South Korean boy bands BTS and EXO have been confirmed as headliners of this year's Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA). The annual event will take place at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong on Dec. 2.
On Nov. 1, Tuesday, MAMA took to Twitter to announce the first line-up of artists coming to the annual music award ceremony. EXO and BTS are apparently two of the most well-known K-pop boy bands, adding to the excitement of this year's MAMA.
The news came after the nominees for this year's MAMA have been announced. EXO, iKON, Block B, BTS, INFINITE, and SHINee have been nominated for the Best Male Group award, while Red Velvet, TWICE, Wonder Girls, MAMAMOO and GFRIEND for the Best Female Group award.
Further, BLACKPINK's "Whistle", Dean's "Bonnie & Clyde", Gain's "Carnival (The Last Day)" Wonder Girls' "Why So Lonely", and BTS' "Blood Sweat & Tears" are vying for the Best Music Video award. The online voting will remain open until Dec. 1, The Kpop Herald reported.
More artists of this year's MAMA will be announced in the coming weeks. The event would simultaneously be broadcast live in Korea, Japan, America, Southeast Asia through various channels and live streaming services.
Meanwhile, BTS continue to make incredible wavelengths in the music industry. The seven-member boy band nabbed the number one spot for brand power among K-pop groups in the month of October.
BTS came in first place with a total score of 52.91 percent. Following them is I.O.I and EXO in the second and third place, respectively. It was then trailed by TWICE, Sechskies, Lim Chang-Jung, Red Velvet, INFINITE, Park Hyo Sin, Black Pink, and AOA.
Head of Korea Institute of Corporate Reputation, Gu Changhwan, explained that there are huge changes in brand power rankings due to the immense success of BTS' second full album. The album, titled "Wings," charted at number one spot on iTunes in more than 26 countries.
"If you take a look at the actual data, the buzz quantity BTS receive globally overwhelms the amount of buzz created domestically," Gu said in a statement obtained by 10 Asia. "BTS achieved such incredible record without promoting in the US or producing a single English song."
Check out the music video for BTS' "Blood Sweat & Tears" here: