Grammys Best Music Video contenders include great visuals from Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande and Omar Apollo

Best Music Video is consistently one of the best categories at the Grammys, often featuring a lot of hidden gems alongside big names like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. This year there’s a great mix of blockbusters, minor hits, and passion picks competing for spots in the lineup.

There are two major mainstream contenders here. The first is Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which has, at this point, outgrown the whole Drake beef to become a moment of its own. The video isn’t necessarily as technically impressive as Lamar’s past nominees, but it is still a great video and Lamar is a field favorite. Throughout his career, he has received five nominations, the most for any performer, and he has won twice, for “Bad Blood” (with Taylor Swift) and “Humble.” If “Not Like Us” wins, it’ll be Lamar’s third victory, making him the most awarded performer in the category and tying him with director Mark Romanek and producer Nathan Scherrer for the most wins by any individual. Plus, the video is directed by frequent Lamar collaborator Dave Free, who would achieve his fifth nomination in the category.

The other high-profile mainstream contender is Ariana Grande with her emotional “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love).” While it would be Grande’s first nomination in the category, she is well-known for her videography, including acclaimed visuals for songs like “God is a Woman” and “Thank U, Next.” The biggest strength of “We Can’t Be Friends” is its emotional appeal, which is a significant reason why the song was a hit to begin with. Plus, Grande and director Christian Breslauer have been having a great year visually, and since neither has been nominated before, it feels likely that the nomination review committee will finally want to give both of them their flowers.

A few other popular artists are also in contention. Victoria Monét collaborated with a category favorite, director Dave Myers, for “Alright” from her already Grammy-winning album “Jaguar II.” “Alright” boasts fun visuals and choreography and could give Myers his fifth nomination. Another contender is Troye Sivan, who received his first two Grammy nominations last year including one in this category for “Rush.” This year he’s back with either the viral success “One of Your Girls,” in which Sivan is in full drag, or the faster-paced “Got Me Started” which is full of beautiful shots and choreography. And speaking of viral, there’s Charli XCX, who’s having a banner year with her highly acclaimed and commercially successful “Brat.” Charli could add a nom to her tally this year with “360,” which features other internet sensations like Julia Fox and Rachel Sennott and is one of the most fun videos of the year.

Then there are lesser known videos that could get in due to this category being decided by a committee. Jungle have had a great year, and they might get in for “Holding On,” which features amazing choreography and is shot in one take. Another dance act in the mix is Disclosure with their video for “She’s Gone, Dance On,” which is reminiscent of Troye Sivan’s aforementioned video for “Rush” last year. Continuing with British stars, breakout Raye might get her first nom for “Genesis,” which is one of the most technically impressive videos of the year. The video features amazing choreography, is arguably the best directed video of the year, and has amazing cinematography and visual effects. Last but not least, Omar Apollo could be recognized for his colorful video for “Spite,” another blissful visual with great imagery and dancing.

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