Monsta X's Hyungwon and IVE's Ray will appear at 'ASEA 2026'.
The music festival that brings together top-class artists representing Asia, the 3rd Asia Star Entertainer Awards 2026 (ASIA STAR ENTERTAINER AWARDS, hereafter "ASEA 2026"), will be held May 16 and 17 at Belluna Dome in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, and Monsta X's Hyungwon and IVE's Ray will serve as MCs on the first day, the organizing committee said on March 17.
Monsta X's Hyungwon and IVE's Ray served as MCs for ASEA last year and demonstrated their polished hosting skills. The two, who served as MCs on different days then, will join forces as the MCs for the first day of ASEA 2026.
Hyungwon, who resumed activities as an ASEA MC after his military discharge last year, has maintained his standing as a Monsta X member over the past year. Monsta X, which made a comeback with the commemorative album The X to mark their 10th anniversary last year, recorded a career-high in initial sales and charted on multiple charts including the Billboard 200 in the United States. In particular, Hyungwon, as the group's lead producing member, directly participated in the album work and showcased his abilities. Monsta X's world tour and performances at various global festivals also fully demonstrated their reputation as a dependable act.
Since 2017, Hyungwon has proven his DJ skills under the name DJ H.ONE, and he also participated as his alter ego DJ H.ONE on Monsta X's remix digital single N the Front (H.ONE Remix), showing expanded musicality. In addition, he displayed sincerity and distinctive variety show talent through the entertainment program Ttorora, and he is active in various areas. Monsta X is also set to release their new U.S. record Unfold on April 3.
IVE's Ray, who successfully made her awards-show MC debut at ASEA last year, had a fruitful year with notable achievements in both group and solo activities. In addition to being chosen as an advertising model for various brands such as beauty and clothing, she was selected as an ambassador for a luxury brand, served as a special MC for music programs, and appeared on variety shows, showing her presence across many fields. She participated as a featuring artist on Monsta X's Joohoney's solo song Push, showcasing her smooth vocal tone and reaffirming her abilities as a musician. True to her status as an MZ icon, she created trending poses and challenges such as the "ribbon peace," the "Kongsuni pose," and the "wild guinea" and was recognized as a trendsetter, winning TikTok's Best Trend Leader award.
IVE's impact remains strong. IVE achieved overwhelming results with their second full album released in February, REVIVE+. They achieved a perfect all-kill on major domestic music charts and won nine music show trophies. The title track BANG BANG charted for two consecutive weeks on the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global (excluding U.S.) charts, and it ranked highly on other global platforms as well. They plan to hold a large-scale world tour, SHOW WHAT I AM, across major regions in Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania to demonstrate their global presence.
Launched in 2024, ASEA has established itself as a global awards show that selects artists who have exerted influence worldwide beyond Asia each year and presents high-quality performances. This year, top-class artists who achieved meaningful results over the past year will participate in large numbers to deliver spectacular stages. Earlier, ATEEZ, &TEAM, ENHYPEN, Hearts2Hearts and xikers (all in ABC order) among others confirmed their appearances.
ASEA 2026 is hosted by Newsen, Korea's leading entertainment and sports media celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, and @style, the star and style magazine celebrating its 14th anniversary, and organized by the ASEA organizing committee.
ASEA 2026 will announce the artist lineup, award categories and judging criteria sequentially through its official website.
Meanwhile, ticket reservations began on the 16th. [Photo] ASEA organizing committee, provided by Starship Entertainment [OSEN]