The 2023 MAMA Awards has ended with electrifying performances from the likes of TXT, Kepler, (G)I-dle and Somi who also hosted the event on its first day.
Held at Japan’s Tokyo Dome on Nov 28 and 29, the awards ceremony saw a few acts, such as NewJeans and Seventeen, winning multiple prizes. The two-day event was livestreamed for free on Mediacorp’s mewatch.
Here’s the full list of winners of the 2023 MAMA Awards.
DAY 1
Worldwide Icon of the Year – BTS
Extending their record, BTS won the Worldwide Icon of the Year for a sixth time. In a prerecorded video message, Jungkook accepted the award on behalf of the group and thanked their fans for always sending them “unwavering love”.
Worldwide Fans’ Choice – Multiple Artistes
The award went to 10 acts: Ateez, BTS, Enhypen, Lim Young-woong, NCT Dream, Seventeen, Stray Kids, TXT, Twice and Zerobaseone.
Twice was the only girl group to clinch this award in 2023, thus becoming the first girl group to win the award five times.
Favorite New Artist – Riize, Zerobaseone
Both boy groups debuted to great success this year, with Riize’s Get A Guitar selling over a million copies and Zerobaseone’s Youth In The Shade selling over 2 million copies in South Korea. Both releases also topped the Circle Album Chart.
Favorite Asian Male Group – INI
The Japanese boy band won this award after previously winning the Favorite Asian Artist award in 2021.
Favourite Asian Female Group – Kep1er
The South Korean girl group won this award after previously winning the Favorite New Artist award in 2022.
Favorite International Artist – Yoshiki
During the ceremony, the acclaimed Japanese musician thrilled audiences with a joint performance featuring members from TXT, Zerobaseone, Riize and BoyNextDoor.
The award ceremony also saw special prizes handed out including Inspiring Achievement to TVXQ, Neo Flip Artist Award to Treasure and Culture And Style Award to the cast of Street Woman Fighter 2.
DAY 2
Artist of the Year – NewJeansSong of the Year – Ditto by NewJeansBest Female Group – NewJeansBest Dance Performance (Female Group) – Ditto by NewJeansAlbum of the Year – FML by SeventeenBest Male Group – SeventeenBest Dance Performance (Male Group) – Super by SeventeenCulture And Style Award
Seventeen and NewJeans were undeniably the biggest winners of the second night, bagging MAMA’s top awards. The girl group, comprising Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein, did not attend the event for unspecified reasons.
On the other hand, Seventeen surprised fans when all 13 members showed up at the event, including leader S.Coups who previously suffered a ligament tear. While receiving the award for Album of the Year, the boy group delivered an emotional speech that saw member Seungkwan tearing up as he paid tribute to his childhood friend, the late Moonbin of Astro.
Best Female Artist – JisooBest Dance Performance (Female Solo) – Flower by JisooBest Music Video – Flower by Jisoo
It was also a successful night for Blackpink member Jisoo who won multiple awards for her solo endeavour.
Best Male Artist – JiminBest Collaboration – Seven featuring Latto by JungkookBest Dance Performance (Male Solo) – Seven featuring Latto by JungkookBest OST – The Planet by BTSBest Rap & Hip Hop Performance – People Pt.2 featuring IU by Agust D
Despite not attending the 2023 MAMA Awards, BTS’ impact was still felt at the event – with multiple members winning awards for their solo projects.
Favorite Global Performance (Male Group) – Ateez
The boy group won their fifth MAMA Award, after previously winning a Worldwide Fans’ Choice award on the first night.Favorite Global Performance (Female Group) – (G)I-dle
The girl group bagged their third MAMA Award, after previously winning the Favorite Female Group award in 2022.
Favorite Dance Performance (Male Group) – Treasure
This year’s event saw the boy group winning their fifth MAMA Award and member Hyunsuk receiving backlash online for his hairstyle.
Favorite Dance Performance (Female Group) – Le Sserafim
The group won their second MAMA Award, after previously winning the Favorite New Artist award in 2022.
Best New Artist (Male) – Zerobaseone
The boy group solidified their status as an act to look out for, winning this award one night after winning the Favorite New Artist award.
Best New Artist (Female) –TripleS
The girl group won their first-ever MAMA Award.
Best Vocal Performance (Group) – Love Lee by Akmu
This is the second MAMA Award for the brother-sister duo who previously won Best Collaboration in 2021.
Best Vocal Performance (Solo) – Let’s Break Up by Parc Jae Jung
This is the first MAMA Award for the singer.