The Mnet Asian Music Awards have been held recently and gone for another year. It is one of the most prestigious music awards shows in South Korea and has exciting performances. After the 2020 ceremony featured no live audience at all, it was obvious to all involved that the 2021 staging had to be bigger and more fantastic than ever.
After ruling the night at American Music Awards, BTS ruled the evening as the biggest winners at MAMAs too, as they claimed all four — ‘Artist of the year,’ ‘Worldwide icon of the year, ‘Song of the year (for “Butter”) and ‘Album of the year’ (for Be) — as well as just as many other prizes, bringing their total to eight awards. IU came in second place with three trophies, while both Twice and Aespa ended up with a pair of honors.
More than 20 performances from many of the brightest stars (and Ed Sheeran) made this 4–5-hour long ceremony exciting and kept it moving. These segments ended up filling much more airtime than people accepting awards, which made it compelling viewing for fans worldwide.
The program started with a heartfelt thanks to the opening number, “Bloom The Sound,” which highlighted the talents of some of the most precious members of chart-topping bands. Featuring performers in the opening number from Enhypen, Aespa, Stray Kids, Ateez, Itzy, and Tomorrow X Together on the stage. Aespa was preceded on stage by a terrifying and real-looking black mamba, while Jannabi used it to make the entire stadium twinkle like it was filled with fireflies. The special effect was well-executed, and it made the whole ceremony feel magical.
After a break of several years, Brave Girls made a massive comeback in 2020 and 2021. They were once again invited to the MAMAs this year.
Aespa came this year, and they made their presence at the latest MAMAs known. Nominated for five awards, the quartet’s Karina took part in the opening number, which was just the beginning. Also, three of the NCT-branded groups performed at the 2021 MAMAs, and while both NCT 127 and NCT U put on an excellent show, NCT Dream’s “Hot Sauce” featured one of the most elaborate and expensive stages of the night.
One of the most extended performances of the night, Itzy’s segment included a staged intro, Squid Game star Heo Sung-Tae, violence, sex appeal, and seemingly everything in between. So, these were some of the most enjoyable moments of MAMAs.
