Taylor Swift wins MTV’s new artist director award

Arts & Entertainment Desk

Taylor Swift is set to become the first recipient of the Artist-Director Award at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), a newly introduced honour recognising musicians for their contributions to music video direction and visual storytelling.

CBS and MTV announced the award on September 21, saying it recognises artists who have pushed creative boundaries and developed a distinctive directorial style through their work behind the camera.

The 14-time Grammy winner has received seven nominations for Best Direction at the VMAs, winning the award four times. Her directorial work includes music videos for “The Fate of Ophelia”, “Opalite” and “Anti-Hero”.

The ceremony, hosted by Snoop Dogg, will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on September 27 on CBS and MTV, with streaming available on Paramount+ in the United States. International audiences will be able to watch the event on MTV and Paramount+ the following day.

Beyond her achievements in music video direction, Swift has won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year four times.

Her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl”, also set a new first-week sales record in the modern era, according to Billboard, citing figures from music data tracking company Luminate.