KGMA 2026 opened in Seoul with awards, performances, and a special Novelbright-Young K collaboration, ending with Young K’s grand win.

The “Korea Grand Music Awards (KGMA),” which was held for the first time in 2024, has reached its third year this year. “KGMA” is an awards ceremony that honors artists and music that are loved by many fans and have achieved excellent results in the field of popular music centered on K-pop. This year, it is being held over two days, Saturday, November 7, “ARTIST DAY,” and Sunday, November 8, “MUSIC DAY,” at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. On the first day, Saturday, November 7, under the title “ARTIST DAY,” actress Nam Ji-hyun and RESCENE’s Wonni served as MCs. In addition to TREASURE, MEOVV, ALLDAY PROJECT, P1Harmony, and DAY6’s Young K, Japanese rock band Novelbright made their first appearance from Japan. From popular groups to skilled bands, a diverse lineup across genres colored the awards ceremony. On the red carpet, artists dressed in glamorous outfits appeared one after another. Attention was drawn to expressions of the artists different from on stage, such as talks with the MCs and photo sessions. First to appear were MC Nam Ji-hyun and Wonni, both dressed in white. Next, when the five-member girl group RESCENE, to which Wonni belongs, appeared, the members cheered on Wonni with a “fighting” pose. Appearing with a charismatic aura was the mixed-gender group ALLDAY PROJECT. After striking cool poses, they smiled and waved to the fans at the venue and beyond the cameras. The seven-member boy group CLOSE YOUR EYES appeared in suits. As something symbolizing the day’s performance, they showed a pose of holding an umbrella. As the excitement at the venue kept rising, MEOVV, whose global popularity is steadily increasing, appeared. With stylish outfits and cool-and-cute posing, they captivated the venue. CRAVITY appeared in cool and hard-edged outfits centered on black. In their group posing, there was also a warm moment that conveyed the members’ good relationship. And then, introduced as “a representative Japanese rock band,” the one that received the loudest cheers of the day was Novelbright. In response to a request for a heart pose, vocalist Takenaka Yudai made a mischievous pose by shaking a heart made with both hands, and the venue became even more excited. Young K, who is sweeping the Asian charts, appeared refreshingly dressed in a stylish suit. With various heart poses, he showed a friendly smile and made the venue flutter. P1Harmony, who had just made a comeback the day before, appeared to loud cheers. Their individual and confident photo time conveyed the group’s momentum. Closing the red carpet for the day was TREASURE, who appeared with a dignified aura. Each time they turned their bodies to the right or left, loud cheers rose from the fans. When asked for a “hot pose” in connection with the world of their digital single “SHOCK,” released on November 2, they expressed their own ideas of “hot” and excited the venue. The artists appeared in elegant styling unique to awards ceremonies and outfits symbolizing each group’s individuality. The excitement in the venue rose in anticipation of the main ceremony. In the awards ceremony itself, special performances by each artist and award ceremonies were held. Attention also focused on the reappearance of artists who won awards at last year’s KGMA. This year’s ceremony began with a solo stage by Wonni, who served as MC. She covered BoA’s “Atlantis Princess” with expressive facial expressions and showed dignified staging as the leader of RESCENE. The keyword for this year’s KGMA is “ON.” The ceremony opened with a song by a legendary artist, fitting for “2026 KGMA,” which turns on the feelings of the venue and K-pop fans around the world. Next came the prestigious “Best Artist” award. First, the three groups ALLDAY PROJECT, CLOSE YOUR EYES, and MEOVV received trophies. ALLDAY PROJECT has attracted attention for its members’ different backgrounds and personalities, and for music that is not bound by genre and highly free performances. They gained major recognition from their debut year and showed a particularly strong presence again this year as artists who will carry the next generation. Upon receiving the “Best Artist” trophy, they commented with a smile, “We will become ALLDAY PROJECT that delivers even better music.” In performance, they presented “TALK” and “CRASH.” Each member showed a firm presence, and with skillful vocals and rap, addictive sound and dance, they displayed a one-of-a-kind cool world. The seven-member multinational group CLOSE YOUR EYES, formed through the survival audition program “PROJECT 7” and debuting in 2025, said, “We were able to participate in KGMA again this year, following last year. We are truly grateful to receive such an award this year. We will become artists worthy of Best Artist,” and shouted energetically to the fans, “Receive our hearts!” For their performance, they appeared holding umbrellas as they had previewed on the red carpet and performed “Drop That!” Furthermore, in a special stage, they covered ENHYPEN’s “No Doubt,” captivating the venue with a cool stage that was completely different from the expressions they showed at the awards ceremony. MEOVV, characterized by refined visuals, stylish music, and powerful performances, has been drawing attention as a next-generation girl group since their debut. In October they released the single “GO HARD” and have been carrying out comeback activities. “We are truly happy to receive such an award. From now on, we want to continue conveying more love to everyone,” they commented, and at the end all the members shouted together, “We love you!” and showed cute smiles. In the stage that followed, they shifted completely and showed feminine strength and coolness. The harmonious blend of stretched and powerful vocals and expressive dance performance raised the venue’s energy all at once. The prestigious “Best Artist” award was given to P1Harmony, TREASURE, and LUCY. When the three groups gathered together, the venue erupted in deafening cheers. The six-member boy group P1Harmony, characterized by hip-hop-based songs and powerful, dynamic