Have you ever thought about the day when the Melon Awards became more relevant than MAMA?

2023 is the year when Melon Awards finally gets to beat MAMA.

For whatever reason MAMA is being held in Japan. (In 2014, when MAMA gave the Lifetime Achievement Award to Lee Jieun, it was held in Hong Kong.)

MAMA lineup

First round

Ateez, INI(Japan only), JO1(Japan), NiziU(Japan), RiiZE, DBSK, xikers, ZB1

Second round

&Team(Japan), BoyNextDoor, El7z up (the temporary girl group created from Queendom 2), Enhypen, Gidle, Kep1er,Le Sserafim, Seventeen, the crew from Street Women Fighter 2, txt.

Third round

Dynamic Duo, Lee youngji, Just B, Treasure, Monika (a SWF dancer) and Yoshiki of X-Japan.

Unless MAMA can score Jungkook, which is a big if, that would be the extent of the lineup

Melon Awards lineup

NCT Dream, ZB1, BoyNextDoor, RiiZE, NewJeans, IVE, aespa, StayC, Kiss of Life plus more to be announced (probably some trot singers)

ZB1, BND and RiiZE show up in both shows.

The MAMA lineup is bigger, but is mostly consisting has-beens and those who only operate in Japan, and Seventeen is the biggest draw. I think the DBSK members meet for the first time since Changmin got married.

Meanwhile, NewJeans, IVE and aespa all show up in Melon Awards but not MAMA.

it seems Melon's lineup is stronger, for the first time., in its history.

(In 2021 BTS did not show up in any award shows so Melon , lacking a tentpole act to attract people, had to call up IU, who got to be the first female tentpole act since SNSD to end an award show - in 2022 it had to go to the trottist Lim youngwoong since MAMA got JHope).

After a domination lasting more than 15 years it seems Melon Award is having the last laugh.

Quote from Beesknees

MAMA is a year or two off from doing the show in the US

Probably waiting for BTS to comeback

It will become another KCon, mostly featuring BTS and whatever CJ is promoting incl the belift lab people

Quote from FoReveries

Meh, I haven't been a fan of MAMA for years, after all their wrongdoings of that show's producers over the years and of their mother company, Mnet. Completely untrustworthy, and undeserving of any respect.

For that matter, not sure if MMA is any better, but at least it's not as low as MAMA and Mnet have been since their existence.

MAMA has sat on its laurels for too long

MMA is not much better but at least it is a one day affair