The 2024 MAMA Awards, renowned as the world’s No. 1 K-pop awards show, will make a historic debut in the United States this year before continuing in Japan. CJ ENM, the leading entertainment company behind the event, announced that the ceremony will kick off at Hollywood’s iconic Dolby Theatre on November 21 before moving to Japan’s KYOCERA DOME OSAKA for two days from November 22 to 23.

The prestigious K-pop awards will kick off in Los Angeles and then continue in Japan this November

With a 25-year legacy, the MAMA Awards have consistently pushed the boundaries of K-pop’s global reach. This year’s event aims to further this mission by starting in Los Angeles and connecting K-pop fans across different continents. The awards have previously been hosted in Asian cities, including Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Japan. This showcases its commitment to celebrating K-pop on a global scale.

The MAMA Awards began in 1999 as Korea’s first music video awards ceremony under CJ ENM’s music channel Mnet. Over the years, it evolved into the Mnet Asian Music Awards or MAMA. Then, it rebranded itself in 2022 as the MAMA Awards, which aims to reflect its broader international ambition. The event is dedicated to honoring musical artistry and the power of music to unite people.

This year’s ceremony will center around the theme “BIG BLUR: What is Real?” This concept highlights the increasingly blurred boundaries between industries, cultures, music genres, and technology. The MAMA Awards will present a series of surreal yet real experiences. Global fans will witness a blend of art and technology to create visually stunning performances. Continuing its legacy, the event aims to serve as a bridge between global fans with the message “Music Makes ONE.”

Harry H.K. Shin, Head of Music Entertainment at CJ ENM, shared his excitement about the upcoming event, saying, “The 2024 edition of the MAMA AWARDS will feature a wide array of K-pop performances with visuals and sounds that will make you feel as if you’re in another reality beyond space and time. We hope that fans around the world will look forward to this festive awards ceremony, knowing that it will deliver an unmatched scale and iconic moments that only MAMA Awards can present.”

The 2024 MAMA Awards will be broadcast worldwide, including on various global digital platforms. Further details about the event will be released in the coming months.