Korean pop culture, ranked by the numbers · 한류 랭킹
멜론뮤직어워드 역대 대상 수상자
The Melon Music Awards have handed out 58 daesang (grand prizes) at their live ceremonies since 2009. BTS lead with 13, more than twice the five won by IU, and G-Dragon won three of the four at the 2025 show.
Data as of
This is every grand prize (daesang, 대상) given by the Melon Music Awards (멜론뮤직어워드, MMA), from the first live ceremony in December 2009 to the 17th in December 2025, newest first.12349 The next edition, MMA2026, takes place on November 14–15, 2026, at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. It is the first time the show has run over two days.178
| Year | Edition | Category | Winner | Winning work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17th | Artist of the Year | G-Dragon지드래곤 | — |
| 2025 | 17th | Album of the Year | G-Dragon지드래곤 | Übermensch |
| 2025 | 17th | Song of the Year | G-Dragon지드래곤 | “Home Sweet Home (feat. Taeyang & Daesung)” |
| 2025 | 17th | Record of the Year | JENNIE제니 | — |
| 2024 | 16th | Artist of the Year | aespa에스파 | — |
| 2024 | 16th | Album of the Year | aespa에스파 | Armageddon |
| 2024 | 16th | Song of the Year | aespa에스파 | “Supernova” |
| 2024 | 16th | Record of the Year | (G)I-DLE(여자)아이들 | — |
| 2023 | 15th | Artist of the Year | NewJeans뉴진스 | — |
| 2023 | 15th | Album of the Year | IVE아이브 | I've IVE |
| 2023 | 15th | Song of the Year | NewJeans뉴진스 | “Ditto” |
| 2023 | 15th | Record of the Year | NCT DREAM엔시티 드림 | — |
| 2022 | 14th | Artist of the Year | Lim Young-woong임영웅 | — |
| 2022 | 14th | Album of the Year | Lim Young-woong임영웅 | Im Hero |
| 2022 | 14th | Song of the Year | IVE아이브 | “Love Dive” |
| 2022 | 14th | Record of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | — |
| 2021 | 13th | Artist of the Year | IU아이유 | — |
| 2021 | 13th | Album of the Year | IU아이유 | Lilac |
| 2021 | 13th | Song of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | “Butter” |
| 2021 | 13th | Record of the Year | aespa에스파 | — |
| 2020 | 12th | Artist of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | — |
| 2020 | 12th | Album of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | Map of the Soul: 7 |
| 2020 | 12th | Song of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | “Dynamite” |
| 2019 | 11th | Artist of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | — |
| 2019 | 11th | Album of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | Map of the Soul: Persona |
| 2019 | 11th | Song of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | “Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)”작은 것들을 위한 시 |
| 2019 | 11th | Record of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | — |
| 2018 | 10th | Artist of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | — |
| 2018 | 10th | Album of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | Love Yourself: Tear |
| 2018 | 10th | Song of the Year | iKON아이콘 | “Love Scenario”사랑을 했다 |
| 2018 | 10th | Record of the Year | Wanna One워너원 | — |
| 2017 | 9th | Artist of the Year | EXO엑소 | — |
| 2017 | 9th | Album of the Year | IU아이유 | Palette |
| 2017 | 9th | Song of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | “Spring Day”봄날 |
| 2016 | 8th | Artist of the Year | EXO엑소 | — |
| 2016 | 8th | Album of the Year | BTS방탄소년단 | The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever |
| 2016 | 8th | Song of the Year | TWICE트와이스 | “Cheer Up” |
| 2015 | 7th | Artist of the Year | BIGBANG빅뱅 | — |
| 2015 | 7th | Album of the Year | EXO엑소 | Exodus |
| 2015 | 7th | Song of the Year | BIGBANG빅뱅 | “Bang Bang Bang”뱅뱅뱅 |
| 2014 | 6th | Artist of the Year | IU아이유 | — |
| 2014 | 6th | Album of the Year | g.o.d지오디 | Chapter 8 |
| 2014 | 6th | Song of the Year | Taeyang태양 | “Eyes, Nose, Lips”눈, 코, 입 |
| 2013 | 5th | Artist of the Year | SHINee샤이니 | — |
| 2013 | 5th | Album of the Year | Busker Busker버스커 버스커 | Busker Busker 2nd Album |
| 2013 | 5th | Song of the Year | EXO엑소 | “Growl”으르렁 |
| 2012 | 4th | Artist of the Year | BEAST비스트 | — |
| 2012 | 4th | Album of the Year | Busker Busker버스커 버스커 | Busker Busker 1st Album |
| 2012 | 4th | Song of the Year | PSY싸이 | “Gangnam Style”강남스타일 |
| 2011 | 3rd | Artist of the Year | BEAST비스트 | — |
| 2011 | 3rd | Album of the Year | 2NE1투애니원 | 2NE1 2nd Mini Album |
