MAMA Awards to expand beyond stage with fan festival, cross-genre collaborations

The MAMA Awards, a prominent K-pop music event, will broaden its scope this year by introducing a fan festival and cross-genre collaborations. The expanded edition will take place on November 20-21 at Kyocera Dome Osaka, Japan, under the theme "A Music Interstellar." Mnet head Yoon Shin-hye explained that this concept envisions a captivating universe where fans can freely navigate between musical stars, transcending time, space, and reality.

To enhance fan engagement, the MAMA Fan Festa will commence from November 9 and extend until November 21 in diverse locations throughout Osaka, such as Kyocera Dome Osaka, Midosuji Street, and Namba Square, alongside an online presence via Mnet Plus. Park Chan-uk, head of the live entertainment business division, emphasized the festival's mission to provide a platform for fans to actively participate, share their preferences, and establish connections with fellow attendees.

This year's MAMA Awards will feature a revised category structure, with awards divided into artist and performance categories. The first day will honor Fans Choice and Singer categories, while the second day will recognize Best Song Top 10 and genre-specific awards. The performer lineup includes BIGBANG, Cortis, Enhypen, Zerobaseone, NCT Wish, Treasure, Ive, Le Sserafim, CL (2NE1 member), TWICE's Nayeon, Babymonster, Rescene, Allday Project, Illit, Hearts2Hearts, and the veteran duo Panic, who will collaborate with Cortis' Martin and Seonghyeon.

A notable collaboration will see K-pop artist BIGBANG team up with South Korean contemporary art master Lee Bae, symbolizing the fusion of art and music within the passage of time. Moreover, the awards show will host a cinematic stage combining Enhypen with the film "Dune: Part Three," set for December release, along with a unique pairing between the animated series "Dooly the Little Dinosaur" and BIGBANG.

Actor Park Bo-gum returns as the show's host and the inaugural MAMA Awards ambassador, guiding fans through the musical universe. Harry H.K. Shin, music entertainment division head, stressed the importance of maintaining K-pop's iconic moments while striving for excellence in the event's 27th year.