The winners of the 22nd Korean Music Awards have been announced, showcasing a diverse lineup of artists. Danpyunsun and the Moments Ensemble led the nominations with six, but aespa and Lee Seung-yoon emerged as the night’s biggest winners, each taking home three awards. Notably, aespa’s Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning won Song of the Year for “Supernova” and earned two additional wins in the K-pop categories.
The 22nd Korean Music Awards honored the most outstanding musical achievements of the past year. Unlike many other South Korean award shows that emphasize commercial success, the KMAs prioritize artistic excellence, recognizing talent across a wide range of genres, including K-pop, hip-hop, rock, and jazz. Organized by the Korean Music Awards Selection Committee and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, the ceremony celebrated music released between December 1, 2023, and November 30, 2024.
Here is the full list of winners.
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General Field
Album of the Year
• Aespa – Armageddon
• Danpyunsun and the Moments Ensemble – Hail to the Music *WINNER*
• Hyukoh & Sunset Rollercoaster – AAA
• Silica Gel – Power Andre 99
• Sumin & Slom – Miniseries 2
Song of the Year
• Aespa – “Supernova” *WINNER*
• Bibi – “Bam Yang Gang”
• Danpyunsun and the Moments Ensemble – “Independent”
• Sumin & Slom – “Why, Why, Why”
• Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
Musician of the Year
• Aespa
• Danpyunsun and the Moments Ensemble
• Lee Seung-yoon *WINNER*
• Rosé
• Silica Gel
Rookie of the Year
• Hyelyn Joo
• Illit
• Meroo Choi
• Sam San
• Sanmanhan *WINNER*
• TWS
Genre Categories
Best K-Pop Album
• (G)I-DLE – 2
• Aespa – Armageddon *WINNER*
• Riize – Riizing: Epilogue
• TripleS – Assemble24
• Yves – I Did
Best K-Pop Song
• Aespa – “Supernova” *WINNER*
• Illit – “Magnetic”
• Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
• TripleS – “Girls Never Die”
• TWS – “Plot Twist”
Best Pop Album
• John Park – PSST! *WINNER*
• Kim Yuna – Tale of Sensuality
• Rooftop Moonlight – 40
• Savina & Drones – Lasha
• Sunwoo Jung-a – Beyond
Best Pop Song
• Bibi – “Bam Yang Gang” *WINNER*
• IU – “Love Wins All”
• Lee Young-ji – “Small Girl” (feat. D.O.)
• Rooftop Moonlight – “Diving”
• Sunwoo Jung-a – “Star Garden”
Best Rock Album
• Kim Soo-chul – Kim Soo-chul 45th Anniversary Where Are You
• Lee Seung-yoon – Yeok Seong
• MONO4OLY – Ordinary Chaos
• Seoulbusanincheon – Wrecking Havoc
• Soumbalgwang – Fire & Light *WINNER*
Best Rock Song
• Kim Soo-chul – “Where Are You”
• Danpyunsun and the Moments Ensemble – “Independent”
• Bongjeingan – “Know You Did”
• Lee Seung-yoon – “Anthems of Defiance” *WINNER*
• MONO4OLY – “Fake Empire”
Best Modern Rock Album
• Danpyunsun and the Moments Ensemble – Hail to the Music *WINNER*
• Hyukoh & Sunset Rollercoaster – AAA
• Leaves Black – Fight
• Meaningful Stone – Angel Interview
• Silica Gel – Power Andre 99
Best Modern Rock Song
• Danpyunsun and the Moments Ensemble – “Days Happier Than Today Will Be Few in My Remaining Life”
• Hanroro – “H O M E”
• Hyukoh & Sunset Rollercoaster – “Young Man”
• Lee Seung-yoon – “Waterfall” *WINNER*
• Wave to Earth – “Annie.”
Best Electronic Album
• Gazaebal – Texture Music: 2011 – 2020
• HWI – Humanly Possible
• Hypnosis Therapy – Raw Survival
• Net Gala – Galapaggot *WINNER*
• Various Artists – SCA2
Best Electronic Song
• Haepaary – “The Night”
• HWI – “Your My Past Lives”
• Hypnosis Therapy – “Blaze”
• Mount XLR – “Oving” *WINNER*
• Swimrabbit – “Evolution” (feat. Hunjiya)
Best Rap & Hip-Hop Album
• B-Free & Hukky Shibaseki – Free Hukky Shibaseki & the God Sun Symphony Group: Odyssey. 1 *WINNER*
• EK – Escape
• Garion – Garion 3
• Kwaii – Distorted
• O’Koye – Whether the Weather Changes or Not
Best Rap & Hip-Hop Song
• B-Free & Hukky Shibaseki – “INDO”
• Fleeky Bang – “불 (火)” (feat. Changmo)
• G-Dragon – “Power” *WINNER*
• Kwaii – “Pride”
• QM – “Get Yourself A Gun” (feat. Zico)
Best R&B & Soul Album
• BRWN – Monsoon
• Sumin & Slom – Miniseries 2 *WINNER*
• JINBO the SuperFreak, Hersh & PoPoMo – PoPoMo
• Jung In & Mild Beats – Jung In & Mild Beats
• Sole – Time Machine
Best R&B & Soul Song
• Hyelyn Joo – “Crazy”
• John Park – “Like A Dream”
• Jung In & Mild Beats – “Blame” *WINNER*
• Sole – “Still Love”
• Sumin & Slom – “Why, Why, Why”
Best Folk Album
• Kang A-sol – From Where No One Is, To Where Everyone Is
• Kim Sa-wol – Default
• Moher – Kaleidoscope *WINNER*
• Sanmanhan – Sanmanhan
• Xeuda – How Can I Tell You Love
Best Folk Song
• Kang A-sol – “Anyone But Me” *WINNER*
• Meroo Choi – “Dap”
• Moher – “Baksugijeong”
• Sanmanhan – “When It Becomes A Song”
• Xeuda – “How Can I Tell You Love”
Best Metal & Hardcore Album
• Fecundation – Moribund
• The Holy Mountain – The Holy Mountain
• Materials Pound – Bulb
• Sahon – Blood Shall Be Paid
• Seaweed Mustache – 2 *WINNER*
Best Jazz Album
Nam Ye-Ji — Old Songs, Tmmm *WINNER*
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Jihye Lee Orchestra — Infinite Connections *WINNER*
Best Jazz Crossover Album
• Bando – Shape of the Land *WINNER*
• Cho Hae-in – Sight Beyond Sight
• Dulabam – Dulabam
• Jihye Lee Orchestra – Infinite Connections
• Liberosis – Re-mind
• Nam Ye-ji – Old Songs, Tmmm
• Nubim – Crossroads (Live in Amsterdam)
• Pudditorium – Prologue: Hope
• Sunji Lee – Eternal
• Teho – Pierrot le Fumeur
• Yun Seok-cheol Trio – My Summer’s Not Over Yet
Photo: SM Entertainment
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