The 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards ceremony, also known as 2021 MAMA, organized by

CJ E&M CJ E&M (Hangul: 씨제이이앤엠, an initialism for CJ Entertainment & Media) is a South Korean entertainment and mass media company created by CJ Group in 2011. As of July 2018, CJ E&M is a division of CJ ENM. History CJ E&M was established a ...

and broadcast through its music channel Mnet, took place live on December 11, 2021. The ceremony was held at CJ ENM Contents World in

Paju Paju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county (''gun''). The city area of Paju is ,"Paju (Gyeonggi-do Province)." ''Naver Encyclopedia of Knowledge''. Naver, 2015. 4 Mar. 2016. ...

, South Korea. The theme for the ceremony was titled as "Make Some Noise". The ceremony was the 23rd in the show's history.

Background

On July 20, 2021, it was reported by

Ilgan Sports ''Ilgan Sports'' ( ko, 일간스포츠; ''The Daily Sports'' or ''1S'' for short) is a South Korean daily sports and entertainment newspaper founded in 1969. Formerly under ''Hankook Ilbo'', it is now owned by the '' JoongAng Media Network'' thro ...

the ceremony is undergoing discussion to be held in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

despite the ongoing pandemic and travel restrictions. On September 7, it was announced the ceremony would be held at CJ ENM Contents World in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. This will be the second consecutive year, the ceremony will take place in South Korea only. On October 13, Mnet announced that

Lee Hyori Lee Hyo-ri (; born May 10, 1979) is a South Korean singer, record producer, activist, actress and television presenter. Dubbed as the "Nation's Fairy" during her '' Family Outing'' days, she debuted as a member of South Korean girl group Fin.K. ...

will be hosting the ceremony. She will be the first female host for Mnet Asian Music Awards. In addition, Mnet also announced that the theme of the ceremony titled as "Make Some Noise". Mnet also announced that it will be airing a 7-episode special documentary titled "MAMA: The Original K-pop Awards" from October 28, to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Mnet Asian Music Awards. According to video teaser posted on Mnet's

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, the documentary is expected to feature interviews from

Psy Park Jae-sang (, ; born December 31, 1977), known professionally as Psy (stylized in all caps as PSY) (; ; ), is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Psy is known domestically for his humorous videos and stage per ...

Park Jin-young Park Jin-young (Hangul: 박진영; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show ju ...

, Exo's Kai,

Twice Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, ...

's Nayeon,

Sana Sana may refer to: Places * Sanaa, the capital of Yemen * Sana (river), a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina * Sana, Bhutan, a town in Bhutan * Sana, Haute-Garonne, a commune in France * Sana, Iran, a village in Iran * Sana, Mali, a commune in ...

, and Jihyo,

Mamamoo Mamamoo (, stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by RBW (formerly WA Entertainment) in 2014, composed of four members: Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein and Hwasa. The group officially debuted with their single "Mr. Ambiguous" on ...

Hwasa Ahn Hye-jin (, born July 23, 1995), known professionally by her stage name Hwasa (), is a South Korean singer, rapper, and television personality currently signed to RBW. She debuted as a member of the girl group Mamamoo in 2014. She made her ...

Stray Kids Stray Kids (; often abbreviated as SKZ) is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment through the 2017 reality show of the same name. The group is composed of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmi ...

Super Junior Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band formed by Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment in 2005. They are also dubbed by the media as the "King of Hallyu Wave" due to their promine ...

Shinee Shinee ( ; ko, 샤이니, Syaini; ja, シャイニー, Shainī; stylized as SHINee) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group's musical impact in their native country has earned them numerous accolades and the ...

, and

2NE1 2NE1 (, ) was a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, which was active between 2009 and 2016. The group was composed of four members: Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy. Known for breaking typical stereotypes of K-pop, musical experime ...

. On November 16, a global press conference was held. It was revealed that the awards ceremony will be an offline event with a limited audience in accordance with government disease prevention guidelines. South Korean-based company, Samil PwC, will be auditing the ceremony. Mnet also announced additional performers including British singer-songwriter

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

, the 8 crews of Street Woman Fighter, a reunion stage of

Wanna One Wanna One () was a South Korean boy band formed by CJ E&M through the second season of ''Produce 101''. The group was composed of eleven members: Kang Daniel, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Dae-hwi, Kim Jae-hwan, Ong Seong-wu, Park Woo-jin, Lai Kuan-lin, Yo ...

