From BTS to SEVENTEEN: A complete list of winners, performance highlights, & more at the 2023 MAMA Awards Day 1

The 2023 MAMA Awards (Mnet Asian Music Awards) raised its grand curtains on November 28, 2023. Japan's Tokyo Dome was purely festive and the air was electric as the first day kicked off in full steam, featuring breathtaking performances and distributing several honors.

The annual music awards ceremony was organized by CJ E&M and presented by Samsung Galaxy. The grandiose gathering not only celebrates Asian musical artists of high talent and influence but also presents historical and unforgettable performances every year.

Meanwhile, the MAMA Awards is also reputed for both solo and collaborative stages.

This year's run began with names like TVXQ, BTS, SEVENTEEN, JO1, ZEROBASEONE, and Kep1er. Furthermore, the celebration boasted Jeon Somi as the host and names like Lee Jun-ho, Go Min-si, and Lee Young-ji, as award presenters for Day 1.

BTS, SEVENTEEN, TWICE, Stray Kids, and more bag outstanding honors amidst larger-than-life performances at the 2023 MAMA Awards

Chapter 1 of the globally-anticipated 2023 MAMA Awards took place with a bang and fans watched the happening on Mnet, tvN SHOW, and live-streamed on TVING. While the celebs arrived at around 4 pm KST, the main event commenced at 6 pm KST.

Despite having a roster of star attendees gracing the red carpet, some big names gave the event a miss, like BTS' Jungkook, IVE, NewJeans, and Stray Kids. However, idols - Jungkook, TWICE, and Stray Kids made sure to extend their gratitude through pre-recorded acceptance speeches.

Meanwhile, SEVENTEEN delighted fans with their surprise attendance on Day 1 when fans believed they would be joining for Day 2.

At the same time, here is the line-up of performances witnessed by the audience on the inaugural day of the 2023 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

The opening performance segment titled I AM SPECIAL was delivered by Lee Young-ji, Hong Eunchae of LE SSERAFIM, Zhang Hao of ZEROBASEONE (Here I Am), Choi Hyun-suk, Yoshi, and Haruto of TREASURE (G.O.A.T).

Further performances delivered were as follows.

JUSTB (Medusa)
&TEAM (War Cry)
Kep1er (Grand Prix)
xikers (Xikey, DO or DIE)
JO1 (VENUS)
INI (HANA)
Jeon Somi (Fast Forward, The Way)
ENHYPEN (Sweet Venom, Bite Me).
Street Woman Fighter2 x Dynamic Duo (Smoke (Prod. Dynamicduo, Padi), AEAO)
TOMORROW X TOGETHER (Chasing That Feeling, Sugar Rush Ride)
TVXQ! (Down).

The 2023 MAMA Awards collaborative performances included

TVXQ! (Rising Sun (with RIIZE))
[Wonder Stage segment] YOSHIKI (Endless Rain (TXT's Taehyun and Heuning Kai, BOYNEXTDOOR's Jaehyun, RIIZE's Anton, ZEROBASEONE's Han Yu-jin))
HyunA's Attitude collab stage by Lee Bada of BEBE and Funky_Y of MANNEQUEEN

Meanwhile, check out the list of the honorable winners of the night and the major awards they took home in Chapter 1 of the 2023 MAMA Awards.

Favorite New Artist - RIIZE
Inspiring Achievement - TVXQ
Favorite Asian Male Group - INI
Galaxy Neo Flip Artist - TREASURE
Worldwide Fans' Choice - ZEROBASEONE
Worldwide Fans' Choice - TOMORROW X TOGETHER
Favorite International Artist - YOSHIKI
Worldwide Fans' Choice - ENHYPEN
Worldwide Fans' Choice - Lim Young-woong
Favorite New Artist - ZEROBASEONE
Worldwide Fans' Choice - ATEEZ
Worldwide Fans' Choice - NCT DREAM
Favorite Asian Female Group - Kep1er
Worldwide Fans' Choice - Stray Kids
Worldwide Fans' Choice - SEVENTEEN
Worldwide Fans' Choice - TWICE
Worldwide Fans' Choice & SAMSUNG Galaxy Worldwide Icon of the Year (Daesang) - BTS
bibigo CULTURE & STYLE - Street Woman Fighter2

Meanwhile, BTS also made MAMA history with the most Daesangs won - their total count standing at 21. They also became the first act to bag 50 trophies in MAMA history, simultaneously extending several previous records.

More on the 2023 Mnet Asian Music Awards

After the tremendous opening success of the 2023 MAMA Awards Day 1, K-pop and music enthusiasts around the world are eager to see what Day 2 (November 29) has in store. The second chapter is also set to begin with the red carpet event at 4 pm KST followed by the actual award show from 6 pm KST.

Viewers can expect to see the following stellar line-up for the same - ATEEZ, BOYNEXTDOOR, EL7Z UP, (G)I-DLE, LE SSERAFIM, Monika, NiziU, RIIZE, SEVENTEEN, TREASURE, and ZEROBASEONE. What's more, the beloved actor Park Bo-gum will host Chapter 2 of the 2023 MAMA Awards.

About the author

Sreejita is a Kpop and Kdrama writer at SK POP. Combining her passion for writing with her personal interest in K-entertainment, she develops engaging content, and has been writing since she was very young, contributing to school journals, newspapers, and anthologies. Prior to her current role, she worked with Namaste Hallyu and Korea.net.

Sreejita’s knowledge of K-pop and K-entertainment is her biggest asset professionally, and she has demonstrated expertise in artist profiling. She interviewed the K-pop boy group TAN (To All Nations) upon their comeback with their third mini album, TAN MADE [I], in August 2023.

She emphasizes rigorous research, unbiased reporting, and respect toward fan sentiments. While establishing contact with artists' agencies, she strives to represent her company in the best light, and she deeply values the guidance of experts in her field as well as seasoned K-enthusiasts. Additionally, her exchanges with Korean natives has made her aware of the country's traditions and K-pop’s influence locally and globally, thus ascribing fresh insights to her reports.

Sreejita credits her favorite artist, Kim Namjoon aka RM of BTS and his love for literature, for exposing her to writers who inspire her. When not keeping up with the K-entertainment scene, Sreejita loves to read, write, and listen to music and podcasts. Sreejita had a podcast of her own for a while, called LavenderKosmos, where she spoke about lifestyle trends and her personal interests.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann