Girl groups aespa, IVE, NewJeans, STAYC, and KISS OF LIFE will take the stage at MMA2023.
On the 15th, Kakao Entertainment (CEOs Lee Jin-soo, Kim Sung-soo) announced through its music platform Melon that the third lineup for MMA2023 (MELON MUSIC AWARDS) includes the groups aespa, IVE, NewJeans, STAYC, and KISS OF LIFE.

First, aespa not only shot to number one on the Melon TOP100 with "Spicy," released in May, but their third mini-album "MY WORLD," which contains the song, was also recognized as a "Millions Album"—a title for albums that achieve over 1 million streams within 24 hours of release—and was inducted into the Melon Hall of Fame. Furthermore, as their new song "Drama" is expected to set record-breaking achievements, anticipation is building for their performance at MMA2023.

IVE, who boasted a total of four awards at last year's MMA2022, including Best Song of the Year, New Artist of the Year, TOP10, and Best Female Group, will return to MMA2023 after one year.

IVE's first full-length album "I've IVE" and first mini-album "I'VE MINE," both released this year, were also inducted into the Melon Hall of Fame as "Millions Albums." The title tracks from each album, "I AM," "Kitsch," and "Baddie," have consecutively topped the TOP100, continuing their syndrome-level popularity. Attention is focused on what kind of achievements they will make at MMA2023 following last year.

Additionally, NewJeans, who proudly took home two awards at MMA2022—New Artist of the Year and TOP10—immediately after their debut, is set to show an even more grown-up side at MMA2023 this year.

In particular, both "OMG," released in January, and "Get Up," released in July, were inducted into the Melon Hall of Fame as "Millions Albums." With "Ditto" reaching number one on the Melon Weekly Popularity Award in the third week of January and topping the TOP100, and "Super Shy" also hitting number one on the TOP100, they have solidified their position as true music powerhouses, raising curiosity about their MMA2023 stage.

STAYC, who garnered attention by winning the Global Rising Artist Award at last year's MMA2022, is currently elevating their global status, including holding their first world tour, "TEENFRESH." Having shown a "hard-working" streak from their "Teddy Bear" activities to "Bubble" this year, STAYC plans to present a stage filled with special charm for music fans around the world through MMA2023.

KISS OF LIFE is a girl group that emerged as "monster rookies" attracting the attention of a global fandom by achieving exceptional results immediately upon their July debut. Following their debut song "Shh," they are continuing their upward trend in popularity with their new song "Bad News," released on the 8th, showcasing a unique vibe. As a group that has shown the potential to grow into a global trend early on, all eyes from global fandoms are on the powerful presence they will demonstrate at MMA2023.

With news that popular girl groups—from aespa to IVE, NewJeans, STAYC, and KISS OF LIFE—will be appearing at MMA2023, the representative music awards ceremony and festival, expectations are rising for the rich and diverse stages they will present.

Meanwhile, MMA2023 will be held on December 2nd starting at 5:00 PM at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, South Korea's first K-POP specialized arena, sponsored by Kakao Bank. It will be broadcast in real-time domestically via the Melon app/web and the Wavve app/TV app. In Japan, it can be viewed on ABEMA, and for the rest of the world excluding South Korea and Japan, real-time live streaming will be provided through the Beyond LIVE platform.

Reporter Moon Wan-sik munwansik@mt.co.kr

These are English translations of articles from our GTTOUR Japanese website.