MAMA Awards

South Korean music industry achievement awards for Asian artistes

Not to be confused with M.A.M.A. awards.

MAMA Awards

Current: 2023 MAMA Awards
Awarded for| Outstanding achievements in the K-pop and Asian music industry.
Country| South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Macau
Presented by| CJ ENM Entertainment Division (Mnet)
First awarded| November 27, 1999; 24 years ago (1999-11-27)
Website| Official website
Television/radio coverage
Network| Mnet, across CJ E&M channels and other international networks
| <- 2022 · | MAMA | · 2023 ->

|
|

The MAMA Awards (Korean: 엠넷 아시안 뮤직 어워드, formerly Mnet Asian Music Awards)[1] is a major music awards ceremony presented annually by entertainment company CJ E&M. First held in South Korea, the majority of prizes has been won by K-pop artists, although there are other Asian artists winning in various award categories, such as for Best Asian Artist and other professional-related awards.

The awards ceremony was first held in Seoul in 1999, being aired on Mnet.[2] MAMA has also been held in various Asian countries and cities outside of South Korea since 2010 and now airs internationally online beyond Asia.[3][4]

## History[edit]

### Ceremony[edit]

The event was launched in 1999 as a music video awards ceremony, modeled after the MTV Video Music Awards, called the Mnet Music Video Festival.[2][5] It merged with the KMTV Korean Music Awards in 2004 and was renamed the Mnet KM Music Video Festival.[6][7] By the mid-2000s, the awards ceremony had attracted some international interest due to the spread of Hallyu, and it aired in China and Japan in 2008.[2][8]

In 2009, the event was renamed the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) to reflect its expansion outside of South Korea.[9] In 2010, MAMA was held in Macau, marking the first time it was held outside of South Korea. The following year, in 2011, MAMA was held in Singapore, and was then held in Hong Kong from 2012 to 2017.[8] In 2017, the awards ceremony was expanded to four nights, and parts of the event were held in Vietnam and Japan, in addition to Hong Kong.[2] In 2018, MAMA had three parts and was held in three countries; South Korea hosted the MAMA for the first time in nine years, together with Japan and Hong Kong. In 2020, MAMA was held online only and took place in South Korea only due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11][12][13]

Mnet Asian Music Awards logo

On July 20, 2021, it was reported by Ilgan Sports that the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards was undergoing discussion for the event to be held in Hong Kong despite the ongoing pandemic and travel restrictions.[14] On August 23, 2022, CJ E&M announced that the event would be rebranded as simply the "MAMA Awards" going forward.[15]

### Event name[edit]

* Mnet Video Music Awards (1999)[5]
* Mnet Music Video Festival (2000–2003)[16]
* Mnet KM Music Video Festival (2004–2005)[17]
* Mnet KM Music Festival (2006–2008)[18]
* Mnet Asian Music Awards (2009–2021)[9]
* MAMA Awards (2022–present)[15]

## Host venues[edit]

Year[a] | Date[19] | City[19] | Venue[19] | Host(s)[citation needed]

