MMAs 2022 rundown
It’s easy to get lost amongst all the K-Pop awards shows, so we’ve gathered up all the MMAs stars, winners, and stage highlights of the night, from BTS to STAYC and BE’O!
MONSTA X pose with their MMA win before performing onstage. Image: MONSTA X Official Twitter.
The award goes to…
Bonsangs and daesangs (main and grand prizes respectively) were flying on the night of the 26th November, as the Melon Music Awards took place in Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul, South Korea. The prize winners were primarily calculated by digital sales, with only a handful of awards influenced mainly by online voting (such as ‘Record of the Year’ and ‘Music Video of the Year’).
The prestigious ‘Song of the Year’ daesang was awarded to the six-member girl group IVE for their April comeback “Love Dive”, after seeing resounding success throughout the year both in Korea and internationally. The group (consisting of Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo) also took home the awards for ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Best Female Group’, as well as being named one of the ‘Top 10 Artists’ for a bonsang.
Two other daesangs —‘Artist of the Year’ and ‘Album of the Year’— both went to trot/pop singer Lim Young Woong, with the latter prize for his Im Hero album. The fourth and final daesang of ‘Record of the Year’ was for global sensations BTS for their Proof anthology album released back in June. This made for their seventh consecutive year getting an MMA daesang win!
Other big winners of the night included NewJeans (2 awards), LE SSERAFIM (2 awards), and soloist IU (3 awards). You can find the full list of winners below:
‘Top 10 Artists’ — (G)I-DLE, IVE, Lim Young Woong, MeloMance, NewJeans, BE’O, BTS, IU, SEVENTEEN, and NCT DREAM
‘Best New Artist’ — IVE and NewJeans
‘Best Male Solo’ — Lim Young Woong
‘Best Female Solo’ — IU
‘Best Male Group’ — BTS
‘Best Female Group’ — IVE
‘Best OST’ — “Love, Maybe” by MeloMance (from Business Proposal)
‘Best Collaboration’ — “Beyond Love” by 10CM and BIG Naughty
‘Netizen Popularity Award’ — Lim Young Woong
‘Hot Trend’ — LE SSERAFIM
‘Best Perfomance’ — TXT and LE SSERAFIM
‘Best Songwriter’ — JEON SOYEON of (G)I-DLE
‘Best Music Style’ — BIG Naughty
‘Global Artist’ — MONSTA X
‘Global Rising Artist’ — STAYC
‘Music Video of the Year’ — “TOMBOY” by (G)I-DLE
‘1theK Global Icon’ — ENHYPEN
‘KakaoBank Everyone’s Star’ — BTS
‘Project Music Award’ — WSG Wannabe
‘Best Session’ — Lee Shin Woo
‘Stage of the Year’ — The Golden Hour: Under the Orange Sun by IU
On with the show
The MMAs treated us to some truly great performances, with a whole assortment of the prize nominees showcasing exactly why they deserved their award wins throughout the night.
Hip-hop star BE’O opened the show with his addictive viral hit “Counting Stars”. With a gorgeous city-scape background, the 22-year-old set the bar for the night with an infectious stage energy that then spread across his other chosen songs. “Complex” and “Burnout Syndrome” were embellished by a live band, some hip-hop dancers, and some moves from the singer/rapper who is clearly destined to go far and perform his tracks in front of an energising audience.
One of the most talked about performances was that of girl group (G)I-DLE. Performing their latest, confident comeback “Nxde” followed by the track awarded ‘Best Music Video of the Year’, “TOMBOY”, the members showcased a fearlessness that highlights exactly what makes them so popular and so unique in an industry and culture that is oftentimes conservative and unostentatious.
Featuring an operatic section, a marching band, and an epic (seemingly) live electric guitar intro from YUQI, the girls delivered a bold performance worthy of the stage. Whilst it would’ve been great to see the group in its complete sextet form with ex-member SOOJIN —and for the vocals to have taken centre stage instead of being lost under loud pre-recorded vocal tracks— the stage was still a strong one.
The girl groups continued to shine throughout the night; LE SSERAFIM treated viewers to some gorgeous dance sequences, headed by main dancer KAZUHA’s ballet skills. They then moved into their debut track “FEARLESS” with ease, where viewers where treated to a flawless performance.
“The Hydra” acted as a break between tracks, showing off the linguistic diversity of the group (Korean, Japanese, and English) before a new, house-based piece and domino choreography segued into the powerful “ANTIFRAGILE” comeback. This piece truly showed the girls as a force to be reckoned with, and we cannot wait to see what they do next.
STAYC thoroughly impressed after being seldom seen in the K-Pop scene lately, coming back with a visually and sonically stunning performance of “Beautiful Monster”. Hitting high notes effortlessly under the dominant recording, the six girls reminded viewers exactly why they deserve the ‘Rising Global Artist’ award, looking glamourous as they did so.
With a true embodiment of the title, the performance bounced (perhaps a little jarringly) between the richness of the original track and an intense EDM dance break that attempted to show the girls’ versatility. However, this was perhaps unneeded; their skill is abundantly clear without it! And it would’ve been incredible to see more than just the one track.
No longer rookies, TOMORROW X TOGETHER took to the stage with a storytelling intro performance, replicating their “Nap of a Star” music video against a classical soundtrack whilst visually referencing everything from “I Know I Love You” to their ‘The Dream Chapter: MAGIC Concept Trailer’.
The creative choreography and acrobatics could have come straight from a Matthew Bourne-esque theatre piece, before intensifying for a dark performance of “Good Boy Gone Bad”. The track itself is perhaps not TXT’s best or most unique, but it is undeniable that the boys have a stage presence that makes them worthy to follow in the footsteps of their brother group BTS.
NewJeans also continue to add to HYBE’s impressive roster, performing their three viral tracks: “Cookie”, “Hype Boy”, and “Attention”. The songs each demonstrate a bounce and groove that is unique to the girl group’s Y2K-influenced style that truly sets them apart from the crowd. The performance itself was incredibly professional and, assisted by a huge band of dancers, some stylish looks, and slick choreography, did not appear to be that of a group of rookies. It’s clear just why they took home the ‘New Artist of the Year’ award.
The only third-generation idol group performers of the night were MONSTA X, who offered a fitting tribute to all idol groups of that era with live vocals and dance skill galore. The five members (missing leader SHOWNU as he serves in the military) gave a fresh, classy, jazz version of the track “LOVE” that almost channelled BTOB in its cinematic nature.
This was followed by a rock-heavy, fire-laden interpretation of their “Rush Hour” comeback. They stepped straight back into their quintessential intense sound and pioneering ‘boy-crush’ concept that so many idols have tried to emulate in recent years, and it made for a great watch.
Closing out the show before taking home his five wins was Lim Young Woong, who performed three tracks. The standout of the three was the poignant “If We Ever Meet Again”. The song was uplifted by a beautiful orchestral background and a choir that amplified the powerful, award-winning live vocals of Lim, making it a fitting, confetti-covered end to the Melon Music Awards 2022.
What was your favourite performance of the night?
Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.
