2022 MAMA Awards

Lore & Background

On August 23, 2022, CJ E&M announced the rebranding of the 'Mnet Asian Music Awards' to simply 'MAMA Awards'. The ceremony's theme was 'K-POP World Citizenship', with day one sub-theme 'The world we build together' and day two sub-theme 'We are K-POP'. The hosts were announced on November 16: Jeon Somi for day one and Park Bo-gum for day two. BTS member J-hope was also announced to perform and collaborate on stage.

The selection process considered songs released from November 1, 2021 to October 21, 2022. On November 9, Mnet announced that due to changes in Twitter making data collection impossible, all Twitter votes were removed from the Worldwide Icon of the Year and Worldwide Fan's Choice categories without adjustments to other sources. The nominees were announced on October 24, 2022 at 6PM KST, with voting opening an hour later.

This year saw the addition of the MAMA Platinum award, given to artists who have won all four Grand Prizes (Daesang) in a single night. BTS became the first and only recipient, having won all four Grand Prizes in the previous three editions. BTS won six awards including Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Male Group, MAMA Platinum, Worldwide Fans' Choice - Top 10, and Worldwide Icon of the Year. Ive won four awards: Song of the Year, Best New Female Artist, Favourite New Artist, and Best Dance Performance - Female Group.

Reader's Guide

The 2022 MAMA Awards represented a significant transition for the long-running ceremony, adopting a simplified name and expanding its international reach during the pandemic. The introduction of the MAMA Platinum award created a new pinnacle of achievement, recognizing artists who sweep all four Daesang categories in a single night—a feat only BTS had accomplished at that point. The ceremony also reflected the evolving landscape of fan engagement, as Mnet removed Twitter votes from two categories due to platform changes that hindered data collection. The event's two-day format, with distinct sub-themes and separate hosts, allowed for a broader showcase of performers and presenters. The awards highlighted the dominance of BTS and the rising prominence of Ive, while the inclusion of collaboration stages and diverse presenters from entertainment and sports underscored the ceremony's role as a cultural nexus. The 2022 MAMA Awards thus served as both a celebration of K-pop's global reach and a marker of the industry's adaptation to technological and logistical challenges.