The nominees for the 2025 MAMA Awards were officially announced on Thursday (October 16), and two major names are leading the pack. Aespa and Jennie have emerged as this year’s top contenders, earning nine nominations each across major categories.
Aespa — consisting of Karina, Winter, Ningning, and Giselle — received nods for Album of the Year (Whiplash), Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year. Karina also picked up an individual nomination for Song of the Year with her solo single “Up.”
Jennie matched the group’s total with nine nominations, including Best Female Artist and Artist of the Year. Remarkably, three of her nominations come from the Song of the Year category, where she scored with tracks from her debut solo album Ruby: “Like JENNIE,” “Zen,” and “ExtraL.”
Other BLACKPINK members also made strong showings. ROSÉ earned six nominations, including two in Song of the Year (“APT.” and “Toxic Till the End”), while JISOO received four nominations. The group itself secured four additional nods, including Song of the Year for their comeback single “Jump.”
Members of BTS also appear among this year’s nominees. Jin, J-Hope, and V all earned multiple nominations for their solo projects, further underscoring BTS’s continued influence in the K-pop industry.
• Dates: November 28–29, 2025 (two nights, starting at 7:30 p.m. KST)
• Venue: Kai Tak Stadium, Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong
This year marks the first time the MAMA Awards will be held at the newly opened 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium, setting a record for the largest audience in MAMA history.
Music released between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, is eligible for nomination. Winners are determined through a mix of expert evaluation, sales data, and fan participation:
• Artist of the Year / Artist Categories: 40% expert judging, 30% streaming & downloads (20% Korea + 10% global), 30% physical album sales
• Song of the Year / Genre Categories: 40% judging, 60% streaming & downloads (40% Korea + 20% global)
• Album of the Year: 40% judging, 60% physical album sales (eligible only for albums exceeding 1 million copies)
Fan voting plays a major role in the “Fans’ Choice” categories via the Mnet Plus app and X (Twitter) using the hashtag #2025MAMAVOTE. Additionally, a new “SUPER FAN” initiative—which closed applications on September 14—allowed selected fans worldwide to influence nominations and receive exclusive event perks.
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Here’s the full list of nominees for the 2025 MAMA Awards.
2025 Music Awards Nominations
Best New Artist
- AHOF
- ALLDAY PROJECT
- Baby DONT Cry
- CLOSE YOUR EYES
- CORTIS
- Hearts2Hearts
- IDID
- izna
- KickFlip
- KiiiKiii
Best Male Artist
- Baekhyun
- G-Dragon
- j-hope
- Jin
- Mark
Best Female Artist
- Jennie
- Jisoo
- Rosé
- Taeyeon
- Yuqi
Best Male Group
- BOYNEXTDOOR
- ENHYPEN
- RIIZE
- SEVENTEEN
- Stray Kids
- TXT
- ZEROBASEONE
Best Female Group
- aespa
- BABYMONSTER
- (G)I-DLE
- IVE
- LE SSERAFIM
- TWICE
Best Dance Performance – Male Solo
- G-Dragon – “TOO BAD (feat. Anderson .Paak)”
- j-hope – “MONA LISA”
- Kai – “Wait On Me”
- Key – “HUNTER”
- Mark – “1999”
Best Dance Performance – Female Solo
- Dayoung – “body”
- Jennie – “like JENNIE”
- Jisoo – “earthquake”
- Karina – “UP”
- Minnie – “HER”
Best Dance Performance – Male Group
- BOYNEXTDOOR – “IF I SAY, I LOVE YOU”
- NCT DREAM – “WHEN I’M WITH YOU”
- NCT WISH – “poppop”
- PLAVE – “Dash”
- RIIZE – “Fly Up”
- SEVENTEEN – “THUNDER”
- TWS – “Countdown”
Best Dance Performance – Female Group
- aespa – “Whiplash”
- BABYMONSTER – “DRIP”
- BLACKPINK – “JUMP”
- ILLIT – “Cherish (My Love)”
- IVE – “REBEL HEART”
- LE SSERAFIM – “HOT”
Best Vocal Performance – Solo
- Doyoung – “Memory”
- Lee Mu Jin – “Coming of Age Story”
- Rosé – “toxic till the end”
- Roy Kim – “If You Ask Me What Love Is”
- Taeyeon – “Letter To Myself”
Best Vocal Performance – Group
- Davichi – “Stitching”
- HIGHLIGHT – “Endless Ending”
- MEOVV – “DROP TOP”
- TREASURE – “YELLOW”
- ZEROBASEONE – “Doctor! Doctor!”
