The 66th Japan Record Awards officially announced the list of winners, which also included some K-pop artists.
According to Korean news outlet Yonhap News, the 66th Japan Record Awards revealed that NewJeans won the Excellent Work Award. This was due to the quintet having debuted and made waves in the Japanese music market with their single “Supernatural”.
It was also reported that NewJeans marked this second time by winning the award, as the group also secured the Excellent Work Award for “Ditto”.
A total of 10 songs were also shortlisted for the Excellence Award, which will determine releases that have had a significant impact on audiences. Various aspects such as artistry, originality and planning were also taken into consideration for eligibility.
The 10 pending songs will be nominated for the awards show’s Grand Prize and announced on December 30.
Aside from NewJeans, ILLIT was also included in the list as the group went viral with their debut and breakthrough song “Magnetic.” This led to ILLIT receiving the New Artist Award, making Fifth Generation the first ever K-pop girl group to win the award in 13 years since 2NE1.
Meanwhile, the Special Prize was awarded to K-pop boy group TXT. LE SSERAFIM also received the Special International Music Award for its continued efforts to establish global recognition.