Korea Grand Music Awards
| Korea Grand Music Awards | |
|---|---|
| Current: 2025 Korea Grand Music Awards | |
| Awarded for | Outstanding achievements in the Korean music industry |
| Country | South Korea |
| Presented by | Ilgan Sports |
| First award | 2024 |
| Website | Official website |
The Korea Grand Music Awards [1] (Korean: 코리아 그랜드 뮤직 어워즈) is an annual South Korean music awards ceremony that honors achievements in various categories of Korean popular music, such as K-pop and trot, domestically and internationally. The awards ceremony was established by Ilgan Sports, who previously created the Golden Disc Awards in 1984 and organized it until 2020, in celebration of the newspaper's 55th anniversary.[2] It was created with the purpose of honoring artists who have played a role in spreading Korean culture around the world and bringing together the past, present, and future artists of Korean popular music. The winners will be selected based on expert judge evaluations, digital music and album sales, and mobile fan voting.[3]
History
The first ceremony was held on November 16 to 17, 2024 at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, South Korea. The ceremony's production headed by Han Dong-chul, the CEO of Funky Studio, which created the MAMA Awards.[4] Hanni of NewJeans and Nam Ji-hyun were announced as the hosts for the ceremony's first day, while Winter of Aespa and Nam would be the hosts for the second day. The line-up of artists in attendance consists of NewJeans, Aespa, Ateez, Zerobaseone, NiziU and Taemin among others.[5][6] It was live streamed via Kiswe.[7] The event was live [8]stream via BLVD [9]United In partnership with Kiswe[10]
Ceremonies
| Edition | Year | Date of ceremony | City | Venue | Hosts | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2024 | November 16–17, 2024 | Incheon | Inspire Arena | Nam Ji-hyun, Hanni, Winter | [6] |
| 2nd | 2025 | November 14–15, 2025 | Nam Ji-hyun, Irene, Natty | [11] |
Award categories
Grand prizes
The five grand prizes (known as daesang):
- Grand Artist
- Grand Honor's Choice
- Grand Performer
- Grand Record
- Grand Song
Competitive awards
Unless otherwise noted, each award category was introduced in 2024.
- Best Adult Contemporary
- Best Artist 10
- Best Band
- Best Group
- Best Hip-Hop
- Best Memory
- Best OST
- Best R&B
- Best Rock Ballad
- Best Solo Artist
- Best Song 10
- Best Stage
Popularity awards
Unless otherwise noted, each award category was introduced in 2024.
- Best Popularity
- Fan Vote Rookie
Special awards
Unless otherwise noted, each award category was introduced in 2024.
- Best Producer
- Best Selling Album
- IS Rising Star
- IS Rookies
- K-pop Global Artist
- K-pop Global Rookies
- K-pop Legendary Artist
- Most Streamed Song
- Photogenic
Most wins
The following artists received three or more awards:
| Rank | Artist(s) | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Chan-won | 9 |
| 2 | Aespa | 6 |
| Stray Kids | ||
| 3 | Ateez | 4 |
| Ive | ||
| Riize | ||
| 4 | Day6 | 3 |
| Taemin | ||
| Young Tak | ||
| D.O. | ||
| NewJeans | ||
| Seventeen | ||
| Unis |
References
- ^ by. "2025 Korea Grand Music Awards: Winners, When & Where to Watch, Lineup - National Film Awards". Retrieved 18 November 2025.
- ^ Lee, Geum-jun (13 February 2024). '코리아 그랜드 뮤직 어워즈' 탄생…11월 첫 개최 선언 ['Korea Grand Music Awards' is born... First held in November announced]. ET News (in Korean). Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Moon, Wan-sik (13 February 2024). '제1회 코리아 그랜드 뮤직 어워즈'(KGMA) 11월 개최 ['1st Korea Grand Music Awards' (KGMA) to be held in November]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Jeon, Hyeong-hwa (12 August 2024). '제1회 코리아 그랜드 뮤직 어워즈'(KGMA), 인스파이어 아레나 개최 확정 ['1st Korea Grand Music Awards' (KGMA) confirmed to be held at Inspire Arena]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Yoon, Ki-baek (28 August 2024). 뉴진스 하니 제1회 KGMA MC 발탁… 에스파·제베원 등 1차 라인업 공개 [New Jeans Hani Selected as 1st KGMA MC… 1st Lineup Revealed Including Espa and Jebeone]. Edaily (in Korean). Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ a b Choi, Hee-jae (11 September 2024). 남지현X에스파 윈터, 제1회 KGMA서 호흡…둘째날 MC [Nam Ji-hyun X aespa Winter, working together at the 1st KGMA… MC on the second day]. Edaily (in Korean). Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Yoon, Ki-baek (4 November 2024). KGMA, 'BTS 콘서트 중계 플랫폼' 키스위 통해 200개국 생중계 [KGMA broadcasts live in 200 countries through 'BTS concert broadcast platform' Kiswe] (in Korean). Edaily. Retrieved 4 November 2024 – via Naver.
- ^ "Love & KPOP". Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ "BLVD United Named Official Streaming Partner for the 2024 Korean Grand Music Awards" (Press release). BLVD United. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2025 – via GlobeNewswire News Room.
- ^ "KISWE POWERS THE 2024 KOREA GRAND MUSIC AWARDS". www.kiswe.com. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ Park, Se-yeon (25 August 2025). "[2025 KGMA] 레드벨벳 아이린·키오프 나띠·배우 남지현 MC 발탁" [[2025 KGMA] Red Velvet's Irene, Kiss of Life Natty, and actress Nam Ji-hyun MC selected] (in Korean). Ilgan Sports. Retrieved 25 August 2025 – via Naver.
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External links
- Korea Grand Music Awards official website
- Korea Grand Music Awards official live streaming website