Best Band Performance
- CNBLUE – “A Sleepless Night”
- DAY6 – “Maybe Tomorrow”
- N.Flying – “Everlasting”
- QWER – “Dear”
- Xdinary Heroes – “Beautiful Life”
Best Rap & Hip Hop Performance
- BIG Naughty – “MUSIC (feat. Lee Chanhyuk)”
- Dynamic Duo and Gummy – “Take Care”
- HAON – “Skrr (feat. Giselle)”
- pH-1 – “Life Is A Movie (feat. Jung Zi So)”
- Tablo and RM – “Stop The Rain”
Best Collaboration
- G-Dragon – “TOO BAD (feat. Anderson .Paak)”
- Jennie and Doechii – “ExtraL”
- Mark – “Fraktsiya (feat. Lee Young Ji)”
- Rosé and Bruno Mars – “APT.”
- V – “Winter Ahead (with Park Hyo Shin)”
Best OST
- BOYNEXTDOOR – “Never Loved This Way Before” (Odd Girl Out OST)
- HUNTR/X – “GOLDEN” (K-Pop Demon Hunters OST)
- Park Hyo Shin – “HERO” (Firefighters OST)
- Saja Boys – “Soda Pop” (K-Pop Demon Hunters OST)
- TXT – “When the Day Comes” (Resident Playbook OST)
Best Music Video
- aespa – “Dirty Work”
- ALLDAY PROJECT – “FAMOUS”
- BLACKPINK – “JUMP”
- Jennie – “ZEN”
- Lee Chanhyuk – “Vivid LaLa Love”
Best Choreography
- aespa – “Whiplash”
- ALLDAY PROJECT – “WICKED”
- CORTIS – “GO!”
- G-Dragon – “TOO BAD (feat. Anderson .Paak)”
- Jennie – “like JENNIE”
Artist of the Year
Nominees from artist categories are automatically included:
- aespa
- AHOF
- ALLDAY PROJECT
- Baby DONT Cry
- BABYMONSTER
- Baekhyun
- BOYNEXTDOOR
- CLOSE YOUR EYES
- CORTIS
- ENHYPEN
- G-Dragon
- Hearts2Hearts
- (G)I-DLE
- IDID
- IVE
- izna
- j-hope
- Jennie
- Jin
- Jisoo
- KickFlip
- KiiiKiii
- LE SSERAFIM
- Mark
- RIIZE
- Rosé
- SEVENTEEN
- Stray Kids
- Taeyeon
- TWICE
- TXT
- Yuqi
- ZEROBASEONE
Song of the Year
Nominees from song genre categories are automatically included:
- aespa – “Dirty Work”
- aespa – “Whiplash”
- ALLDAY PROJECT – “FAMOUS”
- ALLDAY PROJECT – “WICKED”
- BABYMONSTER – “DRIP”
- BIG Naughty – “MUSIC (feat. Lee Chanhyuk)”
- BLACKPINK – “JUMP”
- BOYNEXTDOOR – “IF I SAY, I LOVE YOU”
- BOYNEXTDOOR – “Never Loved This Way Before”
- CNBLUE – “A Sleepless Night”
- CORTIS – “GO!”
