Yup, it's that time of the year again. The Mnet Asian Music Awards, or MAMA, is a yearly event that gathers K-pop fans from all places in the world and puts them all against each other for one race to victory. I learnt pretty quickly getting into K-pop that MAMA is serious business, and that fandoms that usually get along can become passionate enemies if their respective groups are up for the same award.
I remember specifically in 2012 when B.A.P and EXO both were up for the rookie award and the fans were going crazy about it, but then Busker Busker came along and won instead. That moment will never fail to amuse me. This year the ceremony is taking place in Hong Kong, and the nominations were released a few days ago. Some of the categories are tough indeed, but I thought I'd give my few cents on how I think it will turn out and how I want it to turn out.
Best New Male/Female Artist:
- iKon, Seventeen, N.Flying, Monsta X, Up10tion
- CLC, GFriend, Twice, Lovelyz, Oh My Girl
However I would be happy with any group winning this category because the girl group rookies have been killing it this year. Twice's debut was only a few weeks ago but I'm already a big fan, and Oh My Girl really won me over with their latest comeback. Lovelyz have been really consistent as well so I'm kind of rooting for them too (their album sales have also been great), and although CLC have suffered from terrible management and promoting they're a talented group anyhow. Still I'm really hoping it will be GFriend who gets to go home victorious.
With the male groups I'm not as enthusiastic though, because the standard of boy group debuts this year has been very underwhelming, especially compared to the girls. I know for sure that Monsta X, Up10tion and N.Flying won't be winning anything, so it's up to iKon and Seventeen. My obvious preference is Seventeen, of course, because everything about them is so professional and impressive. They are great live performers, have amazing songs and are incredibly talented to boot. However I'm fairly certain iKon is going to win anyway, because they're a YG product with an already huge fanbase before their debut and a high-charting single that Seventeen hasn't had yet. It sucks because I don't think they deserve it at all considering how disappointing their debut was, but that's probably how it's going to go.
Best Male/Female Group:
- Big Bang, EXO, BTS, SHINee, Super Junior, Shinhwa
- Girls' Generation, Sistar, A Pink, Miss A, AOA, Wonder Girls
This category is at least to me, very sensitive because the wrong groups, in my opinion, tend to win here. With the girl groups I feel less anxious because all the nominees have had great years in their own ways, but of course some would be more exciting to see win than others. SNSD will probably snatch the victory because they had a very successful comeback with great physical and digital sales, but it would be so boring to see them win because they always do. I personally root for the Wonder Girls because I loved their comeback, but Miss A would make great winners as well.
I didn't particularly like A Pink's comeback but I would want to see them beat SNSD, just for fun, and the same goes with Sistar although less so because they've won before in this category. The only group I can't see win and hope won't win is AOA, and not because they haven't had a successful 2014 because they have, but simply because they still have a long way to go before they get to the same level as the other groups.
As for the male groups I'm not even going to bother because I know I'll only be disappointed anyway. A BTS win would be incredibly satisfactory, but it's very unlikely to happen considering the other nominees. In the end I think it will come down to EXO and Big Bang, because of EXO's huge fandom and sales and Big Bang's four comebacks and public success. In my heart I'll always want SHINee to win but I know that it most probably won't happen either, so I guess I'll have to root for Big Bang after all. Mainly so because I really don't want EXO to win, but also because I have enjoyed their material and I'm eagerly waiting for their full album to be released. Come on YG!
Best Female/Male Artist:
- Taeyeon, Ailee, IU, Taeyeon, BoA, Hyuna
- Kyuhyun, Jonghyun, Zion. T, JYP, Jung Yonghwa
This category is one that I care less about, mainly because I don't really stan any solo artists, at least nowhere as much as I do with groups. It's amusing to me that the majority of the nominees are also members of idol groups, which I think prove how powerful K-pop fandoms are. There are so many talented solo artists that never get nominated for awards like this because they don't have huge fandoms to back them up, which is unfortunate.That's why I think it would be amazing if Zion. T won the male award, and it's also not an impossibility. Mostly thanks to his participation in this year's "Infinity Challenge Festival" he's become really popular and his songs have charted really high (of course he was popular before that as well but not to this current level), and I do think his high-ranking singles do give him an advantage. Still I'm not sure whether that will be enough for him to win because like I said, he doesn't have a huge fan following like the other nominees. I think Kyuhyun might win and even Jonghyun (which I would love as well, of course) but I'm definitely rooting for the underdog here.
As for female artist I don't think there's much of a competition. Taeyeon has been slaying the charts with "I" ever since it came out, and she's still in the top five as of the moment I'm writing this. She's won number one on music shows for weeks now and her solo debut seems to have resonated just as well with the general public as it has with her fans. I wouldn't mind Taeyeon winning because her debut was great and she's a talented singer, but I'm always a fan of the unpredictable. IU might very well win too, but it's been so soon since her comeback happened and she doesn't have the fandom that Taeyeon has despite also killing it on the charts, so I think it's less likely but no one knows for sure until the winner is announced. As for the other ones I deem any potential victories unlikely, especially poor BoA who deserved better promotions, but if Hyuna or Ailee won I would be happy for them too.
Best Music Video:
- Big Bang's "Bae Bae", f(x)'s "4 Walls", Wonder Girls' "I Feel you", SHINee's "Married to the Music", Infinite's "Bad"
Now this is a tough one guys. I'm fairly certain Big Bang is going to win because they are Big Bang and win basically everything, but wouldn't it be great to have literally any other one of the nominees win? I personally can't decide which one I'm rooting for because these are all bias groups of mine (not so much Wonder Girls but I did adore their comeback), and if any of them won I would be bursting with joy."Married to the Music" is one of my favorite videos this year and so is "I Feel You", and although I didn't love "Bad" as much it would be awesome to have Infinite win an award for best music video. However my heart can't help but to wish for f(x) to take this one because I love them so much and I want them to win every award imaginable. Yes I'm still pretty sure Big Bang will eventually win, but I refuse to give up hope until I actually see them accept the award with my own eyes. I wouldn't mind them winning because "Bae Bae" is certainly...interesting, however it would be so much more fun if another nominee won.
There you have it; part one of my 2015 pre-MAMA series, and I want to know what you guys think about this year's award season. Who do you think will win and who do you hope will win? Or are they same the nominee? Please share below and I'll see you in part two!
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