Korean music was celebrated at the 2024 Korean Music Awards (KMAs), which took place on February 29. The awards are known for going beyond the mainstream K-pop genre and recognising indie, rock, metal, folk, dance and hip-hop music. The KMAs hand out 25 awards including three grand prizes, which are Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Musician of the Year. The show was hosted by The Prizm Entertainment and livestreamed on its website.
A panel of judges, consisting of critics, radio producers, academics and industry professionals, recommend potential winners for the awards. The KMAs’ awards are not influenced by music sales figures. Rather, they aim to honour musical creativity and skill. Despite the bulk of the event being dominated by alternative acts receiving awards, several K-pop groups, including KISS OF LIFE, AKMU and NewJeans, also picked up trophies.
NewJeans had one of the most successful nights, winning multiple awards including Song of the Year for Ditto. The band also won Best K-Pop Album for Get Up, while their Album of the Year prize went to Beenzino for Nowitzki. Silica Gel was also victorious, winning Musician of the Year and Best Modern Rock Album for Machine Boy. KISS OF LIFE, a relatively new K-pop act, won Rookie of the Year.
Other notable winners from the night included CIFIKA, who was awarded Best Electronic Song for Hush, and Seoul Electric Band, who won Best Rock Song for Ghost Writers. Mahatma won Best Metal & Hardcore Album with Reason for Silence. Kang Tae-hwan received a Special Merit Award for his contributions to music, while Hakchon Theatre picked up the Committee Special Award. To view the full list of winners, scroll down to the end of this article
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