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K-pop awards season has officially begun and one of the most well-known award shows, Mnet Asian Music Awards, better known as MAMA, have recently released their nominations for various categories and began their pre-voting.
It is one of the most iconic award shows to come out of South Korea as it awards not only Korean excellence but also Asian excellence in general, bringing together artists from all over Asia such as Thailand, Japan, China, and more to take part in the celebration of music.
MAMA started off as the Mnet Music Video Festival in 1999 and after multiple name changes, the award show was finally renamed to the Mnet Asian Music Awards in 2009 to capture its grand scale and expansion outside South Korea. In 2022, it has been renamed to the MAMA Awards again.
After two years of virtual award shows because of Covid-19, the show is back with rejuvenated energy to showcase some of the grandest stages to its audience. On the occasion of the award show being back, let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable past moments from the MAMA Awards.
5 legendary moments that took place on the MAMA stage
1) HyunA and Hyunseung’s kiss
HyunA and Hyunseung released their incredibly seductive song called Trouble Maker in 2011 that shocked the nation due to its sensuous choreography and lyrics. The duo took it one step further on the MAMA stage in 2011 where they shared a passionate kiss as part of their performance, causing the crowd to erupt into screams. They recreated their iconic kiss on stage again, during their 2013 performance of Trouble Maker at the award show.
2) J. Y. Park’s risqué performance
Park Jin-young, also known as J. Y. Park, is a singer turned businessman who founded JYP Entertainment. He is known for his eccentric dance moves and out-of-the-box fashion choices. His 2019 performance with MAMAMOO at the awards show was a wonderful mix of both that left people speechless. GOT7’s Jackson Wang in particular could not believe his eyes when he saw the founder of his agency performing on stage wearing the infamous transparent pants.
3) Block B and BTS’ battle
At the 2014 MAMA awards, Block B and BTS put on a wonderful performance, calling it the "fight of the century." It started off with RM and Zico having a rap battle, followed by a thrilling performance of Block B’s U-Kwon and B-Bomb’s dance battle against BTS’ Jimin and j-hope.
Their competition and rivalry came to an end with their combined performance of Let’s Get It Started that had the audience singing along as well. The battle between the two top groups is still touted as one of the best performances to come out of the award show.
4) 2NE1’s surprise performance
CL was set to perform at the 2015 MAMA awards and she delivered a breathtaking performance of her singles The Baddest Female and Hello B*tches. 2NE1 was already inactive for more than a year at the time with each member doing their own solo activities, so the audience was surprised to see the other three members join CL on stage for a surprise performance of their hit songs Fire and I Am The Best.
5) BTS’ Daesang sweep
BTS’ Daesang sweep is one of the most iconic moments to take place on the awards show stage ever. Daesangs are the grand prizes given at award shows to honor ultimate excellence in music. The award show gives out four Daesangs namely, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Worldwide Icon of the Year. No artist before BTS has managed to sweep all four grand prizes in one night. BTS managed to do the impossible not just once but thrice consecutively from 2019-2021.
The MAMA Awards will be broadcasted live from the Kyocera Dome in Japan on November 29-30, 2022. One can look forward to more iconic moments being created in 2022.
