Leading entertainment company CJ ENM announced today that its flagship annual “2024 MAMA AWARDS,” the world’s No.1 K-pop awards, will for the first time in the history of the awards start in the United States before taking place in Japan in November. The move to present awards and have performances across the ocean in a different time zone at the beginning of the show is yet another significant step towards broadening K-pop reach as well as connecting global K-pop fans across time zones.
Boasting a 25-year legacy, the MAMA AWARDS have been at the forefront of K-pop’s expansion by hosting the ceremony across Asia, including Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Japan. Reflecting CJ ENM’s commitment to elevate K-pop music on a global scale, this year’s MAMA AWARDS will kick off at the Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on November 21 and will be held at the KYOCERA DOME OSAKA in Osaka, Japan over two days from November 22 to 23.
First launched in 1999 as Korea’s first music video ceremony by CJ ENM’s music channel Mnet, MAMA AWARDS is dedicated to celebrating and honoring the artistry and the power of music to connect people as one. The awards evolved to become the first Asia music awards under the name MAMA, which stands for Mnet Asian Music Awards, and rebranded itself into MAMA AWARDS in 2022, underscoring its commitment to go beyond Asia and bring people together through music.
The 2024 MAMA AWARDS ceremony will center around the concept of “Big Blur = WHAT IS REAL?,” in a reflection of growing trends on blurred boundaries between industries, culture, music genres and technology. Under the Big Blur concept, the awards ceremony will present surreal but real experiences and showcase visually captivating performances through the convergence of art and technology. Building on the awards’ legacy, it will continue to serve as a bridge between global fans, carrying on the message of “Music Makes ONE.”
“The 2024 edition of the MAMA AWARDS will have a wide array of K-pop performances with visuals and sounds that will make you feel as if you’re in another reality beyond space and time,” said Harry H.K. Shin, Head of Music Entertainment at CJ ENM. “We hope that fans around the world will look forward to this festive awards ceremony knowing that it will deliver an unmatched scale and iconic moments that only MAMA AWARDS can present. ”
2024 MAMA AWARDS will be broadcast worldwide via global digital channels. More details on the awards will be unveiled in the coming months.