Everything You Need To Know About The K-pop Music Award Season:

Introduction

For K-pop stars, the most glamorous time of the year is the year-end K-pop Music Award Season. We have jaw-dropping performances that make your heart race and the red carpet looks so flawless they’ll make you question your entire wardrobe. But it’s not just about the trophies and wins, it’s about the fierce stages and the magic that happens when the biggest names in K-pop compete for top honours, showcasing the diversity of the genre. From the iconic Melon Music Awards (MMA) to the star-studded Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), this guide has everything you need to know about the K-pop award shows happening now through early 2025.

General Overview of K-pop Music Award Season

The K-pop music award season takes place every year from late fall to early winter, celebrating the year’s biggest releases and achievements in the K-pop industry. Expect stunning performances, including epic collabs and theme stages, with mostly Korean actors presenting the awards. These year-end shows honour the best of the best, with categories like “Best Artist,” “Song of the Year,” “Rookie of the Year,” “Album of the Year” and many more. Winners of these awards are mostly determined with a mix of fan voting, album sales, and expert panels.

Short History of the K-pop Music Award Season

The first award shows hit the scene in 1990 when the K-pop industry exploded, and the well-known Golden Disc Awards took place in 1986. Then, in 1999, the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) entered the spotlight, quickly rising to become one of the most iconic and internationally recognised K-pop music award shows. Some of the biggest names in K-pop award shows also include Melon Music Awards, Hanteo Music Awards, and APAN Music Awards. These events are a full-on celebration of the Korean music scene, where idols and fans unite to toast the talent, artistry, and undeniable global power of K-pop.

What to expect from the 2024 – 2025 K-Pop Music Award Season

We advise you to kindly hold onto your seats because the 2024-2025 K-pop award season is about to be one for the history books. With all the massive releases this year, we’re in for a season full of jaw-dropping performances, celebrating the year’s iconic hits, unforgettable debuts, and the long-awaited comebacks we’ve all been dying for. It’s going to be a rollercoaster of excitement, surprises, and a few tear-jerking moments.

All Year-end K-pop Awards Shows: When are they? Where to watch? & Who is hosting?

1. Korea Grand Music Awards 2024 (KGMA):

The Korea Grand Music Awards 2024 kicked off this year’s award season on November 16th.

It was hosted by the stunning Hanni of NewJeans and Nam Ji-Hyun, on Day 1, while Winter replaced Hanni on Day 2. The ceremony was buzzing with unforgettable performances, but none made more noise than EXO’s D.O. and Lee Youngji’s stage with their collab song “Small Girl.” Fans went wild as the two delivered a performance packed with chemistry. Other standout acts included BIBI, STAYC, and Shinee’s Taemin, who also took home the coveted “Best Solo Artist” award. But hold on, the real showstoppers were DAY6, who made us all teary-eyed when they snagged a “Grand Performer” (Daesang) award after 9 years of their debut, and ZeroBaseOne who made history as the first 5th generation group to ever win a Daesang.

2. Mnet Asia Music Awards (MAMA)

A few days later, the most anticipated awards of the year, the Mnet Asia Music Awards (MAMA), took place in Los Angeles for the first time on November 21, before heading to Osaka, Japan for two more days of Idols and music. The ceremony’s theme, “Big Blur: What is Real?”, reflected the blurred lines between music, culture, and personal preferences. It was packed with iconic performances from KATSEYE, RIIZE, ILLIT, and JYP, who snagged the “Inspiring Achievement Award” for his 30 years in the music industry. Day 1 in LA was hosted by Park Bogum, while Day 2 and 3 in Osaka had Kim Taeri at the helm. SEVENTEEN slayed with their unique remix of songs, Aespa burned up the stage with “Supernova” and “Whiplash,” and Rose and Bruno Mars gave us chills with their prerecorded “APT” performance.

