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MAMA Awards to Make Landmark U.S. Debut Next Month.


Los Angeles: The 2024 MAMA Awards, a key event in the K-pop music calendar, is set to venture into new territory as it makes its debut in the United States next month. This marks the first occasion in its quarter-century history that the show will take place outside Asia.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the three-day event will commence on November 21 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will continue on November 22-23 at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan. The awards, originally launched in 1999 by South Korean cable channel Mnet, have evolved from the Mnet Video Music Awards to the Mnet Asian Music Awards, and most recently to the MAMA Awards in 2022.

The event has been hosted in various Asian cities such as Seoul, Macau, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Japan, establishing itself as a major platform for showcasing K-pop on an international scale. This year’s theme, “Big Blur: What is Real?” aims to merge art, technology, and global fandom, blending the surreal with reality.

The unique relay format of
the ceremony will allow the event to start in Los Angeles and then continue in Japan, with only a two-hour gap between the end of the U.S. event and the beginning of Japan’s red-carpet launch. Yoon Shin-hye, CJ ENM’s chief producer, highlighted the significance of the U.S. market for MAMA’s global expansion, noting that the move aligns with their mission to embrace new initiatives and challenges.

The U.S. lineup will feature rookie K-pop groups such as ILLIT, Katseye, TWS, and Young Posse, along with established acts like Riize, J.Y. Park, and Anderson .Paak. Meanwhile, the Japan lineup includes Boynextdoor, Enhypen, Ive, Lee Young Ji, ME:I, Plave, TREASURE, and Tomorrow X Together on the first day, and aespa, BIBI, G-Dragon, (G)I-dle, Meovv, Zerobaseone, and INI on the second day. New additions to the Japan shows include girl group izna and boy group Seventeen.

Actor Park Bo-gum will host the U.S. event for the third consecutive year, while actress Kim Tae-ri will take charge of Japan’s second-day show. Th
e first-day artists in Japan will host in a relay format, adding a dynamic element to the event.

The Japan shows will also feature performances merging reality with virtual technology, including a collaboration between virtual group Plave and rapper Lee Young Ji, as well as a high-tech performance by aespa. One of the most anticipated performances is from BIGBANG’s G-Dragon, marking his return after a seven-year hiatus. Yoon expressed confidence that G-Dragon’s performance will be memorable and talked about for years to come.

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