As 2022 comes to a close, every K-pop fan’s favourite time of year has finally rolled around – awards season. The Melon Music Awards, held annually by Kakao Entertainment through its online music store Melon, mark one of the industry’s biggest red carpet events of the year. This year, stars returned to the event in full force after years of pandemic restrictions, making it one of the biggest ceremonies in recent memory.
To almost no one’s surprise, superstars BTS walked away with some of the biggest awards of the night, including Record of the Year and Best Male Group, despite not even being in attendance. Newcomers like NewJeans and LE SSERAFIM also won big, while longtime artists Lim Young-woong and IU swept many of the solo categories. In case you didn’t get to catch this year’s ceremony, BAZAAR has you covered with a full list of winners below.