Missed day one of the MAMA Awards 2022? Look no further. Here’s your ultimate guide to EVERYTHING that happened. 

The theme of this year’s MAMA is “K-POP World Citizenship” — with the sub-theme “The World We Build Together” for day one, and “We are K-POP” for day two. Jeon SOMI, ‘teleported in’ wearing a futuristic sparkly slip dress, to present the show in English — highlighting the worldwide reach of K-Pop. The show was also presented in Japanese and Korean. 

With a theme that showcases the importance of looking after our present so our future flourishes, this year’s MAMA Awards lightstick was created from recycled instant rice packaging and was available for fan’s to buy to enjoy the event to the full. And whilst looking towards a sustainable future full of our favourite artists, MAMA showcased the very best of K-Pop right now. 

Performances

Straight off the bat the audience was given a collaborative stage by SOMI and choreographer and dancer Leejung Lee. The performance included a range of iconic K-Pop choreography moments. From start to finish: 

• “Illusion” by aespa

• “HOT” by SEVENTEEN 

• “Talk That Talk” by TWICE

• “2 Baddies” by NCT 127

• “Glitch Mode” by NCT DREAM

• “Maniac” by Stray Kids

• “JIKJIN” by TREASURE

• “ILLELLA” by MAMAMOO

• “Good Boy Gone Bad” by TOMORROW X TOGETHER

• “SNEAKERS” by ITZY

• “NANANA” by GOT7

• “FUTURE PERFECT (Pass the Mic)” by ENHYPEN

• “Guerrilla” by ATEEZ

• “Pink Venom” by BLACKPINK

• “Yet to Come” by BTS

• “MAISON” by DREAM CATCHER

• “LOVE DIVE” by IVE

• “FEARLESS” by LE SSERAFIM

• “THAT THAT” by PSY (Prod.SUGA)

Images: MAMA Awards.

Following the first collaborative performance, girl group NMIXX took to the stage to perform “O.O” and “DICE”. The stage was cleverly filled with VR visuals of playing cards and dice, and mid-performance the girls stunned the audience with an outfit reveal - from pirate overcoats to red mini dresses paired with chunky black boots.

NMIXX performed “O.O” and “DICE”. Image: MAMA Awards.

After NMIXX was DKZ, whose standout moment came in the form of “Un-Heung” — they performed amidst a vibrant red stage with tiger motifs. The energy was palpable. 

The first award of the evening (Worldwide Fan’s Choice) was presented by Extraordinary Attorney Woo’s Joo Jonghyuk, who, in true Woo Young Woo style, pointed out that MAMA is a palindrome. He was also the first presenter to show off this year’s revamp of the classic envelope reveal - a blue box that slides to reveal a heart with the winner’s name. Please see below for winner’s of all the categories from day one.

The next collaborative stage came from Hyolyn and BIBI, with Hyolyn seemingly floating in from the sky. The performance included “Vengeance”, “youknowbetter”, and “LAW”. 

Images: MAMA Awards.

Japan’s ‘it-boy’ group JO1 then treated JAM to a wonderful stage featuring their latest title track “SuperCali” from their MIDNIGHT SUN album. JO1 never fails to bring their best vocals and choreography to the stage — this was one of the best performances of the night with high energy from start to finish. This group truly were deserving of the ‘Favourite Asian Artist’ award and it was clear to see how much the award meant to this Japanese boy group when member SHO struggled to speak through his tears. 

LE SSERAFIM brought a winter chill to the stage with their performance of “ANTIFRAGILE”, decked out in fluffy white snow boots, y2k long sleeve tops with puffy wrists, and pastel mini skirts. The girls shared a never-before-seen dance break with the usual LE SSERAFIM power before performing their debut title track “FEARLESS”. 

The fourth generation girl groups kept on treating the MAMA audience today and Kep1er kept the energy alive with their set. Performing “The Girls” and “WA DA DA”, Kep1er proved themselves to be dancing queens. This group truly knows how to get the crowd going!

Images: MAMA Awards.

Phanton Singer 2 fans will have been delighted to watch the next performance. The vocal quartet Forestella, who won the show back in 2017, performed a gorgeous rendition of BTS’s “Fake Love”. They then followed it up with “Save Our Lives”, which highlighted their phenomenal vocal range. This was definitely a treat for the ears. 

Following a stunning vocal performance by Forestella, the next collaborative stage between Kang Daniel and Street Man Fighter gave fans of dance a visual treat. The energy was electric and the crowd loved it. 

Proving that the girls really are here to dominate K-Pop, New Jeans, LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, Kep1er, and IVE took to the stage to perform the most iconic collaborative stage of the night. Splitting into collaborative groups, the girls performed “ELEVEN”, “WA DA DA”, “FEARLESS”, and “Hype Boy” before mixing it up with TWICE’s “CHEER UP” — paying homage to the iconic ‘SHY SHY SHY’. 

BTS may have paved the way for their dongsaengs, but TOMORROW X TOGETHER had no issue proving they have a knack of making the path their own. “Opening Sequence” saw the boys perform a gothic inspired routine, with the stage decked out like a cathedral, “Lonely Boy” gave way for high tension choreography that kept the audience on the edge of their seat, and “Good Boy Gone Bad” made hearts race. It’s no wonder these fourth generation K-Pop kings won a ‘Worldwide Fan’s Choice’ award.

Having dropped a teaser for their latest comeback “Move Again”, just three days ago, girl group KARA stunned fans with an electrifying performance. The members were revealed behind sliding doors, then striked poses before strutting to the middle of the stage where they performed “Lupin”, “STEP”, and “Mr.” In this performance KARA showed that while they’re no longer the new kids on the K-Pop block, they’re going nowhere. And despite the show drawing to an end, the crowd was as energised as ever after seeing this group perform. 

Stray Kids ended the night with a bang. Treating STAYs to a lethal performance of some of the group’s most loved recent hits, Stray Kids never fail to prove their worth in K-Pop. “VENOM” filled the stage with creepy spider VR visuals and chilling choreography, juxtaposed by sparkly black leather outfits that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a high-fashion runway. The final song of the night, “Maniac”, was filled with high-energy, but STAYs expected nothing less.

Winners

• Worldwide fan’s choice (1st winner): Stray Kids. 

When accepting the award Stray Kids member Felix said: “Thank you for the valuable and big award. We came this far. It’s an honour. We’re always grateful to our STAYs. We’re rooting for you STAYs.” (Translated). 

• Worldwide fan’s choice (2nd winner): SEVENTEEN

• Favourite new artist: IVE

• Worldwide fan’s choice (3rd winner): TREASURE

• Yogibo CHILL ARTIST: Stray Kids

• Worldwide fan’s choice (4th winner): TXT 

• Favourite new artist (2nd winner): NMIXX

• Favourite new artist (3rd winner): LE SSERAFIM 

LE SSERAFIM’s HUH YUNJIN said: ‘Honestly I think we were all just so shocked to be invited. To be able to receive a reward is honestly such an honour. We love you FEARNOT more than anything in the world and we hope to be back again.’ 

• Worldwide fan’s choice (5th winner): GOT7

• Favourite Asian Artist: JO1

• Worldwide fan’s choice (6th winner): PSY

• Favourite new artist (4th winner): Kep1er

• Worldwide fans choice (7th winner): NCT DREAM

• Worldwide fan’s choice (8th winner): ENHYPEN

• Worldwide fan’s choice (9th winner): BTS 

• Worldwide fan’s choice (10th winner): BLACKPINK

• Yogibo Worldwide icon of the year:  BTS 

The MAMA Awards 2022 will continue tomorrow at 6pm KST (9am GMT).