The 2026 Melon Music Awards have expanded their performer lineup with four more names: ILLIT, Hearts2Hearts, RESCENE and YENA. The second lineup adds four distinct acts to a two-day ceremony that will take place at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome on November 14 and 15.
ILLIT enters the MMA lineup after another active year that has pushed the five-member group beyond the breakout success of “Magnetic.” Their 2026 releases have strengthened their presence on domestic charts, while the group is preparing its fifth mini album, Break Even, for October 26. The project is expected to introduce another chapter in ILLIT’s evolving sound, while their Japanese activities continue with “Swingin’ Magic,” released September 21 as the second-cour opening theme for the anime Magical Sisters LuluttoLilly.
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Hearts2Hearts will also take the stage following a strong run through 2026. SM Entertainment’s eight-member group, which debuted in February 2025, expanded its momentum with the second EP Lemon Tang, released June 22. Tracks including “Style” and “Lemon Tang” have strengthened the group’s position among the current generation of K-pop girl groups, while their Japanese debut single “Iconic Heart” reached No. 2 on both Oricon and the Billboard Japan Hot 100.
RESCENE brings one of the more unusual chart stories to this year’s ceremony. The five-member group’s 2024 song “Love Attack” experienced a major resurgence nearly two years after its original release, returning to No. 1 on Melon’s Top 100 after renewed attention surrounding the group and its members.
The group arrives at MMA after taking home Artist of the Year and Today’s Choice at TMA 2026. RESCENE is also preparing a new album for November 3, placing its release just days before the Melon Music Awards.
YENA rounds out the second announcement as the lineup’s solo act. The former IZ*ONE member released her fifth mini album Love Catcher in March, led by “Catch Catch,” and followed it with continued Asian activities, including an August encore performance at Seoul’s Jangchung Gymnasium.
The four additions join ALPHA DRIVE ONE, LNGSHOT, NCT WISH, PLAVE and RIIZE, who were announced as the first performers for the 18th Melon Music Awards. This year’s ceremony will be the first MMA staged across two days, with the expanded format operating under the theme “Connect” and the slogan “K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse.”
The event will also introduce the Global-K Chart, incorporating streaming and fandom activity data from Melon, Tencent Music in China and LINE MUSIC in Japan for selected categories.
Photo: SM Entertainment
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