Demi Lovato, Karol G, Måneskin, and Stray Kids will perform at MTV’s  2023 Video Music Awards (VMAs), which will be televised live on September 12.

MTV announced the first wave of performers, with additional acts to be named in the near future.

Lovato is a 14-time nominee and will be appearing on the VMAs for the first time in six years. Her new album Revamped will drop a few days after the show.

Colombian star Karol G will make her first appearance at the VMAs.  She has been nominated for three awards, including Artist of the year.

Måneskin, which won two VMAs last year, will perform their forthcoming single Honey (Are You Coming?). 

K-pop group Stray Kids will make their first VMA performance with S-Class from their album 5-Star. For the second straight year, Stray Kids is nominated in the Best K-Pop category.

Bruce Gillmer and Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic are executive producers of the 2023 VMAs. Barb Bialkowski is co-executive producer. Alicia Portugal and Jackie Barba serve as executives in charge of production. Wendy Plaut is executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella is music talent executive.

Official sponsors of the 2023 VMAs include Bacardi Rum, Burger King, Clearblue, Descovy, Doritos, Heinz, M&M’s, Swiffer and Toyota Motor North America.

MTV announced that the 2023 Video Music Awards will be telecast live in more than 150 countries on September 12.

The awards show will return to the Prudential Center in New Jersey.

“We’re thrilled to be returning to the Prudential Center in Newark for this year’s VMAs!” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount  Plus. “Celebrating one of our biggest nights in music with the Garden State's incredible fans has been our goal since last year's highly successful event.”

The 2022 VMAs were held at the Prudential Center in August. LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow were the hosts.

“The return of the VMAs to the Prudential Center testifies to New Jersey’s enduring standing as a premier venue for large-scale entertainment events,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “As the home of some of the most internationally renowned names in the music industry, New Jersey is proud to once again partner with Paramount to showcase an array of exciting performances to a global audience. By hosting this highly anticipated spectacle, our state and local economies will also benefit from the thousands of visitors who will shop, dine, and stay in our local communities.”

Wheelhouse Entertainment said it has agreed to purchase a majority interest in Den of Thieves, the live-event, scripted and non-scripted production company responsible for producing MTV’s Video Music Awards and E!’s People Choice Awards.

Den of Thieves was founded by Jesse Ignjatovic and Evan Prager, and is known for producing the VMAs for 13 consecutive years and the upcoming People's Choice Awards (Nov. 10) for the second straight year. Other company productions include the "Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour” concert special for Netflix, the iHeartRadio Music Awards for Turner Broadcasting, the Radio Disney Music Awards on Disney Channel, The Gong Show on ABC, the Peabody Awards, and Ken Jeong’s Netflix Special “You Complete Me, Ho.”

The deal is expected to bolster both companies’ programming slates -- including on the live-event, concert and awards, and experiential marketing fronts – and via multi-platform original series and features, both scripted and unscripted. They will also pursue a range of content and media deals with talent across entertainment, sports and culture.

“What Jesse and Evan have accomplished is beyond extraordinary,” Wheelhouse CEO Brent Montgomery said in a press release. “...At a time of so much disruption in our industry, uniting with Den of Thieves not only allows us to scale instantly across the content and event landscape, it also offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with key brands, something we believe will be an integral force in media going forward. ”

The deal was brokered by Ed Simpson, chief strategy officer at Wheelhouse Group, and Evolution Media Capital.