The MOBO Awards will return next month as a virtual ceremony.
After a two-year hiatus, the awards show is coming back. It’ll be live streamed exclusively via YouTube for the first time, from 7pm (GMT) on 9 December. It’ll also be available to watch later via BBC One at 10.45pm (GMT) that evening, and there’ll be a highlight special on BBC iPlayer.
This year, the awards show will be hosted by Maya Jama – who also hosted back in 2017 – and Chunkz. Kojey Radical, Tiwa Savage, Ms Banks, Headie One and M Huncho have been tapped for performances.
Former Crack Magazine cover star Nines leads the 2020 nominations, along with Aitch, Mahalia and Lianne Le Havas. Nines is nominated for five awards including Best Male Act, Best Hip Hop Act and Album of the Year for 2018’s Crop Circle. Elsewhere, the likes of FKA twigs, J Hus, Pa Salieu and Burna Boy have been nominated for Best Female Act, Album of the Year, Best Newcomer and Best International Act, respectively.
New categories introduced this year include Best Music Producer, Best Media Personality and Best Performance in a TV Show/Film. Kane Robinson has been nominated for Best Performance as Sully in Top Boy, along with Michaela Cole as Arabella in I May Destroy You and Micheal Ward for the character Marco in Blue Story. The latter two awards will be decided by a public vote. You can find out more about voting here.
MOBO founder Kanya King said: “Recognising the unique role the MOBO Awards plays for so many, and the challenging year we find ourselves in, it is now more important than ever to be there and to continue the rich history of showcasing the very best of Black music and culture. We are proud to partner with YouTube and the BBC to bring this year’s celebration to millions of music fans, and continue to uplift creative voices here in the UK and around the world. A special thanks to Arts Council England, ISAW IT First and Accenture for supporting us on this journey – we see you!”
YouTube Music’s Director of EMEA, Dan Chalmers, said: “It’s a real privilege to be partnering with The MOBO Awards to bring a global audience to such an important British music event. It’s vital that artists and creators from across all backgrounds, genres and sounds are given a platform to build an audience and fanbase. I’m honoured to continue to lift up and support the Black British music community, which continues to be at the heart of the music experience in the UK. I look forward to watching the nominees and winners on this special night and supporting them on their journey forwards.”
Head to the MOBO Awards site for the full list of nominations, and read our cover story with FKA twigs.