performances, is expanding its global popularity. They received the “Best Artist” trophy. “This is our third year participating in KGMA. We are happy to receive such a meaningful award, Best Artist, again this year. We want to continue showing a Best Artist-like image,” they said in their acceptance remarks. On stage, they performed “Pandemonium” and “BLOW UP.” Bringing many dancers with them, they drew the audience in with a highly original show that fused video, music, special effects, and performance. As expectations for them, who are expanding their activities around the world, grew, their performance brought the venue’s excitement to its peak. “2026 Grand Honor’s Choice” was awarded to AND2BLE and RESCENE. AND2BLE commented happily, “We are grateful to receive such a meaningful award. Thank you very much for receiving such a big award so soon after our debut. We want to repay everyone with a wonderful stage.” RESCENE, which began activities in 2024, received four awards including this one and the “Best Memory” award. In addition, the group’s agency representative, Mr. Lee Ju-hong, received the “Best Producer” award, showing the group’s presence. The members commented with smiles, “We do not think this is an award that is taken for granted. We still think there are many things we lack, but with everyone’s support, we will continue to do our best.” The grand prize, the “Grand Song” award, went to TREASURE. “Teume! Thank you for such an amazing award! We will keep doing our best!” they sent a message to their fans and pledged further growth. TREASURE is a 10-member global boy group that debuted in 2020. With music that makes use of each member’s individuality and energetic, powerful performances, they have gained high popularity not only in Korea but also in countries around the world, including Japan. They are also energetically carrying out activities in Japan and have shown solid presence as artists by successfully holding dome concerts. While drawing attention with their 4th mini album “NEW WAV,” released in June 2026, on stage they gave the first performance at the event of their new song “SHOCK,” released just on November 2. While each member established their own style, their tightly coordinated energetic performance united the venue. Making their first appearance at KGMA and receiving the “Special Award for Asian Cultural Exchange” was Novelbright. Novelbright is a five-member rock band from Osaka formed in 2013. With vocalist Takenaka Yudai’s overwhelming high-tone voice and catchy, powerful melodies, they have produced numerous hit songs such as “Walking with you,” “Tsukimisou,” and “Ai toka Koi toka,” and have gained broad support in Japan and abroad. At a street live performance held in front of Seoul’s Gangnam Station in June 2024, about 2,000 fans gathered despite the rain. Takenaka Yudai won the Japanese version of the popular Korean music survival program “Current King JAPAN.” He also demonstrated his high singing ability on Korean music programs “2025 Japan-Korea King of Singers Battle” and “Japan-Korea Top Ten Show,” in which he appeared as Japan’s representative, and performance videos surpassed 10 million views on YouTube, increasing his recognition and popularity in Korea. That response also spread to the band’s activities, and in October 2025 they held their first solo arena concert in Seoul, drawing about 5,000 people and selling out the tickets. When Novelbright, a Japanese rock band supported by Korean music fans, appeared on the KGMA stage, the participating artists were also greatly excited. Takenaka said in Korean, “I am very happy to receive this award. I will do my best so that more people in Korea can learn about Novelbright. Let’s meet again at the next concert.” This time, they appeared for the first time as a Japanese rock band on the stage of KGMA, where K-pop artists gather. As soon as Takenaka began singing “Walking with you,” loud cheers rose from the venue. Many audience members were seen holding penlights and raising their hands. Furthermore, as the excitement of Novelbright’s stage reached its peak, Young K made a surprise appearance. Young K is the bassist and vocalist of DAY6, the national pop-rock band representing Korea. Since their debut in 2015, he has written and composed many of the group’s songs and is also active as a solo artist. On this day, a luxurious unexpected development came true: a special collaboration with Novelbright on DAY6’s representative song “You Were Beautiful,” released in 2017 and written by Young K himself. The venue erupted in especially loud cheers at Young K’s appearance, and when the intro played, even louder cheers filled the venue. The special performance in which Novelbright and Young K’s voices overlapped raised the audience’s excitement all at once. This one-night-only collaboration, realized across borders and genres, filled the entire venue with joy and excitement and became one of the highlights of 2026 KGMA. And Young K won the “Grand Artist” award. First, he expressed gratitude to his parents, saying, “I’ve grown up, haven’t I,” and also thanked the DAY6 members and My Day (the fans’ name). “Thank you for giving me dreams. My Day is the reason I can live as Young K. I am always grateful and I love you. I will sing as much as My Day wants to hear. Thank you for letting me spend a dreamlike day today,” he sincerely said with gratitude and love. Young K, who won five awards at 2026 KGMA, handled the ending stage for the day. With a live band behind him and at a stand microphone, he sang the drama “Wonderful New World” OST (insert song) “Season of Us,” and the venue let out sigh-like cheers at his clear beautiful voice. Next, when he powerfully sang “Shut the Door,” the participating artists also stood up and got extremely excited. Fitting the name of “Grand Artist,” he united the venue through music. At the end, all participating artists gathered on stage, and the “2026 Korea Grand Music Awards” ARTIST DAY came to a close. • AND2BLE wins the grand prize and rookie award at 2026 KGMA! Joy over the achievement about six months after debut • TUIDE wins the rookie award at their first awards ceremony after debut! “We will continue to deliver new fun”