|
|
|
|

Mnet Video Music Awards
1999 | November 27  |  Seoul | Universal Arts Center | Choi Hal-li
Mnet Music Video Festival (MMF)
2000 | November 24  |  Seoul | Universal Arts Center  | Cha Tae-hyun and Kim Hyun-joo
2001 | November 23  | Cha Tae-hyun and Song Hye-kyo
2002 | November 29  | Shin Dong-yup and Kim Jung-eun
2003 | November 27  | Kyung Hee University | Cha Tae-hyun and Sung Yu-ri
Mnet KM Music Video Festival (MKMF)
2004 | December 4  |  Seoul | Kyung Hee University  | Shin Dong-yup and Kim Jung-eun
2005 | November 27  | Olympic Gymnastics Arena | Shin Dong-yup and Kim Ah-joong
Mnet KM Music Festival (MKMF)
2006 | November 25  |  Seoul | Olympic Gymnastics Arena  | Shin Dong-yup and Kim Ok-bin
2007 | November 17  | Seoul Sports Complex | Shin Dong-yup and Lee Da-hae
2008 | November 15  | Rain
Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA)
2009 | November 21  |  Seoul | Seoul Sports Complex  | Tiger JK
2010 | November 28  |  Macau | Cotai Arena, The Venetian Macao | None
2011 | November 29  |  Singapore | Singapore Indoor Stadium | Lee Byung-hun
2012 | November 30  |  Hong Kong | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre | Song Joong-ki
2013 | November 22  | AsiaWorld–Arena | Lee Seung-gi
2014 | December 3  | Song Seung-heon
2015 | December 2  | Psy
2016 | December 2  | Lee Byung-hun
2017 | November 25  |  Ho Chi Minh City | Hoa Binh Theatre  | Thu Minh
November 29  |  Yokohama | Yokohama Arena | Park Bo-gum
November 30  |  Hong Kong | W Hong Kong | None
December 1  | AsiaWorld–Arena  | Song Joong-ki
2018 | December 10  |  Seoul | Dongdaemun Design Plaza | Jung Hae-in[20]
December 12  |  Saitama | Saitama Super Arena | Park Bo-gum[20]
December 14  |  Hong Kong | AsiaWorld-Arena  | Song Joong-ki[20]
2019 | December 4  |  Nagoya | Nagoya Dome | Park Bo-gum[21]
2020 | December 6  |  Paju | CJ E&M Contents World  | Song Joong-ki[22]
2021 | December 11  | Lee Hyori[23]
MAMA Awards
2022 | November 29–30  |  Osaka | Kyocera Dome | Jeon Somi and Park Bo-gum[24][25]
2023 | November 28–29  |  Tokyo | Tokyo Dome

## Award categories[edit]

### Grand prizes[edit]

The four grand prizes (known as daesang):

* Artist of the Year
* Album of the Year
* Song of the Year
* Worldwide Icon of the Year (since 2018)

### Competitive awards[edit]

Unless otherwise noted, each award category was introduced in 1999.

* Best Male Artist
* Best Female Artist
* Best Male Group (since 2000, was known as Best Group in 1999)
* Best Female Group (since 2000)
* Best New Artist
* Best Dance Performance
* Best Band Performance
* Best Rap Performance
* Best Vocal Performance (since 2010)
* Best Collaboration (2010, 2012, 2014–2017, 2019–present)
* Best OST (2004–2006, 2008–2009, 2011–2014, 2016–present)
* Best Music Video (since 2006)
* Best Unit (2018)

### Special awards[edit]

Main article: Mnet Asian Music Awards in the Special Awards Category

These awards have been given once or occasionally.

* Best International Artist (1999–2006, 2009–2010, 2012–2014, 2019, 2021)
* Best Asian Artist (since 2004)
* Other special awards

### Discontinued awards[edit]

* Music Video of the Year (1999–2005)
(former daesang award and currently Best Music Video since 2006)
* Best Popular Music Video (1999–2005)
(former daesang award)
* Best Music Video Performance (2005–2007)
* Best Music Video Director (1999–2006)
* Best Mixed Group (2000–2009)
* Best Ballad Performance (1999–2009)
* Best R&B Performance (2000–2007)
* Best Indie Performance (1999–2002)
* Best House & Electronic Performance (2007–2009)
* Best Trot Performance (2009)
* Best Digital Single (2010)

## Most wins[edit]

### Daesang awards[edit]

The following lists the artist(s) who received two or more daesang awards.
(Includes Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Worldwide Icon of the Year)

Record set  | Artist(s)  | First year
awarded  | Recent year
awarded[b]

|
|
|

21  | BTS | 2016 | 2023
6  | Exo | 2013 | 2017
5  | Big Bang | 2008 | 2015
4  | 2NE1 | 2009 | 2011
3  | Twice | 2016 | 2018
Super Junior | 2007 | 2012
2  | NewJeans | 2023 | 2023
G-Dragon | 2009 | 2013
TVXQ | 2005 | 2008
SG Wannabe | 2006 | 2006
BoA | 2002 | 2004
H.O.T. | 1999 | 2000

