MTV UNVEILS "2012 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS" NOMINATIONS

SUPERSTAR ALICIA KEYS AND BRITISH SENSATION ONE DIRECTION TO PERFORM

Rihanna and Drake Lead with Five Nominations Each

Chris Brown and Drake Battle It Out for Best Male Video

Best Electronic Dance Music Video Category Added

Best New Artist: The Boy Bands vs. Carly Rae Jepsen, fun. and Frank Ocean

New York, NY (July 31, 2012) - MTV kicked off its annual countdown to the biggest night in music by officially announcing the nominees for the "2012 MTV Video Music Awards" and unveiling the first two VMA performers. Set to rock this year's show, airing LIVE on September 6 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, is four-time VMA Award-winner, Alicia Keys, who will premiere a brand new song from her upcoming album, and the British boy band phenoms, One Direction, who are first-time VMA performers and nominees.

"Debuting a new song at the VMAs is definitely special. I debuted "No One" at the VMAs - it was the first time anyone in the world heard "No One," says Keys. "It's the perfect setting. It's the right energy. It's the right vibe. People are so excited about the night of music and hearing different styles that it just goes over really well. I can't wait!"

Rihanna and Drake lead the charge with an impressive five VMA nominations each, including the coveted, "Video of the Year" for her hit "We Found Love" as well as their joint smash, "Take Care." While Drake received additional nods for "Best Hip Hop Video," "Best Male Video," "Best Art Direction" and "Best Cinematography," Rihanna racked up additional nods for "Best Female Video," "Best Choreography," "Best Visual Effects" and "Best Pop Video." Katy Perry follows as a close second with four VMA nods. Additionally, with the worldwide explosion of EDM, a new category for "Best Electronic Dance Music Video" has been added. Other notable VMA nominees this year include Kanye West, Gotye, Black Keys, Beyoncé, Skrillex, Frank Ocean, fun., Watch The Throne, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Lana Del Ray, Avicii, One Direction, Childish Gambino, Usher and more. MTV will announce additional performers and presenters at a later date.

Beginning Tuesday, July 31st at 6:00 a.m. ET, viewers can vote for general VMA categories, including "Video of the Year," "Best New Artist," and more by visiting vma.mtv.com online or m.mtv.com on their mobile phone. In addition, "Best New Artist" is available for voting via all wireless carrier subscribers by texting BNA to 22444 or by visiting MTV's official Facebook page. Voting for all VMA categories, except "Best New Artist," will end on August 24 at 6:00 p.m. ET. Voting for "Best New Artist" continues through the show, live on September 6. Verizon subscribers can vote on all categories via SMS by texting VMA to 22444 (standard message rates apply.) In addition voters that text VMA to 22444 are automatically entered into a sweepstakes to win a trip to the 2013 Video Music Awards.

For the entire list of nominees for the "2012 MTV Video Music Awards," please click here.

Alicia Keys can be described as a modern-day Renaissance woman. She is a 14-time Grammy(R) Award-winning singer/songwriter/producer, an accomplished actress, a New York Times best-selling author, an entrepreneur and a powerful force in the world of philanthropy and in the global fight against HIV and AIDS. Since the 2001 release of her monumental debut album, songs in A minor, Keys has built an unparalleled repertoire of hits and accomplishments with more than 30 million albums sold worldwide. Keys is currently completing her highly anticipated fifth studio album which will be released this fall.

The five U.K. lads of One Direction - Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson - met as solo artists on "The X Factor 2010," where they were turned into a group by the show's judges. After quickly becoming a sensation in their native land, they invaded the U.S. in late 2011. The group's debut album, Up All Night, entered the U.S. Billboard 200 chart at No. 1, making music history as the first U.K. group to enter the charts at No. 1 with a debut album in the U.S. Up All Night is currently the top selling debut album of 2012.

Since the first MTV "Video Music Awards" aired in 1984, the VMAs instantly earned its reputation for delivering the most popular bands and artists to create the loudest, most influential and at times, the most controversial, annual live celebration of music in the world. No other award show has been responsible for creating more memorable or bigger musical moments in pop culture history than the MTV "Video Music Awards." From Madonna, Michael Jackson, Guns N' Roses, Eminem and Nirvana to Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Beyoncé and Florence and the Machine, an appearance on the VMA stage can forever change the trajectory of an artist's career in a single night.

The 2012 "MTV Video Music Awards" will air across MTV's global network of more than 60 channels reaching more than 600 million households around the world as well as through syndication. In addition, its convergent programming and content will reach the entire interactive community, via MTV's more than 200 digital media properties around the world. Ratings for the 2011 VMAs were up +30% YOY internationally, and the show was one of MTV's top performers in key markets across Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia.

Jesse Ignjatovic/Den of Thieves is the Executive Producer for the "2012 MTV Video Music Awards." Amy Doyle, Garrett English and Dave Sirulnick are Executive Producers. Joanna Bomberg, Jen Jones and Lee Lodge are Co-Executive Producers. Hamish Hamilton is Director. Wendy Plaut is Celebrity Talent Executive.

Official sponsors of the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards are 5 Gum(TM), Adidas Originals, COVERGIRL, Kia Motors America, Orbit Gum(TM), Pepsi(R), State Farm(R), Taco Bell(R), Trojan(R) Charged(TM) Condoms and Verizon Wireless.

About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.