ATEEZ, NCT 127, NCT DREAM and TWS are among the latest acts added to the 2026 Melon Music Awards lineup, as the ceremony continues to expand ahead of its first two-day edition. The third performer announcement also includes 82MAJOR and AND2BLE, bringing another mix of established K-pop names and fast-rising acts to the November 14 event.
The 18th Melon Music Awards will take place November 14 and 15 at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome under the theme “K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse.” The expanded format marks the first time the MMAs will be staged across two days, with the performer lineup now spanning multiple generations of K-pop.
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82MAJOR arrives after a career-high cycle in 2026. The six-member Great M Entertainment group released its September 1 single album HEAT, led by “Like Fire,” which earned the group its first music-show win three years after debut. The release also surpassed 150,000 first-week sales and delivered a new peak for 82MAJOR on the Melon Hot 100.
AND2BLE adds another notable storyline to the third announcement. The YH Entertainment group debuted on May 26 with former ZEROBASEONE members Zhang Hao, Ricky, Kim Gyuvin and Han Yujin alongside former EVNNE member Yoo Seungeon. Their debut mini album, Sequence 01: Curiosity, sold approximately 731,000 copies during its first week, while title track “Curious” collected multiple music-show wins.
ATEEZ enters the ceremony following one of its strongest commercial years. GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5 and its title track “Bad” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while “Bad” later reached the Melon Top 10 and earned seven music-show wins. The group also collected Artist of the Year and Icon of the Year at the 2026 TMA, taking its Daesang total to eight.
NCT 127 will bring its 10th-anniversary era to the MMA stage. The group celebrated the milestone on August 24 with its seventh studio album Blingy, while Doyoung and Jungwoo are currently serving in the military. The remaining five members opened the fifth world tour, Neo City — The Redline, with three sold-out Seoul KSPO Dome shows from Sept. 18-20.
NCT DREAM is also part of the wider NCT 2026 10th-anniversary campaign. The group has continued its million-seller streak through its recent releases, while SM Entertainment confirmed in August that all remaining members had renewed their contracts. A later-year album is also part of the NCT 2026 unit roadmap.
TWS rounds out the latest announcement after launching its Asia tour, 24/7:FOR:YOU, with sold-out KSPO Dome shows. The group’s fifth mini album, No Tragedy, became a million-seller and earned platinum certification in Japan, while Pledis has confirmed another single album for November.
The six new additions join ILLIT, Hearts2Hearts, RESCENE, YENA, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, LNGSHOT, NCT WISH, PLAVE and RIIZE, who were announced across the first two performer reveals.
Photo: ATEEZ/X
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