Rihanna leads MTV Europe Music Award nominations

Rihanna performs ''Cockiness'' with A$AP Rocky (L) during the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, September 6, 2012.

LONDON (Reuters) - Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna led the nominations for the MTV Europe Music Awards on Monday with six, ahead of country songstress Taylor Swift on five and pop stars Justin Bieber and Katy Perry on four each.

The music channel said Rihanna had been shortlisted for best song ("We Found Love"), best female, best pop, best video ("We Found Love"), biggest fans and in the new category, best look.

She is up against Swift in the female, pop and look sections, while Swift was also nominated for best live and best world stage act.

Lady Gaga dominated last year's awards held in Belfast, coming away with four prizes and performing "Marry the Night". This year she is nominated for three awards - best live act, video (Marry the Night) and "biggest" fans.

A host of other acts, including Lana Del Rey, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z and Kanye West also earned three nominations each.

The awards, many of which are voted for by MTV fans online, are one of the biggest pop events outside the United States, and, despite being based in Europe, are generally dominated by American artists.

This year they will be held in Frankfurt's Festhalle on November 11.

Following are the main nominations:

BEST SONG: Carly Rae Jepsen/Call Me Maybe; Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris/We Found Love; Gotye/Somebody That I Used To Know; Pitbull feat. Chris Brown/International Love; fun. feat. Janelle Monáe/We Are Young

BEST NEW: Rita Ora; fun.; One Direction; Lana Del Rey; Carly Rae Jepsen

BEST FEMALE: Rihanna; Katy Perry; P!nk; Taylor Swift; Nicki Minaj

BEST MALE: Justin Bieber; Kanye West; Flo Rida; Pitbull; Jay-Z

BEST POP: Justin Bieber; No Doubt; Katy Perry; Taylor Swift; Rihanna

BEST LIVE: Taylor Swift; Lady Gaga; Jay-Z & Kanye West; Green Day; Muse

BEST HIP HOP: Jay-Z & Kanye West; Nas; Rick Ross; Drake; Nicki Minaj

BEST ROCK: Linkin Park; Green Day; Muse; The Killers; Coldplay

BEST ELECTRONIC: David Guetta; Swedish House Mafia; Avicii; Skrillex; Calvin Harris

BEST ALTERNATIVE: Jack White; The Black Keys; Arctic Monkeys; Florence + The Machine; Lana Del Rey

BEST VIDEO: M.I.A./Bad Girls; Lady Gaga/Marry The Night; Katy Perry/Wide Awake; Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris/We Found Love; PSY/Gangnam Style.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)