G-Dragon, center, performs during Melon Music Awards ceremony at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Kakao Entertainment
G-Dragon, the leader of the K-pop group BIGBANG, emerged as the biggest winner at the 17th Melon Music Awards (MMA 2025), Saturday, sweeping seven awards with his third solo album “Übermensch.”
Held at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome, the ceremony, hosted by Kakao Entertainment’s music streaming platform Melon, celebrated the year’s top musical achievements based on streaming data and fan involvement.
The 37-year-old artist clinched three of the Saturday night ceremony’s four grand prizes including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year with the song “Home Sweet Home.”
In addition to the grand prizes, he secured four other trophies, including Top 10 Artist, Millions Top 10 Album, Best Solo and Best Songwriter.
G-Dragon speaks during his acceptance speech during Melon Music Awards ceremony at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Kakao Entertainment
“Every year is special, but the year of 2025 will be remembered as a particularly meaningful year for me,” G-Dragon said during his acceptance speech. “The title ‘Übermensch’ was like a personal mantra for me while creating this album. I want to thank all my fans, VIP, who are my source of inspiration.”
Record of the Year, the other grand prize, was awarded to Jennie of BLACKPINK for her first solo studio album “Ruby.” Her title track “like JENNIE” has garnered consistent popularity on the Melon charts, remaining in the Top 100 since its release in March.
Jennie performs during Melon Music Awards ceremony at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Kakao Entertainment
Rising stars, diverse genres
The highly competitive New Artist of the Year awards were shared by co-ed group AllDay Project and the girl band Hearts2Hearts.
Before releasing its debut song “Famous” in June, AllDay Project made headlines because Annie, one of its members, is a daughter of the nation’s department store giant Shinsegae’s chairperson Chung Yoo-kyung. The group’s song “Famous” also gained attention by reaching the top of the Melon’s Top 100 chart in just three days.
Rose of BLACKPINK was named Best Solo, while IVE and BOYNEXTDOOR took home the Best Group awards in the female and male categories, respectively. The Best OST (Original Soundtrack) award went to Huntrix for “Golden,” a hit song from Netflix’s animated feature “KPop Demon Hunters,” and British artist Ed Sheeran was recognized in the Best Pop Artist category.
Hanroro performs during Melon Music Awards ceremony at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Kakao Entertainment
The ceremony also showcased musical diversity through the Track Zero Choice award, which went to indie artist Hanroro. The 25-year-old demonstrated significant power this year with her third EP “Jamong Salgu Club” (Grapefruit Apricot Club).
The award ceremony drew a crowd of around 18,000 spectators and global audiences through lives streaming.
“MMA 2025 was designed to showcase the achievements of artists to the world while providing the best experience for our loyal users,” said Joseph Chang, co-CEO of Kakao Entertainment. “Melon will keep its place as a leading K-pop festival by truly valuing the music and its fans.”