But the cherry on top was G-DRAGON gracing the MAMA stage once again, after seven long years. The biggest surprise was a BIGBANG reunion, with Dae Sung, Tae Yang, and G-Dragon performing their iconic hits and leaving the entire room and artists like SEVENTEEN, ZEROBASEONE, Aespa, and more absolutely stunned. G-Dragon also took home the “Music Visionary of the Year” award. But the real winners of the night were SEVENTEEN, who snagged two Daesangs for “Artist of the Year” and “Album of the Year,” plus three more awards. Aespa emerged from this year’s MAMA as the biggest winner with six awards, including the Daesang for “Visa Song of the Year.” Other notable winners include BTS’ Jungkook, IU, Moevv, and TWS. But the night’s biggest surprise was Rose and Bruno Mars winning the “Global Sensation Award” for their hit “APT.”

3. Melon Music Awards (MMA)

After the MAMA awards, all eyes are now on the Melon Music Awards (MMA) which take place in Incheon on November 30th. The 2024 MMA is serving up a star-studded host lineup, with Uhm Jung Hwa, Lee Je Hoon, Jang Geun Suk, Moon Geun Young, and Ahn Jae Hyun hosting. Fans are already buzzing about the performances, with ATEEZ, RIIZE, IVE, BOYNEXTDOOR, and TWS set to light up the stage. As for the competition, the race for ‘Artist of the Year’ is heating up, with Aespa, RIIZE, NewJeans, DAY6, IU, and more. Meanwhile, the battle for ‘New Artist of the Year’ is fierce, with BABYMONSTER, ILLIT, TWS, MEOVV, and Pagaehun all competing for the win of the rookies. Trust us, because MMA 2024 is definitely not to be missed.

4. Asia Artist Awards (AAA)

The Asia Artist Awards (AAA) are set to take place on December 27th in Bangkok. IVE’s Jang Wonyoung and  ZEROBASEONE’s Sung Hanbin are back as hosts, just like last year, bringing the perfect mix of charm and flair. You can even expect jaw-dropping performances from KISS OF LIFE, EXO’s Suho, LE SSERAFIM, and more. Oh, and don’t forget the top K-drama stars like Byeon Woo-Seok and Park Min-young, who will be gracing the event too.

5. Golden Disc Awards (GDA)

The Golden Disc Awards (GDA) are set to shine on January 4th, 2025, in Japan. Sung Si Kyung and Cha Eunwoo are back as hosts, but we’ve got a new addition to the mix: Moon Ga-young, whose impressive foreign language skills are sure to win over global K-pop fans. Plus, with her and Cha Eunwoo’s adorable chemistry from their TVN rom-com “True Beauty”, fans can’t wait to see them reunite on stage. Nominees for the 39th Golden Disc Awards will be revealed on December 2nd, KST, with attending artists dropping throughout the month.

6. Hanteo Music Awards (HMA)

The 32nd Hanteo Music Awards (HMA) are coming to Seoul on February 15th and 16th, 2025 which you won’t want to miss. Only the hottest albums and tracks from this year are eligible for a nomination, with winners chosen based on the all-important Hanteo Chart data. But if you want more deets, make sure to keep an eye on the official HMA 2024 social media channels.

7. More TBA Award Shows

The dates for the Circle Chart Music Awards, Seoul Music Awards, and Genie Music Awards are “coming soon”, but let’s just say our January and February 2025 are about to be amazing.

Where to Watch K-pop Music Award Shows?

The end of the year is the peak K-pop moment. Between the endless award shows and new content dropping every other day, it’s like your feed never takes a breath. But, it can be so hard to keep up with it all, especially when you’re trying to figure out where to actually watch everything. So don’t worry, we’ve got your back this time!

For the MAMA and MMA, you can catch all the action straight from their official websites, with Melon also gracing the ‘1theK’ YouTube channel for your viewing pleasure. But that’s not all, there are a ton of third-party Korean streaming platforms that have you covered for every K-pop music award show, making sure you’re never left behind. Most of these shows offer official live streams through YouTube or their websites, and if you happen to miss a moment, apps like Viki have streams available as well. And don’t worry, all the best bits will be uploaded online after the show airs, with the official YouTube channels dropping the videos for your replaying pleasure.