### Most awarded overall[edit]

Record set  | Artist(s)

|

52  | BTS
19  | Seventeen
18  | Twice
16  | Exo
13  | Big Bang
Super Junior
12  | IU

Blackpink
TVXQ
10  | 2NE1
Psy
Shinhwa
8  | BoA

## Controversies[edit]

See also: 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards § Controversies

### Boycotting incidents[edit]

In 2007, Lee Min-woo and Shin Hye-sung from the group Shinhwa canceled their appearance at the event one hour before the awards ceremony began. Shin later said they left because they did not trust the event to fairly select winners.[26]

In 2009, entertainment companies Inwoo Production and SM Entertainment boycotted the 2009 awards ceremony with none of their artists attending. Both companies said the reason for their boycott was that they questioned the fairness of the voting process. In particular, SM Entertainment said that Girls' Generation had held the #1 spot on a music chart for nine consecutive weeks, but the group never won first place on Mnet's weekly M Countdown music show. The company also criticized a mobile poll which required participants to pay money in order to vote.[27] In 2010, SM Entertainment artists also did not attend the year's awards ceremony.[28]

### Voter fraud[edit]

Prior to the 2017 awards ceremony, Mnet found that some fans had cast fraudulent votes through the use of bots. As a result, Mnet temporarily halted voting, then nullified all fraudulent votes, blocked relevant IP addresses, and deleted relevant user accounts.[29][30]

## Broadcasting[edit]

The ceremony broadcasts live worldwide via Mnet, TVING, tvN Asia, Mnet Japan, Mnet Smart+, other CJ ENM channels, and YouTube through Mnet K-POP, Mnet TV, M2, and KCON channels.

Other broadcasters that also broadcast the event includes au Smart Pass, Far EasTone Mobile Circle app & friDay Video, MeWATCH, TonTon, FPT Play, JOOX, ViuTV, Smart Livestream, and Vidio.

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Each year in the table links to the Wikipedia article about that year's awards ceremony.
2. ^ Artists with the most awards and the most recent year awarded are listed first.

