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| ▲ Producers of 2025 MAMA Awards are seen in this photo provided by CJ ENM. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Park Chan-uk, head of live entertainment at CJ ENM's music content division, is seen in this photo provided by CJ ENM. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
MAMA Awards-media event
Michelle Yeoh joins star-studded lineup as MAMA Awards returns to Hong Kong
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- The 2025 MAMA Awards, one of K-pop's most prominent year-end music ceremonies, will take place at Hong Kong's newly opened Kai Tak Stadium later this month, featuring 27 teams of artists and Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh, organizers said Tuesday.
The two-day event, set for Nov. 28 and 29, marks the show's return to Hong Kong for the first time in seven years. The new 50,000-seat venue -- four times larger than the awards' usual location -- will host performances ranging from rookie groups to veteran stars.
The return coincides with the 30th anniversary of CJ ENM's music channel Mnet, which organizes the MAMA Awards. Hong Kong has previously hosted the event more frequently than any other city since its inception.
Initially launched in 1999 as the Mnet Video Music Awards, the awards show was rebranded as the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) in 2009 and simplified to the MAMA Awards in 2022. The event has previously graced cities like Seoul, Macau, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Los Angeles, cementing its status as a prominent platform for K-pop's international showcase.
"It's a region that provides easy access to K-pop fandoms around the world," Park Chan-uk, head of live entertainment at CJ ENM's music content division, said of Hong Kong during a media event for the upcoming ceremony. He added that the launch of the new stadium was a key factor in the decision to bring the show back to the city.
This year's concept, "Hear My Roar, Uh-Heung," draws on the Korean word "heung," meaning a joyful energy expressed through song and dance.
"We set 'heung' as the core value of the event," Lee Young-joo, one of the ceremony's producers, said. "It represents a confident cry to embrace oneself fully and live authentically beyond boundaries of region, race and culture. We aim to create a stage that amplifies that spirit to its fullest."
The first day's lineup includes Babymonster, Boynextdoor, Enhypen, Hearts2Hearts, i-dle, Ive, NCT Wish, Super Junior, Treasure and TWS. The second day will feature aespa, Allday Project, Cortis, G-Dragon, Riize, Stray Kids, Tomorrow X Together and Zerobaseone, among others.
Actor Park Bo-gum will host the opening day, while actress Kim Hye-soo will lead the second day's ceremony. Among the presenters will be Malaysian star Michelle Yeoh, a Hong Kong cinema icon.
A special stage in collaboration with the Netflix's global hit film "KPop Demon Hunters" is expected to be a highlight, merging live performance with animation.
"Our K-pop artists will bring to life the fictional idol groups Saja Boys and Huntr/x," producer Ma Du-sik said, adding that the participating artists have yet to be confirmed.
This year's ceremony will be livestreamed via Mnet Plus and other platforms to audiences in 250 countries and regions worldwide.
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