G-Dragon Wins Three Grand Prizes: ‘Artist of the Year’, ‘Album of the Year’, and ‘Best Song of the Year’ Jennie Takes ‘Record of the Year’ AllDay Project and Hearts2Hearts Win Rookie of the Year EXO Delivers Explosive Performances of Consecutive Hits
사진 확대 G-Dragon. Photo: MMA 2025
The night began and ended with G-Dragon. He claimed three out of four grand prizes, reigning as this year’s K-pop king.
On the 20th, the 2025 Melon Music Awards (MMA) took place at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul. The event spanned an impressive five hours, with a total of 39 awards presented.
G-Dragon also kicked off the awards by being the first to be called for the ‘Top 10’ category. Perhaps he anticipated more wins to come. Expressing his gratitude to fans, he briefly remarked, “I hope to share this honor with the fellow artists who will be called up next.”
사진 확대 G-Dragon. Photo: MMA 2025
That was just the beginning. He swept every solo artist category, including ‘Best Solo Artist’, ‘Best Songwriter’, and ‘Millions Top 10′. The final grand prizes—’Artist of the Year’, ‘Album of the Year’, and ‘Best Song of the Year’—also went to him. In total, he took home seven trophies.
Accepting ‘Album of the Year’ for his third full-length album ‘Übermensch’, G-Dragon said, “This year was personally meaningful. I tried many new things, so it took a long time to make this album. I named it ‘Übermensch’, meaning ‘the one who transcends’, partly because I wanted it to sound impressive—but honestly, it was a mantra for myself. I made this album with the mindset that I want to become that person.” He added, “I am grateful for all things in the world that inspire me and serve as my creative source.”
Regarding ‘Home Sweet Home’, which won ‘Best Song of the Year’, he said, “It’s a warm song because my members joined me.” He continued, “I will strive to be an artist who fits this moment. I’ll keep working hard. While everyone’s life story is different, there’s no single right answer. I’ll live as the protagonist of my own life,” he declared with confidence.
He emphasized, “The path to winning awards is long and difficult. But because it’s so meaningful, it doesn’t feel hard at all—I’m just happy.” After a long hiatus, his poignant words seemed to allude to the drug scandal that surrounded him in 2023. He also expressed gratitude toward his current agency, Galaxy Corporation, with whom he signed a new contract after the controversy. This was the first time he publicly thanked CEO Yongho Choi at an official event.
사진 확대 Jennie. Photo: MMA 2025
Jennie, who claimed the remaining grand prize, ‘Record of the Year’, shared, “This year has been filled with many meaningful moments for me. I’m happy to end the year on such a high note.” She added, “I’ll continue to make great music. I miss my members, and being alone is lonely. I love my fans.” Jennie also won ‘Top 10’ and ‘Millions Top 10’, proving her status as a standout solo artist.
The coveted Rookie of the Year award went to the groups AllDay Project and Hearts2Hearts.
사진 확대 AllDay Project. Photo: MMA 2025 
사진 확대 Hearts2Hearts. Photo: MMA 2025
Other notable performances came from BoyNextDoor and aespa. BoyNextDoor won four awards: ‘Top 10’, ‘Millions Top 10’, ‘Best Group (Male)’, and ‘Japan Favorite Artist’. aespa also demonstrated their global reach by winning ‘Top 10’, ‘Stage of the Year’, and ‘Global Artist’.
The night’s most memorable stage belonged to EXO. As the original large-member group, they performed as a five-member unit this time, excluding Exo-CBX (Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin). Although they did not win any awards, their performances of hits like ‘Monster’, ‘The Eve’, ‘Growl’, ‘Back It Up’, and ‘Love Shot’ electrified the venue. EXO is set to release their eighth full-length album in the first half of next year.
사진 확대 EXO. Photo: MMA 2025
Singer-songwriter Han Loro, the only non-idol act, also drew attention with his performance and received the special ‘Track Zero Artist’ award. In addition, 10cm and TV personality Joo Woo-jae delivered a surprise collaboration, adding more fun to the event.
2025 Melon Music Awards: Full List of Winners
▲ Artist of the Year: G-Dragon
▲ KakaoBank Album of the Year: G-Dragon – ‘Übermensch’
▲ Best Song of the Year: G-Dragon – ‘Home Sweet Home’
▲ Record of the Year: Jennie
▲ Rookie of the Year: Hearts2Hearts / AllDay Project
▲ Top 10
Rosé, Lim Young-woong, Jennie, aespa, BoyNextDoor, G-Dragon, IVE, NCT Wish, PLAVE, RIIZE
▲ Millions Top 10
Rosé – ‘rosie’
SEVENTEEN – ‘Happy Burstday’
IU – ‘Kkotgalpi Set’
Lim Young-woong – ‘I’m Hero 2’
Jennie – ‘Ruby’
BoyNextDoor – ‘No Genre’
G-Dragon – ‘Übermensch’
IVE – ‘IVE Empathy’
PLAVE – ‘Caligo Part 1’
RIIZE – ‘Odyssey’
▲ Best Solo Artist: G-Dragon
▲ Best Songwriter: G-Dragon
▲ Best Producer: Zico
▲ Best Group (Male): BoyNextDoor
▲ Best Group (Female): IVE
▲ Best Performance (Female): ILLIT
▲ Best Performance (Male): RIIZE
▲ Best Music Style: AllDay Project
▲ Best Music Style: 10cm
▲ Verys Global Fans’ Choice: Hearts2Hearts
▲ Global Artist: aespa
▲ Music Video of the Year: KiiiKiii
▲ Hot Trend: WOODZ
▲ Stage of the Year: aespa
▲ Track Zero Artist: Han Loro
▲ Wonder K Global Icon: KiiiKiii
▲ Japan Favorite Artist by U Next: BoyNextDoor
▲ Global Rising Artist: IDIT
▲ KakaoBank Everyone’s Star Award: NCT Wish
사진 확대 Star Today K-star English Newsletter
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today]
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.