Magnus Ferrell Receives VMA Best New Artist Nomination

Magnus Ferrell snagged a Best New Artist nomination at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. He's 22, and his dad is actor Will Ferrell. The musician will face off against Bella Kay, CORTIS, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, Sienna Spiro, and Stella Lefty when the broadcast goes live from Los Angeles on Sept. 7. Fans can vote now for all 13 VMA categories. 

This happened after his song, "Asleep Talking," reached No. 24 on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart. Magnus started making music at 17. He signed with Visva/Republic Records. Piano lessons filled his childhood, and he joined a jazz band as a teenager. At the University of Southern California, he studied acting, but music won out.

His first public performance was at a Cancer for College event. His father's former roommate, Craig Pollard, started the charity. Will showed up onstage to play cowbell while Magnus performed "Back in Place." His track, "Slow Down," was part of his father's 2025 romantic comedy, You're Cordially Invited.

He'll open for the Jonas Brothers on select dates of their Burning Up tour. He toured with Nick Jonas before. Those shows "reminded us what it's like to be human" watching each night, he said, according to Rolling Stone. "You have to acknowledge the position that you're in because they're not wrong. I can't control the attention that I get because of my dad, but like, it is there."