Winners of the 2021 MMA: BTS, IU, aespa, TXT and more

The 2021 MMA (Melon Music Awards) winners are finally here. The MMAs were held on December 4 and streamed live via the YouTube channel 1TheK. As the biggest K-pop idols took home significant prizes, fourth generation artists also bagged some major wins, showcasing the extraordinary quality of K-pop in current times.

As expected, BTS and IU’s incredible stint in 2021 earned them five awards each. The criteria for selection was statistics from MelOn’s charts, including user data, expert scores, streaming data, votes, and more.

Complete list of winners at the 2021 MMAs (Melon Music Awards)

Despite the tough competition, multiple deserving artists took home the green rectangle trophy from the coveted MMAs. Check out the winners below:

Netizens predicted major wins for BTS, IU, and Lee Mujin from the start. The 2021 MMA awards that surprised them, in a good way, were of TXT, ENHYPEN, and aespa’s.

After the awards ceremony, netizens discussed rookie group aespa making waves with their award sweep. Every release of the Next Level girl group has been a viral hit, giving them a taste of incredible success in their first year of debut.

aespa bagging Best Female Artist and the Grand Prize for Record of the Year at the 2021 MMA has shown that they’re the top fourth-generation K-pop group to be reckoned with.

Fans even loved IU sweeping five awards at the 2021 MMA. The Lilac singer-songwriter attended the 2021 MMA event after four long years.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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