The 2025 MAMA Awards, often referred to as the "Grammys of Asia," kicked off in Hong Kong on Friday with its first night of presentations.
What's Happening
- Day 1 saw strong wins for IVE and Enhypen, who picked up three awards each.
- Rose won Song of the Year, while BoyNextDoor took home Favourite Male Group.
- Hearts2Hearts and Cortis were named Best New Artist, and Super Junior received the Inspiring Achievement award.
- The winners on Day 1 included Fan's Choice of the Year - Enhypen, Song of the Year - APT by Rose and Bruno Mars, Inspiring Achievement - Super Junior, Favorite Male Group - BoyNextDoor, Favorite Female Group - IVE, Favorite Global Performer - IVE, Global Trend Song - IVE's Rebel Heart, Telasa Favorite Global Artist - Enhypen, Best New Artist - Hearts2Hearts and Cortis, and the Fans' Choice Award, which went to i-dle, aespa, Zerobaseone, Hearts2Hearts, Stray Kids, BabyMonster, Riize and Enhypen.
Background
This year's ceremony comes just days after a tragic structure fire in Hong Kong that claimed 128 lives, but the large-scale music event proceeded with its scheduled performances and award presentations. Rising global names such as Rose, Enhypen and IVE were among the biggest winners of the opening night.
The festival now moves toward Day 2, which will be hosted by actress Kim Hye-soo.
The second night is expected to deliver some of the most anticipated performances of the event, including G-Dragon's major return to the stage, Aespa's futuristic showcase, and Stray Kids' high-energy set. TXT (Tomorrow X Together) and Riize are also part of the evening's lineup.
Other performers scheduled for the closing night include All Day Project, Cortis, Kickflip, Idid, Izna, JO1 and Kyoka.
Major Daesang awards such as Album of the Year and Artist of the Year will be announced during the finale.