, and a collaboration stage between members of top fourth-generation K-pop groups. On December 9, Mnet announced the 2021 MAMA Ambassadors.

Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

Song Joong-ki Song Joong-ki (; born September 19, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama ''Sungkyunkwan Scandal'' (2010) and the variety show '' Running Man'' (2010–2011) as one of the original cast members. S ...

and

Han Ye-ri Han Ye-ri (born Kim Ye-ri on December 23, 1984) is a South Korean actress. Career Han built her filmography by starring in short films and indies. She drew notice in the sports drama '' As One'' (2012), for which she learned the Hamgyŏng dial ...

will deliver the key values that made K-content globally loved by global audiences. On December 11, Mnet released a special album titled, ''"Do the dance"'', performed by

on music streaming platforms.

Performers

, Street Woman Fighter, and

were announced as performers on November 16, 2021. The rest of the performers were announced on November 25. On December 5,

Kep1er Kep1er (; ) is a South Korean girl group formed through the Mnet (TV channel), Mnet Reality show, reality survival competition show ''Girls Planet 999'' in 2021 and managed by Swing Entertainment and Wake One Entertainment. The group is composed ...

withdrew from the ceremony after a staff member from the group tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Some performances are pre-recorded.

Presenters

The list of presenters was announced on December 7, 2021.

Choi Si-won Choi Si-won (; born 7 April 1986), known mononymously as Siwon, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, model, and actor known for his work as a member of South Korean boy group Super Junior. Choi committed as special representative of UNICEF K ...

was originally scheduled as a presenter but was diagnosed with

a day before the ceremony. * Lee Hyun-yi & Ahn Hyun-mo – red carpet hosts *

Lee Sun-bin Lee Jin-kyung (; born January 7, 1994), professionally known as Lee Sun-bin (), is a South Korean actress and singer. She is known for starring in '' Squad 38'' (2016), '' Missing 9'' (2017), and ''Criminal Minds'' (2017). She is a former memb ...

Lee Do-hyun Lim Dong-hyun, (; born April 11, 1995) better known by his stage name Lee Do-hyun (), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Hotel del Luna'' (2019), '' 18 Again'' (2020), '' Sweet Home'' (2020), and ''Youth of May'' (2 ...

– Best New Artists (Male & Female) *

Haha Haha or ha ha is an onomatopoeic representation of laughter. Haha and variants may also refer to: People * Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (born 1992), American football player * Haha (entertainer) (born 1979), Entertainer Places * Saint-Louis-du ...

, Monika, & Shin Ga-bee – KTO Breakout Artist *

Kim Seo-hyung Kim Seo-hyung (born October 28, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her portrayal as the evil mistress Shin Ae-ri in the SBS revenge drama '' Temptation of Wife'' (2008) and as Coach Kim in the JTBC television series ''Sky Ca ...

– Best Band Performance *

Kim Young-dae Kim Young-dae (born March 2, 1996) is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for the MBC high school drama ''Extraordinary You'' (2019). More recently, he appeared in the SBS television series ''The Penthouse: War In Life'' (2020) ...

Kim Hye-yoon Kim Hye-yoon (born November 10, 1996) is a South Korean actress and model. She first became known through her portrayal as Kang Ye-seo in JTBC's television series ''Sky Castle'' (2018–2019) and received her first leading role with MBC's '' Ext ...

– Best HipHop & Urban Music *

Yeo Jin-goo Yeo Jin-goo (, born August 13, 1997) is a South Korean actor. Yeo began his career as a child actor, debuting in the film '' Sad Movie'' (2005). Nicknamed "Nation's Little Brother", he went on to play the younger characters of the lead roles in ...

– Best Dance Female Group *

Jo Jung-suk Jo Jung-suk (born December 26, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He began his career in theater, starring in '' Spring Awakening'', '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', and the stage adaptation of '' The Harmonium in My Memory'', among many other musi ...

