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The annual awards season for K-pop idols began on October 24, 2022, with the announcement of the 2022 MAMA Awards Nominations, which received both praise and criticism from fans.
For the unversed, BTS' j-hope leads this year's most nominations with 11 in total, including solo, group, and collaborations.
However, despite a year full of new releases that won the hearts of fans worldwide, not all artists were given the recognition they deserved by being nominated for awards.
This article aims to take a look at 5 such K-pop idols, both solo artists and groups, who were robbed of nominations at the 2022 MAMA Awards.
2022 MAMA Awards: Five K-pop idols who deserved nominations
1) SHINee's Key
Known for his ultra-modern approach to music, as evident in choreography, costumes, and set design for his solo albums, SHINee's Key was not nominated at the 2022 MAMA Awards.
The 31-year-old singer released Gasoline earlier this year with the title track of the same name and was appreciated by fans for his concept and smooth dancing skills. Many believed that he deserved recognition in the Best Dance Performance Solo and Best Male Artist.
This is the second year in a row that Key has been snubbed by the award ceremony, with his 2021 release Bad Love also ignored by MAMA.
2) ATEEZ
In perhaps one of the biggest snubs of the 2022 MAMA Awards, ATEEZ was nominated in just one category, Worldwide Fans' Choice Top 10. Despite being known for their amazing stage presence and repeatedly praised for their performances, the group did not receive nominations for Best Dance Performance Group.
The K-pop group's Guerrilla was considered to be deserving of nominations in multiple categories, with the complexity of the choreography meaning that few idols attempted the TikTok challenge.
As with Key, this is the second year that ATEEZ was not given their due by the Mnet Asian Music Awards.
3) B.I
K-pop idol B.I, former leader of iKon, released his solo career's biggest hit BTBT earlier this year and many believed that he deserved a nomination in the Solo Artist, Dance Performance, and Collaboration category (the song also featured singer DeVita and rapper Soulja Boy).
Despite Kim Han-bin's velvety vocals, addictive chorus, and staggering choreography, the song was denied any nominations at the 2022 MAMA Awards. Additionally, some fans even hoped that B.I would be chosen for bigger categories like Song of the Year, but that was not to be.
4) MAMAMOO
Another K-pop group known for their killer performances at award ceremonies and concerts, MAMAMOO released multiple songs last year, which should have made it eligible to be nominated in multiple categories.
However, the all-female quartet received just one nod in the Worldwide Fans' Choice Top 10 category.
Fans of the group took to Twitter to voice their discontent with the 2022 MAMA Awards, exacerbated by the fact that Hwasa, Solar, and Moon Byul were ignored for their solo and collaboration categories as well.
5) Girls' Generation (or SNSD)
The Nation's Girl Group, as SNSD were called in their heyday, released Forever 1, after a five-year hiatus, leading fans to hope that the K-pop idols would be nominated in several categories at the 2022 MAMA Awards. However, the group was just given a nod in the Worldwide Fans' Choice Top 10 category, which is notorious for being a competitive category.
Taeyeon, who is also a successful solo K-pop idol, received 5 nominations, giving fans of Girls' Generation a little to look forward to, apart from the promised performance by the group.
Despite all of the snubs, the 2022 MAMA Awards are one of the most anticipated ceremonies in the K-pop industry, with fans working hard to vote for their favorite artists through various channels, hoping for them to win the coveted Daesangs (or top prize) at these awards. Aside from that, the performances are another reason to anticipate the MAMA Awards.
