Members of K-pop girl group aespa deliver their acceptance speech during the 16th Melon Music Awards at Inspire Arena on Incheon's Yeongjong Island, Saturday. Courtesy of Kakao Entertainment
K-pop girl group aespa dominated the 16th Melon Music Awards (MMA) on Saturday, winning seven accolades, including three grand prizes, solidifying its status as one of the industry's top acts.
The MMA, hosted by Kakao Entertainment's music platform Melon, is one of Korea's largest music award ceremonies. This year's event took place at Inspire Arena on Incheon's Yeongjong Island, drawing 13,000 fans for a four-hour spectacle filled with live performances and honors across 27 categories.
Emerging as the night's biggest winner was aespa, SM Entertainment's flagship girl group with four members — Karina, Giselle, Ningning and Winter.
Taking home three out of four of the event's top honors — Artist of the Year, KakaoBank Album of the Year and Best Song of the Year. The group also secured awards for Top 10, Millions Top 10, Best Female Group and Best Female Performance, bringing the group's total haul to seven.
The quartet's achievements this year cemented its status as one of K-pop's leading acts, with three of its albums surpassing 1 million streams on Melon within 24 hours of release. In particular, "Supernova," the pre-release track from its first studio album and winner of Best Song of the Year Award, broke records as the longest-running No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 chart for songs released in 2024.
K-pop act (G)I-DLE attends the 16th Melon Music Awards at Inspire Arena on Incheon's Yeongjong Island, Saturday. Newsis
Another major award, Record of the Year, went to girl band (G)I-DLE for its second full-length album, "2," which recognized the group's outstanding musical achievements.
During her acceptance speech, (G)I-DLE's leader and producer Soyeon delighted fans by addressing the group's future. With the group approaching its seventh year since debut — a milestone when many K-pop contracts typically expire — fans had been anxious about whether (G)I-DLE would continue its group career.
“Before stepping on stage tonight, the five of us decided to renew our contracts,” she said. “Next year, the year after, and for the rest of our lives, we will continue making great music together.”
Meanwhile, the Rookie of the Year award, which recognizes standout acts that debuted this year, went to boy band TWS and girl group ILLIT, both from agencies under HYBE Labels.
TWS's debut track, "Plot Twist," released in January, surpassed 90 million streams on Melon, marking the highest total among rookies this year. ILLIT's viral March debut song "Magnetic" also made waves by soaring up to No. 1 on Melon's TOP 100 chart upon release.