When BTS ended Justin Bieber's reign by winning the Top Social Artist award at the Billboard Awards in 2017, a year that also marked “K-pop's first big moment on American television.”, K-pop fans dared to hope. Wonder Girls had become the first Korean act to break into the American Hot 100 almost a decade earlier.
Since then, American awards shows have been catching up. The AMAs created the first K-pop category at a major US awards show in 2022. However, as talented as the artists are, American producers have never been able to fully showcase K-pop with the extravagance and creative camerawork known to their Korean counterparts. for. And face it: What makes music awards shows (or any awards shows, for that matter) worth watching are exciting performances and unscripted moments.
So when the MAMA AwardsKorea's largest music awards show in scale and influence, arrived at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on Thursday night, it was a huge event for K-pop fans. The massive spectacle, which has taken place in recent years in cities across Asia, would be held in the United States for the first time in its 25-year history and would span three days. Los Angeles hosted the first event in a more intimate theatrical setting; On November 22 and 23, it will be in Osaka, the Kyocera Dome in Japan.
“It was in the early 2000s when I tried to bring K-pop to the United States,” said Park Jin-Young, or JYP, as the charismatic music executive and legend of the show, at a press conference held the morning of the show.
JYP, with special guest Grammy winner Anderson .Paak, was announced as one of the show's inaugural artists. “I thought it was possible but not probable,” he says. “Back then, I always ran into someone trying to do the same thing, who made CJ ENM what it is today. miky lee.” CJ ENM is one of Korea's most influential entertainment companies and production companies at both KCON and MAMA Awards.
“She has a genuine dream,” Park continues. “Not because it is lucrative, but because he wants Korean culture to spread throughout the world. We used to share a glass of wine at night and talk about what she wants to do and what I was doing, and 20 years later, she's winning Academy Awards and our artists are being number 1 on billboard.”
Anderson .Paak performs at the MAMA Awards on Thursday at the Dolby Theatre.
(CJENM)
When asked about their upcoming performance with Anderson .Paak, JYP alluded to a deeper reason why more representation in America is important: It goes both ways. .Paak's mother, a biracial Korean adoptee, was brought to the United States and raised by a black American family.
He was not exposed to Korean culture until he married a Korean woman. Later, his son Soul Rasheed's obsession with BTS led to .Paak's collaboration with the group, and this year he wrote, directed and starred with Soul in “Kpop!”, about an American musician trying to revive his career in Korea.
That said, bringing a massive, multi-day Korean awards show to the US is a tall order. Park Chan Uk, director of CJ ENM Convention Business, was careful not to commit to revisiting it, but expanding to the US, particularly Los Angeles, fits in many ways.
CJ ENM, which also hosts KCON, has emphasized global expansion. This makes sense since K-pop is big worldwide, almost every group has at least one international member, and every major label is releasing groups explicitly aimed at global audiences (JYP used the press conference to officially announce the relaunch of its US-based group). girl group, Vcha, in 2025). They recognize and make efforts to localize experiences for American fans.
JYP also emphasized tailoring experiences for local fans. This effort at the MAMA Awards launch in Los Angeles worked very well in some ways, but was baffling in others.
On the one hand, the American press is used to having more access to stars. CJ ENM's live broadcast of the show included a red carpet interview segment hosted by an American musician and media mogul. Eric Nam. While beloved K-drama star Park Bo-Gum was the show's official host, bilingual Nam did the heavy lifting; His popular Los Angeles-based “Daebak Show” podcast has prepared him well to fluently switch between Korean and English.
Although rookie superstars RIIZE were included in the day's earlier media event, questions were limited to the show itself. Aside from a couple of on-camera moments with Billboard's Tetris Kelly, American journalists who cover K-pop regularly were unable to interview artists or guests on a separate red carpet, which is crucial to generating excitement, excitement and moments. sincere
And while Korean producers are adept at delivering clean, high-end production value, they are much more protective of their artists' image. This is understandable, given that fans hold Korean pop stars to higher standards of conduct. American fans love to criticize their artists, but the threshold for making acceptable mistakes is culturally different.
These differences were evident when a group of American RIIZE fans held a banner outside the Dolby in protest of Management of SM's Entertainment from a photo leak prior to member Seunghan's debut. (The press was explicitly asked not to ask the group about the situation, the leak, and its subsequent consequences.)
Dustin Hoffman was among the presenters at the MAMA Awards on Thursday at the Dolby Theatre.
(CJ ENM)
While surprises are fun, it would not only have been good publicity to announce awards presenters Dustin Hoffman, NSYNC member Lance Bass and Da'Vine Joy Randolph in advance, but also an opportunity to ask about their interest and connection to the Korean culture and K. -burst.
Screen legend Hoffman, who was interrupted by an audience member, said he attended KCON this year with his wife.
But still, what mattered most were the performances. New winning male artist TWS opened with a tribute to BTS. surprising later with a cheerful school theme with dancers from diverse backgrounds and an endearing appearance by members of the honor band from Tetzlaff Junior High School in Cerritos, a suburb of Los Angeles.
girl group young group brought the retro hip-hop vibes, while illuminated brought to life a unicorn-themed fantasy setting and intricate expanded choreography for their hypnotic hit “Magnetic.” They were later sweetly and emotionally bewildered when they were announced as the new winning female artists.
In another touching moment, Lee Isaac Chung, director of “Minari” and “Twisters,” presented the male dance performance group award to TWS after speaking about the importance of seeing his culture represented as a second-generation child.
RIIZE, unfazed by the controversy, flanked by local dancers, performed powerful choreography to her success. “Get a guitar.” (Co-written by American composer Ben Samama), whose music video was filmed in Los Angeles, to the loudest screams of the night.
K-pop group Katseye performs at the MAMA Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
(CJ ENM)
The featured performance was global girl group sensation Katseye, co-managed by Geffen Records. Along with the Los Angeles Rams cheerleadersThey wowed everyone with their commanding stage presence and intricate, precise athletic prowess.
Finally, the best was saved for last: JYP received the Inspiring Achievement Award. Known for his sometimes cheesy escapades (he's in on the joke), he showed why he's considered a legend. The 52-year-old runs one of the most successful entertainment companies in the world, but it is clear that his first love is acting.
With a full band, he danced, sang his heart out, and tickled the ivories as he performed a medley of his solo hits, including the retro “easy lover”, finally bringing out .Paak for a funky drum solo. It was a back-and-forth musical conversation that recalled how intertwined our two countries have been since the 1950s, when the Kim Sisters absorbed black American R&B to entertain American soldiers and then delighted American audiences on “The Ed Sullivan Show ”.
The launch of MAMA US wasn't perfect, but it was a good start. Still, both cultures yearn for an ongoing musical conversation, and American K-pop fans deserve a night of celebration with the standards of performance that Korean production is known for, not just a one-off show in the United States that doesn't. understand. With its deep ties to Korean culture, Los Angeles is the perfect location for a permanent MAMA Awards that best blends Korean lore with American flair.
