BTS won nine awards at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards today (December 11), including Artist Of The Year.
The annual awards show was held at CJ ENM Content World in Paju, South Korea, with the theme for this year’s ceremony being “Make Some Noise”.
BTS collected the trophies for Album Of The Year for ‘BE’, Worldwide Icon Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Favourite Moment, Best Male Group, and Song Of The Year and Best Dance Performance Male Group for ‘Butter’. They also took home a prize for being voted in the Worldwide Fans’ Choice Top 10.
Although the group did not attend the ceremony, they sent a video message, which was filmed backstage at their recent concerts in LA. “For all of those who had difficult times this year, to share strength and comfort, we tried new things in making music and we worked very hard,” RM said. “Thank you for empathising with our heartful music and enjoying them with us.”
[#2021MAMA_Moment] BEST MALE GROUP & BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE MALE GROUP & BEST MUSIC VIDEO & TikTok FAVORITE MOMENT #BTS #bts
You made it! Honorable winner of the night! ?
#2021MAMA #MAMA #MakeSomeNoise #Mnet pic.twitter.com/B9JEEgFQNk— MAMA (Mnet Asian Music Awards) (@MnetMAMA) December 11, 2021
Jimin continued: “‘Butter’ and ‘Permission to Dance’ gained enormous love this year, we will share this honour with everyone who worked hard to make great music and performances with us. And most of all, we think this is the award given to both us and all ARMYs who’ve been showing so much love toward our music.”
“We believe many in the world had difficult times in 2021,” J-hope added. “But we hope we all can believe that greater hope is on its way, little by little. We will work harder so our music can be your peace of mind and comfort in difficult times.”
Watch the group’s acceptance speech in full above. Their haul also meant they are now the first act to have won every top prize at the ceremony for a third year.
Elsewhere at the ceremony, IU won three awards, while aespa and ENHYPEN won two awards each. IU was named Best Female Artist and Best Vocal Performance for ‘Celebrity’, and received Best Collaboration with AKMU, while aespa won Best New Female Artist and Best Dance Performance Female Group for ‘Next Level’. ENHYPEN, meanwhile, took home Best New Male Artist and were also voted as one of the Worldwide Fans’ Choice Top 10 acts.
Ed Sheeran was this year’s victor in the Favourite International Artist category and gave a special performance for the event, mashing up his recent singles ‘Bad Habits’ and ‘Shivers’.
The full list of winners from 2021 MAMA are as follows:
TikTok Album Of The Year
BTS – ‘BE’
Best New Male Artist
ENHYPEN
Best New Female Artist
aespa
Best Dance Performance Female Group
aespa – ‘Next Level’
Best Band Performance
JANNABI
Best Hip-Hop & Urban Music
Ash Island – ‘Melody’
Best OST
Cho Jung Seok – ‘Like You’, Hospital Playlist (season two)
Korean Tourism Organisation Breakout Artist
Brave Girls
Favourite Asian Artist
THIS
TikTok Worldwide Icon Of The Year
BTS
Worldwide Fans’ Choice Top 10
Stray Kids
NCT Dream
NCT 127
ENHYPEN
Tomorrow X Together
BTS
Lisa
Seventeen
Treasure
TWICE
Favourite International Artist
Ed Sheeran
Best Asian Artist Japan
JO1
Best Asian Artist Mandarin
Accusefive
Best Asian Artist Thailand
Tilly Birds
Best Asian Artist Indonesia
Anneth
Best Asian Artist Vietnam
Army AP
Best New Asian Artist Japan
ADO
Best New Asian Artist Mandarin
Anson lo
Best New Asian Artist Thailand
SPRIVE X GUYGEEGEE
Best New Asian Artist Indonesia
Lyodra
Best New Asian Artist Vietnam
Hoang Duyen
TikTok Song Of The Year
BTS – ‘Butter’
TikTok Artist Of The Year
BTS – ‘Butter’
TikTok Favourite Moment
BTS
Best Male Group
BTS
Best Female Group
TWICE
Best Male Artist
Baekhyun
Best Female Artist
IU
Best Dance Performance Solo
Rosé – ‘On The Ground’
Best Dance Performance Male Group
BTS – ‘Butter’
Best Vocal Performance
IU – ‘Celebrity’
Best Collaboration
AKMU – ‘NAKKA (with IU)’
Best Executive Producer Of The Year
Bang Si-Hyuk
Best Producer Of The Year
TEDDY
Best Composer Of The Year
Yoo Young Jin
Best Engineer Of The Year
Gu Jong Pil, Kwon Nam Woo
Best Video Director Of The Year
Lumpens
Best Choreographer Of The Year
Leejung Lee
Best Art Director Of The Year
MU:E
BTS are currently on an “extended period of rest” for the first time since 2019 and will not take part in any of this year’s end-of-year shows. In a statement, their agency Big Hit explained the break would give the group “a chance to get re-inspired and recharge with creative energy” and offer them the first opportunity “to spend the holiday season with their families” since their debut in 2013.
The company also noted that the boyband will be preparing for a brand-new album that will be the start of a “new chapter”.
