Global stars pop to Hydro for MTV awards

SOME of the world’s biggest pop stars will be heading to Glasgow in November after being nominated for honours at the MTV Europe Music Awards spectacular being staged in the city.
Music makers expected at Glasgow Hydro for the MTV Europe Music  Awards include Britains own One Direction. Picture: GettyMusic makers expected at Glasgow Hydro for the MTV Europe Music  Awards include Britains own One Direction. Picture: Getty
Music makers expected at Glasgow Hydro for the MTV Europe Music Awards include Britains own One Direction. Picture: Getty

Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran and Miley Cyrus are all in the running for honours at one of the world’s biggest awards nights.

Other contenders for the main honours at the event, which is being staged at the city’s new Hydro arena, include Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, rapper Eminem, boy band One Direction, hip hop favourite Kanye West, rock band Coldplay and indie stars Arctic Monkeys. The event, which is being held in Scotland for the second time, is set to bring huge exposure for Glasgow as it goes out live on television around the world in its 20th anniversary year.

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Although they are not yet on sale, there is expected to be huge demand for tickets from around Europe.

Glasgow had a taste of what was to come at the MTV awards in May when BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend event was held on Glasgow Green, with MTV nominees One Direction, Williams, Sheeran, Coldplay and Harris performing.

Cyrus, Perry, The Killers, 
Eminem and Kings of Leon were among the stars to grace last year’s MTV EMA event, which was held at the Ziggo dome in Amsterdam.

The event was held in Edinburgh in 2003, when Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Pink and The Black Eyed Peas all appeared inside a big top in Leith Dock and actor Vin Diesel hosted – sporting a leather kilt.

Two of the others stars from that year, Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake, are among this year’s nominees, in the best female and best male categories, with other nominees for the two coveted awards including Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Sheeran, Eminem, and Williams.

Perry leads the nominations race, with seven nods, just one ahead of fellow American singer and actress Grande.

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Both Williams, the popular American rapper, and Australian punk pop band 5 Seconds of Summer have five nominations.

Beyoncé is up against Bruno Mars, Timberlake, Perry and One Direction for the best live act prize, while 5 Seconds of Summer, Grande, Perry, Cyrus and One Direction will battle it out to be named best pop act. Contenders for the best rock act award are Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons and Linkin Park.

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A spokeswoman for MTV said the show would be a celebration of “the year’s hottest artists from around the globe”. She added: “MTV’s global celebration of the hottest stars in music recognises artists from around the world and across genres, and brings together music fans everywhere for a one-of-a-kind experience in the weeks leading up to and at the show.”

A full list of the acts perfoming in Glasgow at the event on 9 November will be revealed in the coming weeks.

A spokesman for Event­Scotland said: “The nominations announcement for the MTV EMA marks the countdown to what will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of 2014, when Glasgow will host the world’s top music talent.

“EventScotland and the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau worked with MTV to secure the event and, now voting is open, we want as many people as possible to get online and back their favourite artists.

“Scotland will welcome the world to the awards ceremony, which will showcase Glasgow to more than half a billion households through MTV’s global network of channels.

“Scotland is the perfect stage for events, and the MTV Europe Music Awards are also expected to deliver a significant economic impact for Scotland.”