K-Pop · AwardsFP-030 · Side A
2026 MAMA Awards: BIGBANG, ENHYPEN and CORTIS Set to Perform in Osaka
The K-pop awards run two nights at Kyocera Dome Osaka on November 20 and 21. BTS lead the nominations with five, and BIGBANG's members add up to eight.
BIGBANG, ENHYPEN, IVE, LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT and CORTIS are among the acts set to perform at the 2026 MAMA Awards, Billboard reported on October 15. The show runs two nights, November 20 and 21, at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan.
For US viewers, the ceremony and every performance will stream live worldwide on Mnet Plus, a global K-pop content platform, per the same report.
Who leads the nominations
Nominations came out on October 12, the same day first-round voting opened for the 2027 Grammys. BTS lead with five, Billboard reported:
- Artist of the year
- Best male group
- Album of the year, for ARIRANG
- Best vocal performance group, for "SWIM"
- Best music video, for "2.0"
J-Hope adds two more on his own, for his feature on LE SSERAFIM's "SPAGHETTI," in best collaboration and best dance performance female group.
BIGBANG's count
BIGBANG received four nominations as a group, including artist of the year and best male group, plus best music video and best dance performance male group for "BiiiG." Its members picked up four more for solo work, according to Billboard. Taeyang has three, among them artist of the year and best male artist, and his single "LIVE FAST DIE SLOW" is up for best dance performance male solo. G-Dragon is nominated for best collaboration for his feature on aespa's "WDA (Whole Different Animal)." He won artist of the year at the 2025 ceremony.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER received three nominations: artist of the year, best male group and album of the year.
Five nods each
Seven acts tied with five nominations apiece: MAMAMOO (four of them for its youngest member, Hwasa), aespa, ATEEZ, IVE, LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT and CORTIS, Billboard reported. Four of those seven are on the performer list.
The rules and the extras
Music released between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026 is eligible, and the first round of fan voting is already under way. This year the show adds MAMA FAN FESTA, a run of events across Osaka and online on Mnet Plus from November 9 to 21, per Billboard. Billboard said it would update its performer list if more acts are added.