16th Korean Music Awards Announces Nominees

The nominees have been unveiled for this year’s Korean Music Awards!

The Korean Music Awards focuses on the albums and songs more than the artists, and musical achievement is considered rather than sales. The awards show aims to go beyond the barrier between mainstream and non-mainstream music.

This year’s nominees are as follows:

Album of the Year

Mid-Air Thief – “Crumbling”
Life and Time – “Age”
BTS – “Love Yourself: Answer”
Say Sue Me – “Where We Were Together”
Jang Pil Soon – “soony eight”
Huckleberry Finn – “Aurora People”

Song of the Year

Mommy Son – “Shonen Jump” (Feat. Bae Ki Sung)
BTS – “Fake Love”
BTS – “IDOL”
Say Sue Me – “Old Town”
Kiha & The Faces – “That’s Just What You Think”
HYUKOH – “LOVE YA!”

Artist of the Year

Kim Sawol
BTS
Say Sue Me
Sunji Lee
Jang Pil Soon

Rookie of the Year

HAON
Jclef
Mothervibes
Motte
AIRY
Wussami

Best Pop Album

BoA – “WOMAN”
BTS – “Love Yourself: Answer”
Uhm Jung Hwa – “The Cloud Dream of the Nine”
Lee Moon Sae – “BETWEEN US”
Lee Jin Ah – “Jinah Restaurant Full Course”
Jang Pil Soon – “soony eight”

Best Pop Song

ADOY – “Wonder”
Red Velvet – “Bad Boy”
BTS – “Fake Love”
BTS – “IDOL”
Heize – “Jenga” (Feat. Gaeko)

Best Rock Album

Life and Time – “Age”
SUPERSTRING – “Architecture”
Asian Chairshot – “IGNITE”
H a lot – “H a lot”
Plugged Classic – “Sabai”

Best Rock Song

Life and Time – “Jamsugyo”
Asian Chairshot – “Round and Round”
H a lot – “If You Ask Me”
H a lot – “Prom”
Hangsuk & Boogiemonster – “I’m Fat”

Best Modern Rock Album

ADOY – “LOVE”
DECADENT – “DECADENT”
Say Sue Me – “Where We Were Together”
Jaurim – “Jaurim”
Huckleberry Finn – “Aurora People”

Best Modern Rock Song

Night Off – “Review”
Say Sue Me – “Old Town”
Kiha & The Faces – “That’s Just What You Think”
Huckleberry Finn – “Who Is It”
HYUKOH – “LOVE YA!”

Best Metal and Hardcore Album

DARK MIRROR OV TRAGEDY – “THE LORD OV SHADOWS”
Day of Mourning – “This Too Will Pass”
Noeasy – “Triangle”
MEMNOCH – “COMMAND HALLUCINATION”

Best Dance and Electronic Album

Two Tone Shape – “Shapes”
Mid-Air Thief – “Crumbling”
Lofibaby – “N”
Byul.org – “Nobody’s Gold”
YESEO – “Damn Rules”
KIRARA – “Sarah”

Best Dance and Electronic Song

Pure 100% – “Apollo”
Two Tone Shape – “Color Penetration”
Aseul – “Seoul Girl”
YESEO – “Honey, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
KIRARA – “Worries”

Best Rap and Hip Hop Album

JUSTHIS & Paloalto – “4 the Youth”
XXX – “LANGUAGE”
Bassagong – “TANG-A”
ILLINIT – “Cosmos”
JaeDal – “Period”

Best Rap and Hip Hop Song

HAON – “Boong Boong” (Feat. Sik-K)
JUSTHIS & Paloalto – “Switch”
XXX – “Ganju Gok”
Mommy Son – “Shonen Jump” (Feat. Bae Ki Sung)
Hwaji – “Nappe”

Best R&B and Soul Album

Horim – “METROCITY”
Jclef – “flaw, flaw”
Naul – “Sound Doctrine”
SUMIN – “Your Home”
Hippy was Gipsy – “Language”

Best R&B and Soul Song

Jclef – “One Hour Before the Earth’s Destruction”
SUMIN – “Your Home” (Feat. Xin Seha)
George – “gohaegoback”
Hoody – “Sunshine” (Feat. Crush)
Hippy was Gipsy – “Bed”

Best Folk Album

Kang Asol – “The Day of Love”
Kim Dong San – “Seoul Suwon Story”
Kim Sawol – “Romance”
Kim Haewon – “Sea and Myself”
YUHA – “Young People”
Hwang Puha – “Self-Portrait”

Best Folk Song

Kang Asol – “Island”
Kim Sawol – “Someone”
YUHA – “The Worker”
Jang Pil Soon – “Night Sea”
Hwang Puha – “Self Portrait”

Best Jazz Album

Yoo Sun Nam – “Strange, But Beautiful You
Youngjoo Song – “Late Fall”
Bongwool Lee – “My Singing Fingers”
Sunji Lee – “SONG OF APRIL”
Sumin Jung – “Neo-liberalism”

Best Crossover Album

near east quartet – “near east quartet”
Kim Sora – “A Sign of Rain”
Park Ju Won – “The Last Rumba”
Park Jiha – “Philos”
Shin Hyunpil, Ko Heean – “Dear Chopin”

Best Jazz and Crossover Performance

near east quartet – “near east quartet”
Ko Heean Trio – “Dancing Without Moving”
SooJin Suh – “Strange Liberation”
Youngjoo Song – “Late Fall”
Jungsu Choi Tiny Orkester – “Tschuss Jazz Era”

In addition, the winner for this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award has been announced to be Yang Hee Eun.

The ceremony for the 16th Korean Music Awards will be held at the Guro Arts Valley Theater on February 26 at 7 p.m. KST.

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