Madonna won seven of a record 13 nominations, including Best Dance, Best Collaboration and Artist of the Year, at the 2026 VMAs—her first VMA wins in 27 years. She opened the show, making her first VMA performance in 23 years.
Her 2026 album “Confessions II,” conceived as a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” was a surprise critical and commercial hit. The article says it made her the first artist in the 2020s to top the Billboard 200 after topping the chart in each of the three previous decades. A visual companion spanning the album’s first six songs premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival and went viral online.
Madonna’s 13 nominations matched Lady Gaga’s total in 2010, the only other time an artist received 13 nominations in a single year, according to the article. Madonna won 20 VMAs between 1986 and 1999.
