G-DRAGON and Stray Kids won major awards at the 2025 MAMA, held amid a tragic fire incident in Hong Kong, with heartfelt tributes.
November/30/2025 12:33Related Groups & Members
G-DRAGON of BIGBANG and Stray Kids won the grand prize on the final day of 'MAMA'. Yesterday (29th), the '2025 MAMA AWARDS' was held at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong. On the 26th (local time), a large fire broke out in a high-rise apartment in Tai Po, Hong Kong. The holding of '2025 MAMA' became uncertain, but the organizer CJ ENM announced that the award ceremony would proceed as planned. The red carpet event was canceled, but the award ceremony was broadcast live. On this second day, host Kim Hyesoo appeared in a black suit with a mourning armband. She stated, 'I received the heartbreaking news, and my heart was heavy. I express my condolences to all those who have suffered great losses and lost loved ones in this sudden accident. I sincerely hope that miracles remain with us.' She added, 'Through the message of “Support Hong Kong,” we want to contribute to Hong Kong's recovery. We believe in the healing and solidarity power of music, and we ask everyone to join us in sharing our sorrow.' Previously, '2025 MAMA' had announced an official collaboration with the globally popular Netflix animated film 'KPOP Girls! Demon Hunters'. Performances were scheduled from Huntrix, featuring BABYMONSTER's Parita, Ahyeon, and Laura, as well as Saja Boys' Lee Han, RIIZE's Wonbin, TWS's Shinyu, and ZEROBASEONE's Park Gonuk and Han Yujin. However, in response to the large fire in Hong Kong, Saja Boys' stage was canceled. It is believed that the cancellation was decided considering the content of the song 'Your Idol'. The stage featuring BABYMONSTER's Ahyeon, Laura, and Parita, who transformed into Huntrix's Lumi, Zoe, and Mira, was performed as scheduled. Additionally, Ahn Hyoseop, who voiced Saja Boys' leader Jinwoo in the work, participated as a narrator, drawing attention. Ahyeon, Laura, and Parita perfectly transformed into Huntrix with their hairstyles and costumes, captivating the audience with their overwhelming vocal abilities. Starting with 'What It Sounds Like', the three excited the audience with refreshing high notes and soft harmonies in the following stage of 'Golden'. 'KPOP Girls! Demon Hunters' received the MUSIC VISIONARY OF THE YEAR award that day. Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Applehans took the stage and shared their joy, saying, 'We are grateful to receive such a significant award. We accept this award on behalf of those who made this movie possible.' They continued, 'We are truly surprised. We believe this movie has opened the hearts of many people around the world, and we made this movie for you all, K-POP. It is a great joy to be here with you today. We hope you think of it as a love letter to K-POP.' They also took out their smartphones to share memories with the audience while celebrating their joy. The grand prizes, VISA ALBUM OF THE YEAR and VISA ARTIST OF THE YEAR, were awarded to Stray Kids and G-DRAGON, respectively. Stray Kids, who won this year's VISA ALBUM OF THE YEAR, expressed, 'I still can't believe that we received such a significant award at the 'MAMA' awards ceremony, which I wanted to stand on since my trainee days and watched on TV. I want to tell the members that they have worked really hard. We have experienced so much together, but we are happy to share our beloved music and stage with many people around the world.' The members shed tears of emotion. Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat, who took the stage as this year's singer award recipient, offered a moment of silence for the victims of the fire before the award. He said, 'Before the award, I ask everyone to stand up to convey our heartfelt support to the residents of the apartment where the fire occurred. I would like to dedicate a moment of silence for those who lost their lives in the fire.' The stage lights were turned off, and Chow Yun-fat and the audience took a moment of silence to pay tribute to the victims. He expressed, 'I want to convey my heartfelt condolences to those who lost their beloved family and friends,' and thanked 'MAMA' for extending a hand of comfort and support. That day, G-DRAGON, who won three trophies including VISA ARTIST OF THE YEAR, BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE MALE SOLO, and BEST MALE ARTIST, reflected, 'I made a comeback through 'MAMA' last year, but this year's activities were different from before. It is a day filled with various emotions, both happy and sad, but I am honored to receive an award from my wonderful eternal idol, brother Chow Yun-fat, on the 30th anniversary of 'MAMA'.' He continued, 'Thank you to the fans. I am just grateful. Next year, our group will celebrate its 20th anniversary, and I want to come back to party with friends so that it won't be lonely. See you next year.' In addition, aespa achieved a triple crown with BEST CHOREOGRAPHY, BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE FEMALE GROUP, and BEST FEMALE GROUP that day. The members expressed their condolences to the fire victims, saying, 'We just celebrated our 5th anniversary, and it feels like we received this as a present. Next year, we will release a full album. We will prepare hard for the release, so we hope you will love it.'
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