Because let’s be real, you’re going to want to watch it all over again, and again… and again.

Controversies Surrounding the Awards

In the K-pop music award shows, some artists win while others do not, a concept that is not new. However, it seems that some fans may not fully understand the process. For example, Seventeen’s historic Daesang wins at the MAMA Awards have made a significant impact, with their emotional victory marking their second consecutive year winning the prestigious award. Seventeen which debuted in 2015, is now in its 10th year as an active idol group. Despite the significance of their achievement, some compared their releases, raised questions about their win, speculated why Seventeen was chosen over other groups like Enhypen or Aespa, and debated their qualifications for the award this year.

At MAMA, NewJeans delivered a winning speech that had idols in tears. But, of course, it wasn’t without its share of controversy. Netizens were quick to voice their thoughts, wondering if NewJeans should even be attending an award show, given their ongoing feud with HYBE. However, what unfolded was far more emotional than anyone expected. On November 28, Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein held an emergency press conference to announce their contract termination with ADOR.

Fans were also left disappointed by the highly anticipated APT performance from Rose and Bruno Mars, which turned out to be pre-recorded and shown on a large screen instead of a live stage performance. Many attendees voiced their frustration, feeling betrayed by MAMA.

Another controversy surrounding award shows this year is the growing number of internal companies launching their own ceremonies, which is starting to feel overwhelming. The calendar is filled up with events that claim to celebrate achievements but often feel repetitive. For instance, the debut of the KGMA (Korean Global Music Awards), hosted by Ilgan Sports, the same company behind the long-running Golden Disc Awards, failed to live up to expectations. Production issues were obvious, with awkward camera angles and a bored-looking audience. Even the stage setup looked like a giant rug on the floor. Sources revealed that some agencies had even asked if they could refuse an award to avoid performing.

So, the question remains: do we really need all these award shows? In the past, events like the SBS, MBC, and KBS awards were the industry’s main celebrations, and their rarity made them feel truly special. But now with K-pop’s global rise, it’s not the same. While these events feature killer performances, they’re a lot for idols to handle, especially with so many commitments. These marathons can drag on for hours, leaving idols zoning out after endless performances and speeches. At the 2024 MAMA Awards, BIG BANG’s G-Dragon even threw some shade while accepting the award, “Oh, this new award was created so that everyone doesn’t fight.” His comment reflects the fatigue and growing skepticism that artists feel about the increasingly crowded award shows.

And let’s not forget the timing. These award shows take over the holiday season, a time when most people are enjoying quality time with family. For idols, though, it’s just another work day. It’d be nice if they got a break to recharge and actually spend time with their loved ones before diving back into the chaos of the new year.

Performances to look forward to

Despite the late-night broadcasts, award season is one of the year’s highlights. Stressful? For sure. Exciting? Definitely. While the Daesang winners steal the spotlight, it’s the legendary performances that really make these shows unforgettable. No one can forget BTS’s “Mic Drop” Remix at the 2017 MAMA or the iconic JYP & Hwasa collab in 2019, complete with Got7’s Jackson giving us meme gold with his priceless face.

This year gave us some unforgettable moments, starting with Katseye’s legendary dance break at the MAMA Awards Chapter 1 in LA from which fans are still recovering. Then, in Japan, we got the jaw-dropping Big Bang reunion performance, plus IZNA’s debut showcase, where they revealed their debut track “IZNA” for the first time. Add to that hits like Supernova by Aespa, Sheesh by BabyMonster, How Sweet by NewJeans, Plot Twist by TWS, God of Music by Seventeen, Good So Bad by Zerobaseone, or the irresistibly catchy Magnetic by ILLIT, and it’s clear: fans are already hyped for more epic performances this year.

Conclusion

In the end, K-pop award shows are more than just ceremonies. Each one gives artists a stage to showcase their talents and connect with fans, leaving us with unforgettable moments. From emotional speeches to mind-blowing performances, these shows capture the ever-changing K-pop scene. So whether you’re rooting for your faves or discovering new sounds, these events are a must-watch.