Swiss Journal of Research in Business and Social Sciences

Music

2026 MAMA Awards Nominations: BTS and BIGBANG Dominate


BTS received five nominations for the 2026 MAMA Awards, which were announced on Monday (Oct. 12), the same day that first-round voting began for the 2027 Grammy Awards, which, for the first time, contains a dedicated Asian pop category, best Asian pop music performance.

BTS is nominated for artist of the year at the MAMA Awards, as well as best male group, album of the year for ARIRANG, best vocal performance group for “SWIM” and best music video for “2.0.” In addition, group member J-Hope received two nods for his feature on LE SSERAFIM’s “SPAGHETTI,” nominated in both best collaboration and best dance performance female group.

Another leading K-pop group, BIGBANG, received four nominations plus four more for solo projects by group members Taeyang and G-Dragon. BIGBANG is up for artist of the year and best male group, plus best music video and best dance performance male group for “BiiiG.” Taeyang received three nods as a soloist: artist of the year, best male artist and best dance performance male solo for his single “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW.” G-Dragon earned a nod with his feature on aespa’s “WDA (Whole Different Animal)” in the best collaboration category. G-Dragon won artist of the year at the 2025 ceremony.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER received three nods – artist of the year, best male group and album of the year for 7th year: a moment of stillness in the thorns. In addition, group member Yeonjun received three solo nominations: artist of the year, best male artist and best dance performance male solo for “Ice Cream.”

Seven acts received five nominations each: MAMAMOO (counting four nods for its youngest member, Hwasa), aespa, ATEEZ, IVE, LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT and CORTIS.

See also  Stevie Nicks Performs 'Landslide' Alongside Olivia Rodrigo

The first round of fan voting is already underway. The awards ceremony is set to take place over two nights, Nov. 20-21, at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan. The awards will also stream live worldwide on CJ ENM’s Mnet Plus platform. Music released between Oct. 1, 2025 and Sept. 30, 2026 is eligible for this year’s awards.

Other top winners at last year’s ceremony, in addition to G-Dragon, were ROSÉ & Bruno Mars’s “APT.” (song of the year), Stray Kids’ KARMA (album of the year) and ENHYPEN (fans’ choice of the year).

Here’s the full list of nominees for the 2026 MAMA Awards, except for song of the year, which will be announced soon.

Best Male Artist

  • Doh Kyung Soo (D.O. of EXO)
  • Taeyang of BIGBANG
  • Taeyong of NCT
  • Yeonjun of TOMORROW X TOGETHER
  • Young K of DAY6

Best Female Artist

  • Hwasa of MAMAMOO
  • Irene of Red Velvet
  • Soyeon of i-dle
  • Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation
  • YENA

Best Male Group

  • ATEEZ
  • BIGBANG
  • BTS
  • CORTIS
  • ENHYPEN
  • NCT WISH
  • Stray Kids
  • TOMORROW X TOGETHER

Best Female Group

  • aespa
  • BABYMONSTER
  • BLACKPINK
  • Hearts2Hearts
  • ILLIT
  • IVE
  • LE SSERAFIM
  • NMIXX

Best New Artist

  • ALPHA DRIVE ONE
  • AND2BLE
  • EVAN
  • H//PE Princess
  • hrtz.wav
  • LNGSHOT
  • MODYSSEY
  • OURBIRTHDAY
  • TUIDE
  • UNCHILD

Best Vocal Performance Solo

  • Hwasa of MAMAMOO – “Good Goodbye”
  • IU – “Unknown Planet”
  • Jennie of BLACKPINK – “Less than a Lover”
  • Roy Kim – “No Words Can Say”
  • WOODZ – “CINEMA”

Best Vocal Performance Group

  • AKMU – “Paradise of Rumors”
  • BTS – “SWIM”
  • Davichi – “TIME CAPSULE”
  • DxS (SEVENTEEN) – “Blue”
  • MAMAMOO – “4 Flowers”

Best Rap & Hip Hop Performance

Best Original Soundtrack

  • Kim Min Seok of MeloMance – “Love Language” (Can This Love Be Translated?) OST)
  • Migak Boys – “My Flavor” (The Legend of Kitchen Soldier ) OST)
  • Sung Si Kyung – “Anytime anyhow” (Surely Tomorrow ) OST)
  • Suzy – “A Day” (EXchange 4 ) OST)
  • Young K of DAY6 – “Season of Us” (My Royal Nemesis ) OST)

Best Music Video

  • BIGBANG – “BiiiG”
  • BTS – “2.0”
  • Hwasa of MAMAMOO – “Good Goodbye”
  • i-dle – “Mono (Feat. skaiwater)”
  • MEOVV – “DDI RO RI”

Best Collaboration

  • aespa – “WDA (Whole Different Animal) [feat. G-Dragon of BIGBANG]”
  • Dayoung of WJSN & Jay Park – “FLIRTY”
  • LE SSERAFIM – “SPAGHETTI (feat. j-hope of BTS)”
  • LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT & KATSEYE – “ICONIC BY MISTAKE”
  • Parc Jae Jung & Sullyoon of NMIXX – “Always”

Best Band Performance

  • Silica Gel – “BIG VOID”
  • JANNABI – “Just Kids”
  • LUCY – “All Ages”
  • QWER – “CEREMONY”
  • Xdinary Heroes – “Voyager”

Best Choreography

  • ATEEZ – “BAD”
  • CORTIS – “REDRED”
  • ILLIT – “It’s Me”
  • IVE – “BANG BANG”
  • YENA – “Catch Catch”

Best Dance Performance Male Solo

  • ONEW of SHINee – “TOUGH LOVE”
  • Taemin of SHINee – “FLOAT”
  • Taeyang of BIGBANG – “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW”
  • Taeyong of NCT – “WYLD”
  • Yeonjun of TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Ice Cream”

Best Dance Performance Female Solo

  • BIBI – “BUMPA”
  • Dayoung of WJSN – “What’s a girl to do”
  • Soyeon of i-dle – “I’m gonna TOESA”
  • YENA – “Catch Catch”
  • Yuna of ITZY – “Ice Cream”

Best Dance Performance Male Group

  • ATEEZ – “BAD”
  • BIGBANG – “BiiiG”
  • BOYNEXTDOOR – “Hollywood Action”
  • CORTIS – “REDRED”
  • RIIZE – “Do your dance”
  • Stray Kids – “This & That”
  • TWS – “OVERDRIVE”
  • ZEROBASEONE – “TOP 5”

Best Dance Performance Female Group

    aespa-“LEMONADE“
     

best barefoot shoes
<a href=“https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2026-mama-awards-nominations-full-list-bts-bigbang-1236359513/“Here you can find the original article; the photos and images used in our article also come from this source. We are not their authors; they have been used solely for informational purposes with proper attribution to their original source.

LEAVE A RESPONSE

Sarah Parker
Sarah Parker is a research analyst and content contributor with a strong interest in business strategy, organizational behavior, and social development. With a background in sociology and public policy, she focuses on exploring the intersection between research and real-world application. Sarah regularly contributes articles that bridge academic insights and practical relevance, aiming to foster critical thinking and innovation across sectors.