MTV Video Music Awards 2026: who is Gener8ion, the French duo nominated three times?

Les MTV Video Music Awards have unveiled the lineup of artists and groups for the 2026 ceremony, set for September 27 in Los Angeles. And surprise, the French duo Gener8ion is vying in three categories. So, who are they? Who's behind this artistic collaboration? Here's what we know.

Who will take home the award for "Video of the Year"? Who will have the honour of lifting the trophy for "Song of the Year"? The MTV Video Music Awards are back this fall, with a ceremony set for Sunday, September 27, 2026, in Los Angeles. This year, Madonna tops the nominations and is in the running in no fewer than 11 categories. Not far behind the Queen of Pop, we find Taylor Swift (nine nominations) followed by Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter (seven nominations each).

What if the prize for "Video of the Year," one of the most coveted categories at the MTV Video Music Awards, were won this autumn by a French duo? Gener8ion, a French artistic collaboration, finds itself nominated three times this year at the MTV VMAs. So who are they? And what awards could this duo take home? Here’s what you need to know.

Behind Gener8ion is electro producer Surkin and director Romain Gavras, son of filmmaker Costa-Gavras. Together, they form Gener8ion and are behind the track “Storm,” whose video has been viewed more than 17,200,000 times since its YouTube release on April 24, 2026. For this particularly impactful track, Gener8ion teamed up with Swedish rapper Yung Lean, who boasts five solo studio albums.

Resembling a seven-plus-minute short film, the video for “Storm” was choreographed by Belgian Damien Jalet and stars Yung Lean in a boys’ boarding school in Leeds, United Kingdom in 2034. Both dark and virtuosic, the video circulated widely on social media at the time of its release.

This year, Storm, featuring Yung Lean, has been nominated in three categories at the MTV Video Music Awards: Video of the Year, alongside Madonna, Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars and Ariana Grande; as well as Best Direction and Best Choreography.

So, Gener8ion—will it have the honor of taking home one or more awards this fall? The verdict arrives on September 27. In the meantime, meet the very first opus from Gener8ion, released on June 12. Entitled “Love & Tears,” the album features collaborations with 070 Shake, Adèle Castillon, and Yannis Philippakis of Foals.