– Album of the Year *

Heo Sung-tae Heo Sung-tae ( , born 20 October 1977) is a South Korean actor with over sixty film and television credits. He came to national prominence in the 2016 period thriller film ''The Age of Shadows''. Early life Heo was born in Busan, South Korea. ...

& Nam Yoon-su – Best OST *

Jo Bo-ah Jo Bo-ah (born Jo Bo-yoon on August 22, 1991) is a South Korean actress, model and host known for her roles in ''Goodbye to Goodbye'' (2018), '' My Strange Hero'' (2018), ''Forest'' (2020), ''Tale of the Nine Tailed'' (2020), and ''Military Pros ...

Ahn Bo-hyun Ahn Bo-hyun (born May 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor. Early life and career Ahn was born in Busan, South Korea on May 16, 1988. As a graduate from Busan Sports High School, he used to participate in amateur boxing competitions and previousl ...

– Worldwide Fans' Choice Top 10 *

Noh Hong-chul Noh Hong-chul ( ko, 노홍철 盧弘喆; born 31 March 1979) is a South Korean entertainer and entrepreneur. He is the co-host of the variety show ''Talents for Sale''. He previously appeared on the television programs ''Infinite Challenge'' a ...

– Worldwide Fans' Choice Top 10 *

– The value of being different segment *

Lee Jung-jae Lee Jung-jae (; born December 15, 1972) is a South Korean actor and filmmaker. Considered one of the most successful actors in South Korea, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cri ...

– Worldwide Icon of the Year *

– Breaking the Norm *

Kwon Yul Gwon Yul (; December 28, 1537 - July 6, 1599) was a Korean Army General and the Commander-in-chief (도원수; 導元帥) of the Joseon Dynasty, who successfully led the Korean forces against Japan during the Japanese invasions of Korea (임진� ...

– TikTok Favorite Moment *

Tiffany Young Stephanie Young Hwang (born August 1, 1989), known professionally as Tiffany or Tiffany Young, is an American singer-songwriter. Born and raised in California, she was discovered by South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment at the age ...

Choi Soo-young Choi Soo-young (; born February 10, 1990), professionally known as Sooyoung, is a South Korean singer, actress and songwriter. She was a member of the short-lived Korean-Japanese singing duo Route 0 during 2002 in Japan. After returning to Sou ...

– Best Female Group * Song Joong-ki – Song of the Year *

Uhm Jung-hwa Uhm Jung-hwa (; born August 17, 1969) is a South Korean singer, actress and dancer. Uhm is considered to be one of the most influential women in the Korean entertainment industry, finding rare success in both music and film. Her legacy and car ...

– Artist of the Year

Criteria

K-pop categories

All songs that have been released from October 29, 2020, to October 31, 2021, are eligible to be nominated.

Asia Music categories

Artists from Japan, Greater China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam who have worked on songs released from October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021.

Professional categories

Music experts who participated in the production, creation, activities etc., of K-Pop's records and digital songs released from October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021.

Winners and nominees

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Winners and nominees are listed in alphabetical order. Winners listed first and highlighted in bold. Online voting for Worldwide Fans' Choice Top 10 opened on the official website and Twitter on November 4, 2021. Online voting for Worldwide Icon of the Year opened on the official MAMA website and Twitter on November 25, 2021. Voting on the official website and Apple Music ended on December 9, 2021, while voting on Twitter ended during the live broadcast.

Main Awards

The list of nominees for all categories excluding TikTok Album of the Year, TikTok Worldwide Icon of the Year, and Best Music Video, were announced on November 3, 2021, through the official website.

Favorite Awards

The list of nominees for Worldwide Fans' Choice Top 10, were announced on November 3, 2021, through the official website.

Special Awards

Professional Categories

Multiple Awards

The following artist(s) received three or more awards:

Broadcast

The ceremony of the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards was broadcast live worldwide from Mnet in South Korea, to simulcast across

channels; other international networks, and online via Mnet K-pop, Mnet TV, M2, and KCON's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

account. The red carpet was broadcast live 2 hours before the main ceremony.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Mnet Asian Music Awards

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

MAMA Awards ceremonies December 2021 events in South Korea