On November 29, the 2025 MAMA Awards – Day 2 – were held at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong. During this event, G-Dragon was announced as the winner of the “Artist of the Year” award. However, his live performance during the ceremony sparked major controversy.
Many netizens criticized the results of the show, and some even accused the organizers of bribery after G-Dragon won three major awards: “Artist of the Year” (Daesang), “Best Male Solo Artist,” and “Best Male Solo Dance Performance” for the song “Too Bad” (with Anderson .Paak), considering these results “undeserved.”
In particular, many Korean netizens believe that Rosé or aespa were more deserving of the “Artist of the Year (Daesang)” award. Meanwhile, international fans expressed their frustration over j-hope losing the “Best Male Solo Dance Performance” award despite the success of his song MONALISA, and others pointed out that Jin or j-hope were more deserving of the “Best Male Solo Artist” award thanks to their achievements and strong performances throughout the year.
The criticism intensified after G-Dragon’s performance at the 2025 MAMA, which was described as disastrous. He performed three songs: “Drama,” “Heartbreaker” (from his first album in 2009, a rare stage), and “Untitled, 2014” (from 2017). During the performance, there were clear issues with sound quality, as his voice sounded weak and barely audible, leading many to question whether he truly deserved these honors.
- “ㅠㅠ Can he start practicing singing now?”
- “His results were so bad, why give him a public service award?”
- “The people who are angry don’t even seem to be aespa fans… this is weird…”
- “He released songs this year? I didn’t even know.”
- “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah, this award is so funny.”
- “Honestly, Rosé should have won all the Daesangs.”
- “After seeing the live performance, I’m shocked he received it. ㅋㅋㅋ”
- “I laughed at the comment calling him ‘the most talked-about figure’ at this hour~ Which GD is that… ah ㅜ maybe he’s the person who’s ‘notable in their hearts’—or in the judges’ hearts.”
- “He deserves it, but the live performance…”
- “Why not give the award to aespa? ㅋㅋㅋ I bet Zhao Yun Fat was shocked.”
- “Looking at the streaming results, ‘Whiplash’ only outdid ‘Home Sweet Home.’”
- “Judging from today’s stage… he should stick to calling himself an ‘artist,’ not a ‘singer.’”
- “What’s with the people saying GD’s songs weren’t successful or that they didn’t even know he released one?”
- “What’s going on… when has MAMA ever not changed the judging system?”