- Davichi – “Stitching”
- DAY6 – “Maybe Tomorrow”
- Dayoung – “body”
- Doyoung – “Memory”
- Dynamic Duo and Gummy – “Take Care”
- G-Dragon – “TOO BAD (feat. Anderson .Paak)”
- HAON – “Skrr (feat. Giselle)”
- HIGHLIGHT – “Endless Ending”
- HUNTR/X – “GOLDEN”
- ILLIT – “Cherish (My Love)”
- IVE – “REBEL HEART”
- j-hope – “MONA LISA”
- Jennie – “like JENNIE”
- Jennie – “ZEN”
- Jennie and Doechii – “ExtraL”
- Jisoo – “earthquake”
- Kai – “Wait On Me”
- Karina – “UP”
- Key – “HUNTER”
- LE SSERAFIM – “HOT”
- Lee Chanhyuk – “Vivid LaLa Love”
- Lee Mu Jin – “Coming of Age Story”
- Mark – “1999”
- Mark – “Fraktsiya (feat. Lee Young Ji)”
- MEOVV – “DROP TOP”
- Minnie – “HER”
- N.Flying – “Everlasting”
- NCT DREAM – “WHEN I’M WITH YOU”
- NCT WISH – “poppop”
- Park Hyo Shin – “HERO”
- pH-1 – “Life Is A Movie (feat. Jung Zi So)”
- PLAVE – “Dash”
- QWER – “Dear”
- RIIZE – “Fly Up”
- Rosé – “toxic till the end”
- Rosé and Bruno Mars – “APT.”
- Roy Kim – “If You Ask Me What Love Is”
- Saja Boys – “Soda Pop”
- SEVENTEEN – “THUNDER”
- Tablo and RM – “Stop The Rain”
- Taeyeon – “Letter To Myself”
- TREASURE – “YELLOW”
- TWS – “Countdown”
- TXT – “When the Day Comes”
- V – “Winter Ahead (with Park Hyo Shin)”
- Xdinary Heroes – “Beautiful Life”
- ZEROBASEONE – “Doctor! Doctor!”
Album of the Year
Eligible albums must have sold over 1 million copies:
- aespa – Whiplash
- ATEEZ – GOLDEN HOUR: Part.2
- BABYMONSTER – DRIP
- Baekhyun – Essence of Reverie
- BOYNEXTDOOR – No Genre
- ENHYPEN – DESIRE: UNLEASH
- G-Dragon – Übermensch
- (G)I-DLE – We are
- IVE – IVE EMPATHY
- Jin – Happy
- NCT DREAM – DREAMSCAPE
- NCT WISH – COLOR
- PLAVE – Caligo Pt.1
- RIIZE – ODYSSEY
- SEVENTEEN – SPILL THE FEELS
- Stray Kids – KARMA
- TXT – The Star Chapter: TOGETHER
- ZEROBASEONE – NEVER SAY NEVER
Fans’ Choice – Male
- 10CM
- 82MAJOR
- 8TURN
- AB6IX
- AHOF
- AMPERS&ONE
- ARrC
- ASTRO
- ATEEZ
- Baekhyun
- BOYNEXTDOOR
- BTOB
- CLOSE YOUR EYES
- CNBLUE
- CORTIS
- CRAVITY
- D.O. (Doh Kyung Soo)
- Daesung, DAY6
- Doyoung
- ENHYPEN
- Epik High
- EVNNE
- G-Dragon
- GOT7
- IDID
- j-hope
- Jay Park
- Jin
- Kai
- KickFlip
- Lee Mu Jin
- N.Flying
- NCT DREAM
- NCT WISH
- NEXZ
- P1Harmony
- PLAVE
- RIIZE
- SEVENTEEN
- SHINee
- Stray Kids
- Super Junior
- TIOT
- TREASURE
- TWS
- TXT
- WayV
- Xdinary Heroes
- ZEROBASEONE
Fans’ Choice – Female
- aespa
- ALLDAY PROJECT
- Apink
- ARTMS
- AtHeart
- Baby DONT Cry
- BABYMONSTER
- BIBI
- Billli
- BLACKPINK
- BoA
- BOL4
- Chungha
- Chuu
- Davichi
- FIFTY FIFTY
- fromis_9
- H1-KEY
- Hearts2Hearts
- Hwasa
- Hyolyn
- (G)I-DLE
- ILLIT
- Irene
- ITZY
- IU
- IVE
- izna
- Jeon Somi
- Joy
- KARD
- Kep1er
- KiiiKiii
- KISS OF LIFE
- LE SSERAFIM
- MEOVV
- NiziU
- NMIXX
- OH MY GIRL
- QWER
- SAY MY NAME
- Seulgi
- STAYC
- Taeyeon
- tripleS
- TWICE
- UNIS
- VIVIZ
- Wendy
- Yena
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