The annual Seoul Music Awards took place on January 23, an event awaited eagerly by K-pop fans worldwide. K-pop stars who received spotlight in 2021 made appearances to celebrate the occasion and greet their fans. Read on to get a scoop of what went on at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome!
4:00 PM Red Carpet
The artists walked on the red carpet as they waved and greeted their fans with Korea Tourism Organization and High1 mascot dolls in hand. By their expressions and photo poses, they seemed to be as excited as their fans.
5:00 PM Event Venue
There were about 2,000 audience who came to see the show. The audience were encouraged to enjoy the show in a reserved manner due to the Covid-19 situation. In accordance with the social distancing regulations, the audience showed support for the artists with a powerful round of applause instead of shout outs and roars. The main event hosts were announcer Kim Sung-Ju, Boom, and Seolhyun.
6:00 PM Act 1. Opening ceremony
The 1st Act of the show kicked off with the opening ceremony starting with a fabulous dance performance by OMEGA X, followed by a stage by Lee Mu Jin and his band. Other artists followed after in the order of Lang Lee, STAYC, Jeong Dong Ha, ENHYPEN, HyunA, and Brave Girls.
8:00 PM Act 2. Opening ceremony & Awards
The 2nd Act consisted of the opening ceremony and awards. Kang Daniel’s performance backed up by a laser show was so intense, it was impossible to look away. The ceremony performance continued with a beautifully touching ballad by Wendy and an exotic performance by HyunA. Other artists who entertained the audience include THE BOYZ with their powerful moves, and Oh My Girl, who put on a lovely stage.
Next up was Lim Young Woong who sang “My Starry Love” and “Love Always Runs Away.” The last stage was a performance by NCT DREAM and NCT 127. They put on an fantastic show with NCT DREAM dressed in black and red while NCT 127 was dressed in white.
And who won the Grand Prize? NCT 127! The NCT group grows popular by day for their music that integrate modern technology, living up to their name “Neo Culture Technology,” shortened as NCT.
Award Acceptance Speech
OMEGA X (New Artist Award)
“The New Artist Award is very special to us. We give this honor to our fans, who supported all of our eleven members so that we may strive harder and never give up. We will continue to bring great music and performance.”
Lim Young Woong (Original Soundtrack Award, Trot Award, Bonsang (Main Award), Popularity Award)
“It is a great honor. All awards are special and meaningful to me, but the Trot Award is what makes me the happiest. Trot music has been gaining lots of attention recently and it’s the 2nd golden era for trot music. I believe I received this prize to represent all who work hard in the trot music industry. I will continue do my best and bring great music.”
HyunA (R&B/Hip Hop Award)
“I will continue to come up with ways to make this year an exciting one for everyone. I have nothing else to show except for my performance.”
Brave Girls (Bonsang (Main Award))
Yujeong: “A few days ago, I saw an online post by our fans with a photo commenting “I’m depressed but I don’t know what to do.” It was heartbreaking to think that it’s something many of us are going through. I believe dreams are what make us continue forward. I hope that everyone would be able to take a step forward towards making their dreams come true, regardless of how small or big they may be.”
IU VCR (Bonsang (Main Award), Best Song Award)
“I was given the Bonsang and Best Song Awards. They are huge awards. It made me realize once again how much love “LILAC” has received. There were many exciting and happy moments last year as I put my album together, but there were also moments of struggles due to the album’s theme of bidding farewell to my twenties.”
NCT 127 (Bonsang (Main Award), Daesang (Grand Prize))
“We are very happy to start off our New Year with such a big award. This is what will keep us going for rest of the year. We believe this award stands for the path we walked through since our debut. We’ll continue to head forward in our journey.”
“It was a big surprise. I had lost my dreams for a while now, but the moment I heard our name called out, it felt like I found my long-gone dreams again. I had flashbacks from my training years up to where I am now. I feel like I can start 2022 really well.”
31st High1 Seoul Music Awards
List of Awardees
- Daesang (Grand Prize): NCT 127
- World Best Artist Award: BTS
- Best Album Award: NCT DREAM
- Best Song Award: IU
- Popularity Award: Lim Young Woong
- K-Wave Special Award: EXO
- U+Idol Live Best Artist Award: BTS
- Best Performance Award: STAYC, ENHYPEN
- Judge Special Award: Jeong Dong Ha
- Discovery of the Year Award: Lang Lee
- Bonsang (Main Award): (13 Teams) ENHYPEN, Heize, Brave Girls, Oh My Girl, Kang Daniel, aespa, ATEEZ, NCT 127, THE BOYZ, Lim Young Woong, BTS, SEVENTEEN, IU
- Trot Award: Lim Young Woong
- R&B/Hip Hop Award: HyunA
- Ballad Award: Wendy
- Original Soundtrack Award: Lim Young Woong
- New Artist Award: Lee Mu Jin, OMEGA X, EPEX