Lisa expected to perform Sawadika for the first time at MTV VMAs 2026 — Korea Herald
In Los Angeles, United States, Blackpink member Lisa is expected to perform the song Sawadika live for the first time at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. It is a pre-release track from her upcoming EP Press Play, scheduled for release on October 23. As Korea Herald reports, the ceremony will take place on Sunday at the Peacock Theater, with rapper Snoop Dogg serving as host.
Lisa and BTS nominations
Lisa has four nominations — the most among K-pop artists this year. Dream from her first solo album Alter Ego is nominated in the “Best Pop” and “Best K-pop” categories. The music video for the song, featuring Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi, is also nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
BTS is nominated in three categories: “Song of the Year,” “Best K-pop,” and “Best Group.” Their song Swim, the lead track from their fifth album Arirang, is competing for the “Song of the Year” award. Golden, a song by the fictional girl group Huntrix from the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters, is also nominated in this category.
In the “Best K-pop” category, Swim will compete against Blackpink’s Jump, Cortis’ RedRed, Katseye’s Pinky Up, Le Sserafim’s Spaghetti featuring BTS’s J-Hope, and Lisa’s Dream. BTS won the “Best Group” award for four consecutive years, from 2019 to 2022.
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Cortis and Katseye
The boy band Cortis, which debuted in August 2025, received three nominations less than a year after its debut. The group is competing for “Best New Artist,” “Best K-pop” for RedRed, and “Best Group.”
The global girl group Katseye, formed by Hybe and Geffen, has four nominations. Pinky Up is nominated in the “Best K-pop” and “Best Choreography” categories, Hootie Frutti in the “Song of Summer” category, and the group itself is nominated for Best Group. In 2025, Katseye received the Push Performance of the Year award for the song Touch.
Other K-pop nominees include Blackpink’s Jennie and Tame Impala with Dracula in the “Song of Summer” category, as well as Jisoo and Zayne: their song Eyes Closed is nominated for Best Visual Effects.
