rather than confined to K-pop-specific recognition alone.
Building Toward a Historic Total
Reaching 10 career MTV VMA nominations is a milestone few artists in any genre achieve, and Lisa getting there first among K-pop soloists adds another marker to a solo career that’s increasingly being recognized alongside global pop’s biggest names rather than assessed purely within a K-pop framework. Her nomination history has built steadily across “Dream” and her prior solo releases, giving this year’s four-nomination haul the feel of a culmination rather than an isolated standout year.
Where Lisa Stands Against the Field
Madonna leads the overall 2026 VMAs nominations with 11, followed by Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Ariana Grande among the ceremony’s top overall nominees. Lisa’s four nominations place her solidly within that upper tier of this year’s ballot, a notable position for an artist competing in the show’s broader pop and video categories rather than a K-pop-only lane.
Sitting just below music’s biggest global names in overall nomination count, rather than being grouped separately as a “K-pop nominee,” reflects how far Lisa’s solo brand has traveled beyond BLACKPINK’s own considerable reach. It’s a distinction that matters for how the industry frames her career going forward, less as a K-pop crossover story and more as a pop artist whose nomination totals stand on their own.
What’s Next
With the September 27 ceremony still weeks away, expect performance lineup announcements and additional pre-show coverage to build in the coming weeks. Given her perfect Best K-Pop track record, Lisa heads into the night as one of the category’s clearest favorites, with her other three nominations representing a genuine shot at expanding her win total beyond the category she’s already dominated.
Why “Dream” Resonated Across Categories
Nominations spanning Best Pop, Best K-Pop, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing for a single video suggest “Dream” succeeded on multiple fronts at once rather than winning over voters through one standout element. Pairing Lisa with actor Kentaro Sakaguchi gave the visual concept a narrative dimension beyond a typical performance-focused music video, likely contributing to the cinematography and editing recognition alongside the more straightforward genre categories.
That combination — a K-pop solo release competing seriously in general pop categories rather than being siloed into genre-specific recognition alone — has become increasingly common as K-pop’s biggest stars build crossover audiences, and Lisa’s nomination spread this year is one of the clearer examples of that shift playing out on one of music’s biggest mainstream awards stages.
Looking for more K-pop news this week? Check out ShowPulp’s coverage of Jennie’s accelerated comeback plans for a new solo EP.
