by The 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) met K-pop fans offline for the first time in two years. About 450 spectators were enthusiastically waving light sticks on the splendid stage. The response of global K-pop fans was also hot, as MAMA ranked first in the Twitter real-time trend worldwide.
At the awards ceremony held at CJ ENM Studio Center in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, on the 11th, the group BTS won 9 gold medals. ‘Artist of the Year,’ ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Album of the Year’, and ‘Worldwide Icon of the Year’ for three consecutive years won 4 grand prizes for three consecutive years, and ‘Favorite Moment,’ ‘Worldwide Fans Choice Top 10′, ”Best Male Group Award,’ ‘Best Dance Performance Male Group,’ and ‘Best Music Video’ trophies were added.
BTS, who went into self-isolation and rest after a concert in Los Angeles, USA, could not attend the awards ceremony. In the video, RM said, “I tried musically to give strength and comfort to those who had a tough and difficult time this year, and I ran hard.” “Thank you for sympathizing with our music.”
Group Espa, selected as the best Rookie of the year, won the ‘Rookie of the Year Award’ and the ‘Best Dance Performance Female Group’ twice. Member Winter said, “Next year, I will show you more wonderful and new ESPA’s performances.” IU won the ‘Female Singer Award’ and ‘Best Vocal Performance,’ while TWICE won the ‘Female Group Award’ and ‘World Wide Fan’s Choice Top 10’. The Brave Girls, who wrote the myth of going backward with ‘Roline,’ were selected as ‘KTO Breakout Artists.’
Want a One, which drew attention for their first reunion in three years, decorated the stage with a pre-recording. The crew who appeared in ‘Street Woman Fighter,’ which caused this year’s syndrome, and Hyori Lee, who played an active role as the first female host, finished the show. Hyori Lee presented an overwhelming performance with each crew leader to the new song ‘Two the Dance’ following the eight crew performances.
MAMA, which expanded its stage to Asia in 2009, was held in Korea last year, and this year, due to COVID-19, it received on-site audiences for the first time in two years. It was broadcast live in more than 200 countries and regions worldwide through four YouTube channels, including Asian regional channels such as Mnet Japan and the online video service (OTT) platform. Votings held on Apple Music, Twitter, and the official website that decided ‘This Year’s Worldwide Fan’s Choice Top 10’ recorded an aggregate of about 11.21 mi
