2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards takes place at Hong Kong AWE on Dec. 2 (Fri)

The 1st lineup for 2016 MAMA is unveiled!
EXO and BTS are coming to Hong Kong!
Ticket sales for 2016 MAMA begin Nov. 2 (Wed)

Music Makes One - Asia’s No. 1 music ceremony
2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards will be held at Hong Kong AWE on Dec. 2 (Fri)

2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), Asia’s No. 1 music ceremony which unites the world through music, will feature EXO and BTS as a part of their lineup. As the event will take place in the Asia World-Expo Arena in Hong Kong on December 2 (Fri), the first lineup announcement is stirring up great expectations.

One of the most popular global boy groups, EXO, has gained huge success with the double title tracks “Monster” and “Lucky One” in the third regular album “EX`ACT” that was released last June. The group captivated local and foreign fans’ hearts as it won the triple million-seller crown with its repackaged album “Lotto” that was released last August, which is included among the three consecutive albums with sales over 1 million copies. Moreover, EXO swept into the No. 1 spot with “Monster” on M Countdown for three weeks in a row, triggering wild popularity. Needless to say, the boy group has strengthened its presence as an iconic K-Pop idol now that it has successfully held concerts in five cities in North America and multiple cities throughout Asian countries.

While BTS’ second full album “Wings” having entered the Billboard 200 chart, the group is now the first K-Pop act to have three albums on the Billboard 200, the other two being "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2" released last December and "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever" from this May. Despite no active promotions in America, “Wings” ranked at #26 on the chart with the highest record for Korean artists and scored No. 1 on the iTunes chart in 97 countries. Now, the boy group is continuously breaking records, receiving great attention in the process.

On October 28 (Fri), the online voting for 2016 MAMA began and it exceeded 3.6 million votes in just two days. Given that votes from American and South East Asian fans are on the rise, the music ceremony is drawing the world’s attention as a global event. While fan interest is skyrocketing over 2016 MAMA, ticket sales for 2016 MAMA kicked off at 11 AM on November 2, Wednesday (10 AM in Hong Kong) on hkticketing.com.

Exclusive tickets for red carpet performances are also available from November 16 (Wed). In addition, Creators’ Forum, a professional music conference, will be held for the first time this year, and those tickets will be sold on Interpark’s website upon first registering on MAMA’s official website from November 2 (Wed). At the forum, leading professionals in the global music industry can connect and share their vision and know-how of the industry, through discussions on the present and future of the Asian music market. Moreover, the forum will give professional category awards to individuals who have contributed to the development of the music industry, in order to form a healthy ecosystem in the field.

MAMA, a prominent Asian music awards ceremony, was created by the leading content company CJ E&M and will be held for the 8th year this December. The ceremony began in 1999 under the name Mnet Music Video Awards, and was hosted in Korea for 10 years coinciding with the steady growth of the country’s burgeoning music industry. In 2009, the festival was renamed as the Mnet Asian Music Awards, and in 2010, it went global, first in Macau, followed by 2011 MAMA in Singapore. From 2012 to 2015, MAMA was held in Hong Kong, becoming one of the largest global music festivals as well as a place for global communication and expansion of Asian pop music, more than merely being known as a year-end awards ceremony.

2016 MAMA, being held at AWE in Hong Kong on Dec. 2 (Fri), will showcase this evolution, connecting artists and creators as well as music fans from all around the world under the new concept of ‘Connection’. The main stage for the awards ceremony and artists’ performances will transform into a new space connecting technology with emotion and virtual with reality. MAMA’s special performances will prove to be yet another grand finale for the end of the year.

* Judging Criteria of 2016 MAMA
Eligible nominees: songs or albums released from Oct. 31 2015 – Oct. 27 2016
Judging System: domestic and foreign expert judges, album sales, combined digital chart rankings (song sales) and preference research through research organizations
Online voting
Location: '2016 MAMA' official website (2016mama.com) PC and mobile / 1 time per person per day
Period: 7 PM, Oct. 28 (Fri), 2016 – 12 AM, Dec. 1 (Thu), 2016