BTS, IU, aespa and ENHYPEN lead winners at 2021 MAMA

BTS won nine awards at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards today (December 11), including Artist Of The Year.

The annual awards show was held at CJ ENM Content World in Paju, South Korea, with the theme for this year’s ceremony being “Make Some Noise”.

• READ MORE: BTS live in LA: a euphoric return to live performance for the K-pop juggernauts

BTS collected the trophies for Album Of The Year for ‘BE’, Worldwide Icon Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Favourite Moment, Best Male Group, and Song Of The Year and Best Dance Performance Male Group for ‘Butter’. They also took home a prize for being voted in the Worldwide Fans’ Choice Top 10.

Although the group did not attend the ceremony, they sent a video message, which was filmed backstage at their recent concerts in LA. “For all of those who had difficult times this year, to share strength and comfort, we tried new things in making music and we worked very hard,” RM said. “Thank you for empathising with our heartful music and enjoying them with us.”

[#2021MAMA_Moment] BEST MALE GROUP & BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE MALE GROUP & BEST MUSIC VIDEO & TikTok FAVORITE MOMENT #방탄소년단 #bts

You made it! Honorable winner of the night!
#2021MAMA #MAMA #MakeSomeNoise #Mnet pic.twitter.com/B9JEEgFQNk

— MAMA(엠넷아시안뮤직어워즈) (@MnetMAMA) December 11, 2021

Jimin continued: “‘Butter’ and ‘Permission to Dance’ gained enormous love this year, we will share this honour with everyone who worked hard to make great music and performances with us. And most of all, we think this is the award given to both us and all ARMYs who’ve been showing so much love toward our music.”

“We believe many in the world had difficult times in 2021,” J-hope added. “But we hope we all can believe that greater hope is on its way, little by little. We will work harder so our music can be your peace of mind and comfort in difficult times.”

Watch the group’s acceptance speech in full above. Their haul also meant they are now the first act to have won every top prize at the ceremony for a third year.

Elsewhere at the ceremony, IU won three awards, while aespa and ENHYPEN won two awards each. IU was named Best Female Artist and Best Vocal Performance for ‘Celebrity’, and received Best Collaboration with AKMU, while aespa won Best New Female Artist and Best Dance Performance Female Group for ‘Next Level’. ENHYPEN, meanwhile, took home Best New Male Artist and were also voted as one of the Worldwide Fans’ Choice Top 10 acts.

Ed Sheeran was this year’s victor in the Favourite International Artist category and gave a special performance for the event, mashing up his recent singles ‘Bad Habits’ and ‘Shivers’.

The full list of winners from 2021 MAMA are as follows:

TikTok Album Of The Year 

BTS – ‘BE’

Best New Male Artist 

ENHYPEN

Best New Female Artist 

aespa

Best Dance Performance Female Group 

aespa – ‘Next Level’

Best Band Performance 

JANNABI

Best Hip-Hop & Urban Music 

Ash Island – ‘Melody’

Best OST 

Cho Jung Seok – ‘Like You’, Hospital Playlist (season two)

Korean Tourism Organisation Breakout Artist 

Brave Girls

Favourite Asian Artist 

INI

TikTok Worldwide Icon Of The Year 

BTS

Worldwide Fans’ Choice Top 10 

Stray Kids
NCT Dream
NCT 127
ENHYPEN
Tomorrow X Together
BTS
Lisa
Seventeen
Treasure
TWICE

Favourite International Artist

Ed Sheeran

Best Asian Artist Japan

JO1

Best Asian Artist Mandarin 

Accusefive

Best Asian Artist Thailand 

Tilly Birds

Best Asian Artist Indonesia

Anneth

Best Asian Artist Vietnam

Quân A.P

Best New Asian Artist Japan

ADO

Best New Asian Artist Mandarin

Anson Lo

Best New Asian Artist Thailand 

SPRIVE X GUYGEEGEE

Best New Asian Artist Indonesia 

Lyodra

Best New Asian Artist Vietnam 

Hoàng Duyên

TikTok Song Of The Year 

BTS – ‘Butter’

TikTok Artist Of The Year 

BTS – ‘Butter’

TikTok Favourite Moment

BTS

Best Male Group 

BTS

Best Female Group 

TWICE

Best Male Artist 

Baekhyun

Best Female Artist 

IU

Best Dance Performance Solo 

Rosé – ‘On The Ground’

Best Dance Performance Male Group 

BTS – ‘Butter’

Best Vocal Performance 

IU – ‘Celebrity’

Best Collaboration 

AKMU – ‘NAKKA (with IU)’

Best Executive Producer Of The Year 

Bang Si-Hyuk

Best Producer Of The Year 

TEDDY

Best Composer Of The Year 

Yoo Young Jin

Best Engineer Of The Year 

Gu Jong Pil, Kwon Nam Woo

Best Video Director Of The Year 

Lumpens

Best Choreographer Of The Year 

Leejung Lee

Best Art Director Of The Year 

MU:E

BTS are currently on an “extended period of rest” for the first time since 2019 and will not take part in any of this year’s end-of-year shows. In a statement, their agency Big Hit explained the break would give the group “a chance to get re-inspired and recharge with creative energy” and offer them the first opportunity “to spend the holiday season with their families” since their debut in 2013.

The company also noted that the boyband will be preparing for a brand-new album that will be the start of a “new chapter”.

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