| 2011 | 3rd | Song of the Year | IU아이유 | “Good Day”좋은 날 |
| 2010 | 2nd | Artist of the Year | Girls' Generation소녀시대 | — |
| 2010 | 2nd | Album of the Year | 2NE1투애니원 | To Anyone |
| 2010 | 2nd | Song of the Year | 2AM투에이엠 | “Can't Let You Go Even If I Die”죽어도 못 보내 |
| 2009 | 1st | Artist of the Year | Girls' Generation소녀시대 | — |
| 2009 | 1st | Album of the Year | G-Dragon지드래곤 | Heartbreaker |
| 2009 | 1st | Song of the Year | Girls' Generation소녀시대 | “Gee” |
A daesang (대상) is a grand prize, the top tier of a Korean awards show. The Melon Music Awards are run by Kakao Entertainment through its streaming service, Melon. The 2025 rules weighted Artist, Album and Song of the Year 60% on Melon digital sales and streams, 20% on online votes and 20% on a judging panel; Record of the Year was decided 100% by the panel.15 Before 2018 there were three daesang a year; Record of the Year was added in 2018, and none was given in 2020.15 The 2005–2008 awards, announced on Melon’s website from online fan votes before the first live ceremony, are not counted as daesang and are left out.234 Edition numbers count ceremonies from 2009. The table leaves out BTS’s 2017 Global Artist Award: a Melon Magazine article briefly listed it as a fourth grand prize, then removed the label from all its 2017 awards.10 Winners were checked against Wikipedia’s award and ceremony articles and against Soompi’s winners lists for each year, as shown in search results.56
BTS (방탄소년단) have won 13 of the 58 grand prizes handed out at MMA ceremonies, more than twice as many as anyone else. Their first was Album of the Year in 2016 for The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever.13
In 2019 they won all four daesang on one night: Artist, Album (Map of the Soul: Persona), Song (“Boy With Luv”) and Record of the Year. No other act has taken all four. They also won Artist of the Year three years running, 2018 to 2020, the only act to do so.2511
G-Dragon (지드래곤; real name Kwon Ji-yong, 권지용) won his first daesang at the first MMA ceremony in 2009: Album of the Year for Heartbreaker, his first solo studio album.312
Sixteen years later, at the 17th ceremony in 2025, he won Artist, Album (Übermensch) and Song of the Year (“Home Sweet Home”, featuring his BIGBANG bandmates Taeyang and Daesung), seven awards in all. No solo artist had won more than two daesang at one MMA ceremony before.23459
IU (아이유; real name Lee Ji-eun, 이지은) has five daesang, the most of any solo artist (only BTS have more), across all three original categories.1 “Good Day”, which spent five straight weeks at number one on South Korea’s Gaon Digital Chart, won Song of the Year in 2011.413
She went on to win Artist of the Year in 2014 and 2021, and Album of the Year for Palette in 2017 and Lilac in 2021.23
aespa (에스파) debuted on November 17, 2020, and won Record of the Year at the 2021 ceremony, about a year later.114
In 2024 they won Artist, Album (Armageddon) and Song of the Year (“Supernova”), seven awards in total, a record for a girl group at a single MMA ceremony. Record of the Year that night went to (G)I-DLE ((여자)아이들).5
The Melon Music Awards started in 2005 as prizes announced online from fan votes. The first live ceremony was held on December 16, 2009, at Olympic Hall in Seoul.145
Girls’ Generation (소녀시대) won two of that night’s three daesang, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for “Gee”. They won Artist of the Year again in 2010, the first back-to-back win in the category since the live ceremonies began.24
Busker Busker (버스커 버스커) are an indie band who came second on Mnet’s audition show Superstar K3. They released two studio albums, in 2012 and 2013, before going on hiatus in December 2013.15
Both albums won Album of the Year: Busker Busker 1st Album in 2012 and Busker Busker 2nd Album in 2013. The first album’s single was “Cherry Blossom Ending”.315
Record of the Year became a fourth daesang in 2018. Wanna One (워너원) won it first, then BTS (2019 and 2022), aespa (2021), NCT DREAM (엔시티 드림, 2023) and (G)I-DLE (2024).1
Under the 2025 rules it is the only daesang decided entirely by a judging panel. JENNIE (제니) won it in 2025, the first solo artist to take the category.517