The 2024 Mnet Asian Music Awards, aka MAMA, took place on November 21-23, 2024, in Los Angeles, California, and Osaka, Japan.
The MAMA awards were hosted outside of Asia for the first time this year. Los Angeles is known for its vast entertainment industry, and since K-Pop has become incredibly popular in the United States, it was a great choice to bring the ceremony there.
Since the award ceremonies took place in two different places this year, so did the performances. The Los Angeles show took place on November 21, 2024, and performers included J.Y. Park, who had a special collaboration stage with Anderson. Paak, Riize, Illit, TWS, Katseye, and Young Posse.
J.Y. Park is a legend when it comes to the Korean entertainment industry. He is not only an artist himself but also the founder of JYP Entertainment, where many incredible artists got their start, including Rain, Stray Kids, and Twice.
Anderson .Paak played the drums for J.Y. Park’s performance of his song, “Easy Lover.” J.Y. Park’s entire set was especially lively as he played the keyboard along with the rest of the live band and backup singers.
Another standout act from the Los Angeles show was Riize. They performed their hit song, “Get A Guitar.” The song has been very popular on social media this year. The audience in attendance could easily sense the song’s youthful, carefree vibe.
The Japan show took place from November 22-23, 2024, and had over 20 artists perform! Some key performers included G. Dragon (featuring Taeyang and Daesung), Rosé and Bruno Mars, Tomorrow x Together, Seventeen, and Aespa.
G-Dragon just released his first comeback single, “Power,” and surprised fans on November 22, 2024, with a new song, “Home Sweet Home,” featuring two of his Big Bang bandmates, Taeyang and Daesung. He performed “Power” alone, and Taeyang and Daesung joined him to perform “Home Sweet Home” before they all surprised the crowd with two of Big Bang’s biggest hits, “Bang Bang Bang” and “Fantastic Baby.”
The entire performance was incredible! Fans have been waiting years for new music from both G-Dragon and Big Bang, so seeing them perform together is a real treat. The entire arena was on their feet!
Seventeen recently finished their North American tour, just in time to perform at the MAMA’s. They performed “Maestro,” “Ash,” and their most recent single, “Love, Money, Fame (feat. DJ Khaled).”
It’s no accident that Seventeen are referred to as the “kings of synchronization.” Their choreography is so precise, and they rarely make mistakes. They put so much thought into their performances, especially for award shows, and it shows. The dance break at the end of “Maestro” is especially impressive, and Dino’s solo dance before “Love, Money, Fame (feat. DJ Khaled)” really showed off his skills.
Right now, it’s impossible to avoid “APT.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars. It’s insanely catchy and so easy to sing along to! They performed it for the first time together at the MAMA awards in Japan. The performance was high energy, and you couldn’t tell that it was their first time performing together. It was so fun to see everyone on stage doing the choreography.
This award show had one of the best lineups we’ve seen in a while! There were so many amazing performances and surprises during both the Los Angeles and Japan shows. If you want to see any more performances, head to Mnet’s official Youtube channel.
