The 2024 MAMA, one of the most anticipated events in K-pop, has come under fire after allegations of bias in awarding the coveted Song Of The Year daesang.
This year’s ceremony featured four grand prizes (daesangs): Album Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Fans’ Choice Of The Year, and Song Of The Year, all distributed over the two-day event. Among them, Song Of The Year was awarded to aespa for their hit track Supernova, a viral success that dominated charts.
However, the decision sparked outrage among fans of other groups, leading to accusations against MAMA rather than aespa.
The uproar began when the Song Of The Year nominations were revealed, listing aespa (Supernova), BIBI (Bam Yang Gang), IU (Love Wins All), ILLIT (Magnetic), and NewJeans (How Sweet). Fans of LE SSERAFIM were quick to question the absence of their group’s song Perfect Night, which was released within the eligibility period and performed exceptionally well globally.
According to MAMA’s criteria, the winner was determined by a combination of judging evaluation (40%) and streaming/download data (60% — 40% domestic, 20% global). Many fans believed LE SSERAFIM‘s Perfect Night had a strong chance of being nominated and even winning based on its worldwide success.
Another wave of criticism arose from ILLIT’s supporters, who argued that if LE SSERAFIM’s track was excluded, Magnetic should have been the rightful winner. Data comparisons circulated online, with netizens claiming that ILLIT’s scores were higher than Supernova in key metrics.
Source: KrB