## References[edit]

1. ^ Jeff Benjamin. "MAMA Awards Rebrands With New Name, Sets Dates & Location for 2022 Ceremony: Exclusive". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
2. ^ a b c d St. Michel, Patrick (December 4, 2017). "This Three-Country, Four-Night Asian Music Awards Show Is A K-Pop Promotion Machine". NPR. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
3. ^ Reinfrank, Alkira (December 2, 2017). "Supergroup BTS clean up at Asia's biggest K-pop awards show". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
4. ^ Mathew, Ilin. "Mnet Asian Music Awards 2017 live stream: Where to watch MAMA online and broadcast channel information". International Business Times, India Edition. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
5. ^ a b "1999 Mnet Video Music Awards". Mnet Global. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
6. ^ Hong, Je-sung (November 8, 2004). m.net.KMTV 뮤직비디오 페스티벌 개최 [Mnet and KMTV will hold music festival]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022 - via Naver.
7. ^ Bae, Young-eun (December 5, 2004). 보아 'My Name', 올해 최고의 뮤직비디오 [BoA's 'My Name' is the best music video of the year]. Joy News 24 (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022 - via Naver.
8. ^ a b Kim, Jae-heun (November 12, 2015). "Mnet Asian Music Awards: new global platform for K-pop stars". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
9. ^ a b "TWICE wins Song of Year Award at 2017 MAMA with 'Signal'". Yonhap News Agency. November 30, 2017. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
10. ^ "'2020 MAMA', 국내서 개최하나?...CJ ENM "결정된 것 없어"[공식]". Naver News (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
11. ^ "Mnet to hold online Asian music award event due to COVID-19 pandemic". www.ajudaily.com. September 21, 2020. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
12. ^ "K-pop awards show MAMA to be held online due to COVID-19". The Korea Herald. September 21, 2020. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
13. ^ 장, 동우 (September 21, 2020). "K-pop awards show MAMA to be held online due to COVID-19". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
14. ^ Hwang Ji-young (July 20, 2021). "[단독] '2021 MAMA' 코로나 위기 속 홍콩 개최 논의 '솔솔'" [[Exclusive] Discussion about holding '2021 MAMA' in Hong Kong amid Corona crisis 'Solsol']. Daum (in Korean). Ilgan Sports. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
15. ^ a b Benjamin, Jeff (August 23, 2022). "MAMA Awards Rebrands With New Name, Sets Dates & Location for 2022 Ceremony: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
16. ^ "2003 Mnet Music Video Festival". Mnet Global. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
17. ^ "2005 Mnet KM Music Video Festival". Mnet Global. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
18. ^ "2008 Mnet KM Music Festival". Mnet Global. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
19. ^ a b c "MAMA History". Mnet Global. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
20. ^ a b c Han Na-young (December 3, 2018). "한국 정해인·일본 박보검·홍콩 송중기…'2018 MAMA' 호스트 확정" [Korea's Jung Hae-in, Japan's Park Bo-gum, Hong Kong's Song Joong-ki ... Host confirmed for '2018 MAMA']. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
21. ^ Jeon Ah-ram (December 2, 2019). "박보검 측 "'2019 MAMA' 호스트 확정…문화 교류 위해" [공식입장]" [Park Bo-gum's side "'2019 MAMA' host confirmed ... for cultural exchange" [Official position]]. Xports News (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021 - via Naver.
22. ^ Lee Da-gyeom (November 24, 2020). "송중기, '2020 MAMA' 호스트 낙점[공식]" [Song Joong-ki, '2020 MAMA' Host Selection [Official]]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021 - via Naver.
23. ^ Kim Min-ji (October 13, 2021). "'레전드 아티스트' 이효리, 2021 MAMA 호스트로 나선다" ['Legend Artist' Hyori Lee to host 2021 MAMA]. News1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021 - via Naver.
24. ^ "'2022 MAMA' 전소미X박보검 호스트 나선다 [공식]" [Jeon So-mi X Park Bo-gum to host '2022 MAMA' [Official]]. Newsen (in Korean). November 16, 2022. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022 - via Naver.
25. ^ 김, 진석. "박보검·전소미, 지난해 이어 2023 MAMA 어워즈 호스트". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2023.
26. ^ Kim, Yeon-ji (November 17, 2007). "이민우-신혜성, MKMF 행사직전 "불참"(종합)" [Lee Min Woo, Shin Hye Sung leave just before MKMF event]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
27. ^ Kim, Jessica (November 3, 2009). "SM singers boycott Mnet music award". Asia Economy. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
28. ^ 김원겸 (November 17, 2010). "소녀시대도, 효리도 No…'반쪽 MAMA'" (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
29. ^ Herman, Tamar (November 3, 2017). "2017 MAMA Awards Shut Down Voting to Address Fraud Issues". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
30. ^ "Mnet takes action against ballot rigging in year-end K-pop awards". Yonhap News Agency. November 3, 2017. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2018.

## External links[edit]

MAMA Awards at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Definitions from Wiktionary
* Media from Commons
* Data from Wikidata

* Official website

Portals:

* Asia
* Music

* v
* t
* e

MAMA Awards

Mnet KM Music Festival (MKMF) -> Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) -> MAMA Awards

Merit awards|

| Grand Prizes/Daesang|

* Album of the Year
* Artist of the Year
* Song of the Year
* Worldwide Icon of the Year

|

Competitive Awards|

* Best Male Artist
* Best Female Artist
* Best Male Group
* Best Female Group
* Best New Artist
* Best Dance Performance
* Best Band Performance
* Best Rap Performance
* Best Vocal Performance
* Best Collaboration
* Best OST
* Best Music Video

