The stage loses its allure, full of incidents
As per the annual tradition, Kpop fans eagerly anticipate award ceremonies with captivating stages, impressive performances summarizing the explosive year’s activities, and especially the fierce competition for the prestigious Daesang title. However, the 2023 award season seems to have lost its once radiant charm. Despite the numerous award ceremonies taking place, besides controversies about program quality and seemingly unworthy awards, many events have become dull and uninteresting.
Even major events like MAMA 2023 failed to generate excitement from the public. The announcement of MAMA 2023’s nominees left people bewildered due to the lack of enthusiasm. On the day of the event, many fans were even surprised, not knowing when MAMA was taking place. Despite having a high-quality lineup with popular acts like SEVENTEEN, LE SSERAFIM, (G)I-DLE, the MAMA venue was still filled with controversy. Both AAA and MMA this year also experienced a decline in viewership, with many empty seats due to poor ticket sales.
The most disappointing of the award ceremonies was SMA 2024, dubbed the “Korean Grammy,” struggling to sell tickets to an unbelievable extent. Held at Rajamangala Stadium in Thailand, SMA couldn’t fill up a section of the stands, with only scattered groups of fans attending, mainly those of GOT7 and NCT. SMA’s performances failed to gain attention on social media, and SMA 2024 made waves for receiving direct criticism from artists for its organization, sound issues, and controversial awards.
Major events like MAMA, KBS Global Festival, SBS Gayo Daejun continued to showcase collaborative stages, such as Yeonjun (TXT) and Yuna’s (ITZY) special performance at SBS Gayo Daejun. Anticipated as a spectacular collaboration covering two of the year’s biggest hits – 3D by Jung Kook and You & Me by Jennie, the performance fell short of expectations. Fans perceived it as a brief encounter with no significant impact.
Stages featuring multiple generations of idols at MAMA or the male-female idol stages at KBS Global Festival, though impressive, still couldn’t “break free from the fan circle.” Compared to previous years, the declining allure is evident. Additionally, on-stage incidents have dampened the spirits of these events.
SBS Gayo Daejun 2023 left artist fandoms displeased. Examples include Stray Kids’ performance being abruptly interrupted due to the wrong music being played, NCT Ten’s alarming fall, and broadcast glitches. All these incidents contributed to an unforgettable experience.
Extended duration and lip-syncing issue
A common feature among award ceremonies is their relatively long duration, typically ranging from 3 to 4 hours. In some cases, like AAA 2023, the show extended to a staggering 9 hours, leaving both participating artists and fans feeling exhausted and weary. The broadcast of award shows is likened to a marathon competition between performance stages, speeches, and ceremonies.
The prolonged duration tests the endurance of the audience. Alongside the dull program content, this is one of the reasons Kpop fans are becoming increasingly disenchanted with year-end awards.
A “controversy” causing discontent among viewers in the 2023 season is the practice of artists lip-syncing, compromising the quality of performances. Gen 4 Kpop fans are generally more accepting of performance aspects, including lip-syncing techniques. However, during year-end award ceremonies, singing live is considered a prerequisite to show respect for the awards and the audience.
MMA 2023 faced criticism for the entire lineup lip-syncing, with NewJeans being the most prominent for their performance of the 6-song remix E.P Get Up. Despite explanations citing sound issues, the public continued to criticize both NewJeans and MMA 2023.
Unfair Results
Furthermore, the increasing number of awards each year diminishes the credibility and interest in each category. AAA consistently introduces seemingly meaningless awards, and SMA, with its whopping 18 Bonsang awards, presents an excessive and unnecessary figure. Award ceremonies, once fierce competitions, are now likened by the public to a “children’s playground,” distributing awards evenly among attending artists.
Addressing the issues of the 2023 season, one cannot overlook the controversy surrounding the arrangement of Daesang awards. Despite the controversies and numerous trivial awards at MAMA – AAA 2023, the Daesang awards are still regarded as high-quality, awarded to the deserving recipients. Kpop in 2023 acknowledges NewJeans and SEVENTEEN as the most explosive male-female groups. Jimin, Jung Kook (BTS), and Jisoo (BLACKPINK) represent the solo idol category.
However, the major award ceremonies MMA and SMA focused attention on NCT Dream. The decision of MMA 2023 to award NCT Dream the Daesang Record of the Year sparked prolonged controversy on Korean social media. Without clear criteria, NCT Dream’s achievements lagged behind other nominees, leading to accusations of preferential treatment toward SM Entertainment’s artists
Shortly after MMA, SMA 2024 followed suit with the sole Daesang going to NCT Dream, despite the group not winning Best Song (NewJeans) or Best Album (SEVENTEEN). The revelation of manipulated results led Korean netizens to mock SMA as “SM Awards” (sarcastically suggesting that SM bought the awards). This is not the first time SMA has faced criticism for award manipulation, and over the years, the credibility of the “Korean Grammy” has been eroded due to Daesang manipulation.
Despite public opposition, the situation remains unchanged. Many believe that SMA will soon face a decline, with artists losing interest and audiences boycotting. This is the consequence SMA must confront due to its lack of transparency and clarity.
Source: k14
