Kpop fans generally look forward to the year-end awards and song festivals, because during this time of the year, Kpop idols will bring never-before-seen performances and collaborations to the stage. However, in 2022, many fans have complained that many of them feel lackluster.
Below are the reasons why these year-end events failed to leave a deep impression:
Lack of famous artists from previous generations
Most second- and third-generation artists were absent from award ceremonies and music festivals in late 2022, and instead, the events are filled with fourth-generation idols and newcomers. As a result, compared to previous years, many people feel that these events are lacking.
The absence of BTS and BLACKPINK, in particular, has already “cooled” these events to a large extent.
The absence of big names had a significant impact on both audience turnout and the topical effect on social networking sites. A typical example is the state of MMA 2022, one of Korea’s most prestigious awards ceremonies, which had many empty seats due to the lack of groups with a large fan base.
In terms of current affairs, most netizens in online communities only discuss the owners of the awards and rarely discuss the impressive and explosive performances.
In addition to the problem of participating artists, the award ceremonies at the end of 2022 lacked spectacular stages, performances and investments, showcasing the idols’ impressive performance techniques. Even for MAMA, the awards ceremony normally regarded as Kpop’s most explosive stage, seems to lack highlights due to being overseas, leading idols to have little time to prepare.
In previous years, audiences have witnessed captivating, quality and dedicated stages of Kpop idols. Unfortunately, they can barely see it in 2022, where very few stages manage to deeply impress viewers. There’s also the issue of lip-syncing and poor remixes, which can significantly reduce fan enthusiasm.
Despite the absence of big names, the artist line-up at the year-end awards ceremonies in 2022 has huge potential, with impressive results and public recognition. Therefore, while many people were left disappointed, there are still many others who look forward to these artists’ explosive performances.
However, since most of these groups were rookies and therefore inexperienced on stage, they simply cannot offer a jaw-dropping presence like their seniors.
Finally, these groups’ end-of-year stages were not much different from those of the weekly musical shows, with little changes in arrangement and choreography. Of course, there were short breaks for dancing, but they just weren’t refreshing enough to wow the audience.
Not very impressive collaborations and covers
In the past, collaborations were among the most anticipated elements of the end-of-year phase. However, this is not the case for 2022, as most of these “collaborations” fall short of expectations.
Furthermore, covers of the elders’ hits – which is a “speciality” of SBS Gayo Daejeon, failed to achieve an explosive effect this year, despite boasting the appearance of very popular fourth-generation girl groups. Furthermore, since most artists are debutants, many are hesitant to show different colors of themselves and show off their full charisma. This leads to many stages that lack climax and are therefore considered forgettable in the eyes of netizens.
Meanwhile, regarding collaborations, MAMA 2022 has attracted great attention by anticipating a stage that unites the best fourth-generation female debutants. However, instead of becoming a legendary performance, the awards ceremony ended with hectic preparation and a stage that looks like a Kpop dance challenge in public. There were barely any decorations on stage, no remixes, and many members could do nothing but stand awkwardly when their bandmate performed.
Furthermore, there was almost no interaction between the groups, which made the performance feel disjointed. Even the stage clothes are completely different, so the stage barely feels like a collaboration.
The rookie collaboration at MAMA 2022 received many mixed reviews
Finally, because later generations are afraid of “fanwars,” interaction, even during collaboration, is very limited. The stages between male and female idols, for example, now show the idols dancing separately instead of together, perhaps out of fear of dating news.
Indeed, this has been a trend in recent years, and the “Bloom The Sound” collaboration stage at MAMA 2021 is a great example of this.
The Gen 4 idols’ collaboration stages are disappointing because they don’t perform together
Meanwhile, in previous generations, idols can interact and collaborate freely, even pair up on stage to deliver impressive and unforgettable performances. It’s been a long time since Kpop fans have been able to witness groundbreaking interactions, where even dating rumors are integrated into the performance like during the Second Generation era.
Is there hope?
Despite declining interest and expectations for year-end K-pop awards and ceremonies, 2024 saw some hope.
Notably, the artist line-up for the 2024 MAMA Awards is confirmed to include many notable names from previous generations.
For example, G-Dragon confirmed his appearance at MAMA, and with the male idol releasing a song with other BIGBANG members and the trio’s appearance at the airport, there is a chance that MAMA audiences will see BIGBANG reunite.
Meanwhile, BLACKPINK’s Rosé will also appear on the second day of MAMA, and is expected to deliver her latest hit, “APT.,” alongside top-tier pop star Bruno Mars.
With such names appearing in the list of artists, a bright hope has been ignited for MAMA 2024 and, perhaps, Korean music awards in general.
Source: k14