Special Awards|

* Best International Artist
* Best Asian Artist
* Other Special Awards

Discontinued awards|

* Best Mixed Group
* Best Ballad/R&B Performance
* Other Discontinued Genre-Specific Awards
* Discontinued Music Video Awards

Ceremonies|

* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

Website

* v
* t
* e

CJ E&M Music

* Mediopia Technology Corp. -> GM Agency Co. Ltd. -> CJ Music Inc. -> Mnet Media Corp. -> CJ E&M Music Performance Division (DBA CJ E&M Music and Live)

CJ E&M Music Artists|

| Groups|

* SG Wannabe
* Davichi
* Rocoberry

|

Soloists|

* Roy Kim
* Son Ho-young
* Park Bo-ram
* Kim Feel

Former singers|

* Hong Jin Young
* Jo Sungmo
* Kim Jong Kook
* LYn
* Ock Joo Hyun
* Busker Busker
* Lee Min Woo
* Shinhwa
* Yoon Jong Shin
* SunMin
* Yangpa
* Lee Hyori
* Jung Joon-young
* JJY Band
* Spica
* Emma Wu
* I.O.I
* Heize
* Eric Nam

Former Actors|

* Hwang Jung-eum
* Lee Beom-soo
* Song Seung-heon

Subsidiaries|

| Present|

* Wake One Entertainment
* Lapone Entertainment
* Swing Entertainment
* AOMG
* H1ghr Music
* Amoeba Culture

|

Former|

* Maroo Entertainment
* MBK Entertainment
* FNC Entertainment
* B2M Entertainment
* Hi-Lite Records
* Jellyfish Entertainment
* The Music Works
* Belift Lab

Distribution Network|

| Present|

* AOMG
* Amoeba Culture
* Antenna Music
* B2M Entertainment
* Being Inc.
* Happy Face Entertainment
* Illionaire Records
* Jellyfish Entertainment
* Jungle Entertainment
* Mnet
* Mystic Story
* Shinhwa Company
* sidusHQ
* Top Class Entertainment
* TS Entertainment
* tvN
* Up-Front Group
* Yamaha A&R

|

Former|

* Play M Entertainment
* Chrome Entertainment
* DSP Media
* FNC Entertainment
* IY Company
* J. Tune Camp
* JYP Entertainment
* Map the Soul Inc.
* Maroo Entertainment
* MBK Entertainment
* NH Media
* Nega Network
* Star Empire Entertainment
* Woollim Entertainment
* YG Entertainment

Music Network (Mnet)|

| Programs|

* Dancing 9
* M Countdown
* Show Me the Money
* Superstar K
* The Voice of Korea
* Unpretty Rapstar
* Produce 101
* High School Rapper
* Not the Same Person You Used to Know
* TMI News
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* Road to Kingdom
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* I-Land
* Kingdom: Legendary War
* Girls Planet 999
* Street Woman Fighter
* Street Dance Girls Fighter
* Queendom 2
* Be Mbitious
* Street Man Fighter
* Boys Planet
* Queendom Puzzle
* Street Woman Fighter 2
* Street Dance Girls Fighter 2
* Build Up: Vocal Boy Group Survival

|

Awards shows|

* MAMA Awards
* Mnet 20's Choice Awards

Holding companies|

* CJ Group
* CJ E&M

* CJ E&M Music Performance Division

* v
* t
* e

South Korean music awards

Major|

* APAN Music Awards
* Asia Artist Awards
* Circle Chart Music Awards
* Genie Music Awards
* Golden Disc Awards
* Hanteo Music Awards
* Korean Music Awards
* Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards
* MAMA Awards
* Melon Music Awards
* Seoul Music Awards
* Soribada Best K-Music Awards
* The Fact Music Awards

Genre-specific|

* Korean Hip-hop Awards

Former|

* Asia Song Festival
* Cyworld Digital Music Awards
* KBS Song Festival
* MBC Gayo Daejejeon
* Mnet 20's Choice Awards
* SBS Gayo Daejeon

* v
* t
* e

Music of Asia

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States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
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Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
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* Category
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Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz series

|

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