Group Stray Kids and IVE took home the top prizes at the 2nd Korea Grand Music Awards.
On the 15th at Inspire Arena in Unseo-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon, the 2025 Korea Grand Music Awards with iM Bank (2025 KGMA) was held. Following artist day the previous day, the music day ceremony was hosted by KISS OF LIFE's NATTY and actress Nam Ji-hyun.
The 2025 grand record trophy, the highest honor of KGMA, was won by Stray Kids. Debuting in 2018, Stray Kids started with the principle of "self-producing" and divided into units by main roles—producing (Bangchan·Changbin·Han), performance (Lee Know·Hyunjin·Felix), and vocals (Seungmin·I.N)—to create maximum synergy. In August this year, their fourth full-length album KARMA reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking the seventh album since 2022 to top that chart. It was an unprecedented achievement on the Billboard charts, with Stray Kids making new history in the global music market and reaching the peak of their career.
Stray Kids, who went on stage to accept the award, said, "We are grateful to STAY (the fandom) and KGMA," adding, "This year went by so fast. We're bewildered and thankful for so many first-time experiences. We'll repay you with a comeback and an album for the rest of the year. I hope it will be a good gift for STAY. We'll repay the top prize with an amazing performance."
They continued, "Watching the juniors' stages reminded us of when we received rookie awards. As years pass and the weight of awards grows heavier, our concerns deepen. We'll show that those concerns are not negative but positive with a comeback in the coming week," and added, "Having been positively influenced by many seniors in the music industry, Stray Kids will lead the way worldwide and spread that influence."
The 2025 grand song went to IVE. Debuting in 2021, IVE has built a team identity centered on the message that "true love begins with loving yourself," emphasizing "self-assurance" and "autonomous confidence," and has been loved as an MZ icon. This year, beginning with REBEL HEART and followed by ATTITUDE and XOXZ, they scored successive hits and are currently meeting global fans on their second world tour, SHOW WHAT I AM.
IVE, holding the trophy, said, "There are only about two months left in the year. This award feels like an opportunity to look back on the year. Through every song we convey our true feelings, and we are so grateful that those feelings were recognized," adding, "Thank you so much to DIVE (the fandom) whom we love so much."
The 2025 grand honors choice went to Stray Kids. Stray Kids said, "We are grateful that we can do what we want and still receive this much love," adding, "All our strength comes from STAY. We realize that the stage, opportunities, love and support are not to be taken for granted. We are living a truly happy life, and that life is thanks to STAY. We will become artists you can be proud of."
The KGMA best music 10 included Mark (NCT), Seventeen, Suho (EXO), Stray Kids, IVE, aespa, ENHYPEN, KISS OF LIFE, fromis_9 and P1Harmony (in Korean alphabetical order).
The best dance performance award went to Ahob, the best band award to Lucy, the best adult contemporary award to Jang Min-ho, and the best vocal award to BTOB. The best solo male and female artist awards went to Suho (EXO) and Da-young (WJSN), respectively. The IS Rising Star, a once-in-a-lifetime rookie award, was jointly awarded to IDIT, KickFlip and Hearts2Hearts.
The artist who took home the most trophies that day was Stray Kids, who won five awards. Stray Kids followed their previously announced best selling album award with the highest popularity award, best music 10, 2025 grand honors choice and the 2025 grand record trophy.
KGMA is an awards ceremony first introduced last year by entertainment and sports daily Ilgan Sports (Edaily M) to mark the newspaper's 55th anniversary, a K-pop festival that spotlights K-pop artists and works that received much love from domestic and international fans during the year and offers differentiated content.
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