'2026 K World Dream Awards (K WORLD DREAM AWARDS)' has confirmed additional participation from groups representing 5th-generation K-pop.
The '2026 K World Dream Awards' organizing committee said on the 6th that the groups AMPERS&ONE, NOWZ, MEOVV, Hearts2Hearts, and IDID have confirmed their appearances.
With this lineup, this year's awards ceremony is expected to be staged as a gathering of next-generation artists who will lead K-pop. Each team has demonstrated its presence by continuing noticeable growth not only domestically but also in the global market, so attention is focused on the stages they will present.
Since debuting in 2023, AMPERS&ONE has maintained steady growth by releasing tracks such as 'God', 'On and On', 'Kick Start', 'That's That', 'Someday', and 'I Am Me'. They successfully completed a live tour connecting Seoul and 18 U.S. cities, and in North America they proved global ticket power with sold-out shows and additional seats opened. In September they will begin a new tour starting with their first solo concert in Korea.
After rebranding, NOWZ firmly established the group's musical identity with their first mini album Ignition (IGNITION) and the single Play Ball. The pre-release track 'Fly freely (Feat. Woogi)' reached No. 1 on China's QQ Music new song chart and entered Hong Kong iTunes top song chart, achieving global success, and they have continued their rise by successfully completing their first fan concert and Japanese debut activities.
MEOVV is a representative 5th-generation girl group showing rapid growth since debut. Their second EP Bite Now (BITE NOW) surpassed first-week sales of 300,000 copies, setting a personal best, and the title track 'DDI RO RI' reached No. 1 on YouTube music video worldwide trending, proving global attention.
Hearts2Hearts has also shown a clear presence as a next-generation girl group. Their second mini album Lemon Tang achieved their first half-million seller, and the title track of the same name topped China's QQ Music K-pop chart. The previous promotional track 'RUDE!' not only won five music show trophies but also surpassed 100 million views on YouTube and 100 million cumulative streams on Spotify, continuing its global popularity.
IDID is a boy group created through Starship's project 'Debut's Plan' that claimed a music show first-place win 12 days after their debut album release, announcing a strong presence. Since then, with songs such as 'FLY!', 'Attent!on', 'STEP IT UP', and 'PUSH BACK', they have shown refreshing charm and solid performances, growing as a next-generation boy group.
Launched in 2017 as the Soribada Best K-Music Awards, the K World Dream Awards marks its 10th anniversary this year and will be held as a global hallyu festival that highlights contributions across the K-pop industry, including artists, production staff, and crew.
Earlier confirmations included ATEEZ, P1Harmony, RIIZE, Ahob, AND2BLE, SeeYa, QWER, ILLIT, Risenne, JB, Seongri, Evan, Park Ji-hyun, LE SSERAFIM, KiiiKiii, XLOVE, and Hi Phi Unicorn, and with this additional lineup the show promises an even richer stage.
Broadcaster Jun Hyun-moo and comedian Jang Do-youn will again host as MCs for the fourth consecutive year, leading a stable program. The popularity award vote, decided by global K-pop fans, is underway on fandom platform PANDERONE, and the ceremony will be broadcast live worldwide through global OTT.
[Photo] Provided by each agency
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