Our first year catching the MAMA Awards and OMG–our senses were on overload in the best possible ways! While celebrating its 25th anniversary, the three night spectacular also marked a first for MAMA…the wildly popular Asian awards show made its stateside debut with opening day kicking off at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre! It was EVERYTHING.
From jaw-dropping performances to tear-jerking speeches, the 2024 MAMA Awards were a total rollercoaster of emotions. In no particular order, here are our fav moments that had us laughing, crying, and fangirling like crazy!
1. Aespa Performs Big and Wins Even Bigger
The Aespa girlies gave us a tour of all their 2024 hits, wrapped up in a performance that felt like one giant party. The stage was electric as they performed an energizing and thematic medley of Supernova and Whiplash, plus all members’ solo tracks including UP, Bored!, Dopamine, and Spark! Of course we’re biased (pun intended), but Aespa did NOT disappoint!
With a whooping six daesangs (grand prizes), Aespa dominated the awards just as they have the charts and our hearts. After three years away from the awards show, Aespa made a huge “comeback”, taking home the most wins this year including Song of the Year for Supernova, Best Female Group, and Best Music Video for Armageddon!
2. Speaking of MAMA Comebacks, G-Dragon Returns
What’s an awards ceremony without a little drama? G-Dragon’s return after a seven year hiatus was historic, period. What better way to make a grand re-debut than to perform a classic hit that was last performed on the MAMA stage ten years ago. AND, to receive the inaugural Visionary of the Year award. G-Dragon has done so much to expose the world to K-pop culture and we’re just thrilled to see what our living legend will drop next.
And just like that, BigBang is reunited y’all! They took the stage and showed the world all that we’ve been missing.
3. (G)I-DLE Slayed and Left Us All Obsessed
These five queens truly owned the stage with a fiery performance! Their live mashup of Super Lady and the latest hit Fate was EVERYTHING—powerful, bold, and unapologetically (G)I-DLE. The visuals? Stunning. The vocals? Flawless. And don’t even get us started on that rap break by Soyeon—it was straight up iconic. Mentioning Soojin was a bold and powerful move for sure and we love it
On the awards front, (G)I-DLE took home Best Vocal Performance Group. Their heartfelt acceptance speech showed just how much they love their fans.
4. Rosé and Bruno Mars Are Like 24K Magic, Sort Of
What happens when a K-pop queen and a global superstar share the stage? Pure gold!
In matching baggy suits, Rosé and Bruno Mars rocked out in perfect vocal and aesthetic harmony. They literally had the crowd, and us viewers at home, in a delightful frenzy as we sang along to their chart crusher, APT. Their chemistry, vocals, and stage presence? Totally unmatched. Their win of a Global Sensation award was definitely apt for the duo.
5. Boy Groups Unite: Enhypen, TXT, and ZeroBaseOne Collab
Were you ready for this?! We were beside ourselves when select members of Enhypen (Jay), TXT (Huening Kai and Beomgyu), and ZB1 (Kim Tae Rae and Han Yujin) hit the stage as a brand new band. While they’re not retiring from their respective groups to officially start a new band, it was a pleasant surprise to see what could be.
6. Illit Performs Heart Shaker by TWICE
Raise your hand if you screamed when it became clear what was happening? While it wasn’t an official collab, we loved seeing some of our favorite idols perform songs by our other favorite idols. The performance was super cute and really illustrated how fun K-pop music and culture can be. Their cover needs to be released on Spotify ASAP!
To top off a phenomenal debut this year, Illit also won Best New Female Artist. How’s that for motivation in 2025?.
7. Most Emotional Speech Goes To…
When Seventeen took home the Artist of the Year award, the tears were REAL. Leader S.Coups’s heartfelt shoutout to Carats had everyone in their feels. Yep, not a dry eye in sight. They also won Album of the Year for “Seventeenth Heaven” and Best Male Group which was so well-deserved.
8. Surprise Debut Stage
Who else didn’t see this one coming? HYBE’s brand-new girl group, IZNA, made their surprise debut at MAMA, and their performance had us shook. With a fresh concept and killer vocals, we’re calling it: they’re gonna dominate 2025. Is this the next 5th gen IT group…?
9. The Fashion
Let’s not forget the red carpet! From IVE rocking bold avant-garde looks to ENHYPEN serving edgy chic vibes, the outfits were A+ this year. (Also, can we just take a moment for Liz’s dress? Simply breathtaking!)
10. Bringing Idols and Fans Together Globally
Watching idols from different groups interact, sing, and laugh together reminds us why we love K-pop so much. That unity? That’s the magic of MAMA.
We’re still recovering from all the epicness of the night! What were YOUR favorite moments from the 2024 MAMA Awards?
Until next time, stay stan-tastic!