2022 MAMA Awards Is Coming ⁠— But Can It Top These 10 Iconic Moments?

The MAMA Awards (formerly known as the Mnet Asian Music Awards or MAMAs) is an annual award show that celebrates “outstanding achievements in the K-Pop and Asian music industry.”

The nominees for the upcoming 2022 MAMA Awards have already been announced, but as fans eagerly wait for this year’s stellar performances, here is a look back on some of the most iconic moments from previous MAMA Awards.

1. T.O.P (BIGBANG) and Lee Hyori’s Kiss (2008)

At the 2008 MAMAs, BIGBANG‘s T.O.P and Lee Hyori kissed on stage, sending the internet into a complete meltdown.

2. HyunA and Hyunseung’s Kiss (2011 & 2013)

“Trouble Maker” was already a stand-out song because of HyunA and Hyunseung‘s charisma and sexy performances, but the duo caused the crowd to actually scream at the 2011 MAMA Awardss when they shared a kiss during their performance.

They later repeated their iconic kiss at the 2013 MAMA Awards, once again shocking the audience.

3. Ylvis’s collaboration with Crayon Pop (2013)

Newer K-Pop fans might be surprised to learn that Ylvis, the singer of the viral “The Fox” song, performed at the 2013 MAMA Awards. Not only did Ylvis perform his own song, but he also did a surprise collaboration performance with Crayon Pop of their hit song “Bar Bar Bar.”

4. G-Dragon’s (BIGBANG) iconic diss (2014)

BIGBANG G-Dragon and Taeyang‘s collaborative stage for the 2014 MAMA Awards will always be iconic, but what stands out to netizens years later is G-Dragon’s iconic diss of the very awards show he performed at.

It’s been a while MAMA, seems like you’re giving out big awards, they’re giving out nicely so there won’t be a fight.

— G-Dragon

5. 2NE1’s reunion (2015)

At the 2015 MAMA Awards, 2NE1‘s CL gave a stunning solo performance of her hit singles “The Baddest Female” and “Hello B*tches.” At the time, 2NE1 had been inactive for a year, so everyone was stunned when the rest of 2NE1 appeared on stage beside CL to perform their legendary songs “Fire” and “I Am The Best.” This incredible, unexpected performance ended up being the group’s last before their disbandment in 2016, although 2NE1 recently reunited at Coachella to the delight of fans everywhere.

6. Everyone’s reactions to J.Y. Park’s performances (2015 & 2019)

When J.Y. Park performed at the 2015 MAMA Awards, fans couldn’t get enough of GOT7 and TWICE‘s responses to one particularly risqué bit of choreography.

J.Y. Park also went viral for his collaboration stage, “Don’t Leave Me,” in 2019 with MAMAMOO‘s Hwasa, which featured his infamous clear pants and GOT7 Jackson‘s unfiltered reaction.

7. The ultimate collaboration stage (2017)

The 2017 MAMA Awards were held in Japan, so Japanese girl group AKB48 collaborated with Chungha, Weki Meki, PRISTIN, Fromis_9, and Idol School Class to give an iconic performance of I.O.I‘s “Pick Me.”

8. RM’s (BTS) unfiltered response to Tiger JK (2018)

BTS have never held back from enthusiastically cheering on other artists at awards shows. One especially iconic instance was when RM became the ultimate fanboy of Tiger JK‘s 2018 MAMA Awards performance. He clearly hadn’t expected to be filmed, and BTS couldn’t stop laughing at his reaction.

9. Wonwoo’s (SEVENTEEN) unexpected snack (2019)

SEVENTEEN gave a stunningly cinematic intro to their 2019 MAMA Awards performance, but the most iconic moment was Wonwoo‘s commitment to his role, as the idol seemed to actually eat his prop flower.

10. 4th generation domination (2021)

There’s no denying that the 4th generation of K-Pop has incredibly charismatic and talented performers, and the 2021 MAMA Awards collaboration performance took fans’ breaths away. The dynamic, iconic opening performance was impressively done by Stray Kids‘ Hyunjin, TXT‘s Yeonjun, ITZY‘s Yeji, ENHYPEN‘s Heeseung, ATEEZ‘s Wooyoung, and aespa‘s Karina.

What new iconic moments do you think will come from the upcoming 2022 MAMA Awards?

Here Is A Look At All The Nominations For The 2022 MAMA Awards