KGMA 2025 Day 1: Jin Clinches Best MV as Jennie Lands in “Best Artist (Top 10)” Lineup

The 2025 Korea Grand Music Awards (KGMA) opened its two-day celebration with “ARTIST DAY” on November 14, 2025, lighting up INSPIRE Arena in Incheon with major wins, polished stages, and a crowd that never sat still. Hosted by Nam Ji Hyun and Irene, Day 1 focused on artists’ impact and presence across the year—balancing expert evaluations with commercial metrics and fan votes.

Headline moments: Jin and Jennie

• Jin — Best Music Video
  BTS’s Jin took home Best MV for “Don’t Say You Love Me,” a cinematic solo cut that paired clean storytelling with understated performance beats. The win underscores Jin’s steady post-service momentum and the enduring appetite for narrative-driven visuals in K-pop. 

• Jennie — Best Artist (Top 10)
  Jennie secured a coveted spot in the Best Artist (Top 10) roster, a category that recognizes the year’s most resonant acts. Coming off the success of her solo album cycle, the placement caps a year of strong chart runs and cultural presence.

Daesang highlights and big trophies

While Day 1 leaned into artist-centric accolades, it still delivered hardware with heft. ATEEZ picked up Grand Artist, BOYNEXTDOOR earned Grand Performer, and THE BOYZ shared Grand Honor’s Choice alongside ALLDAY PROJECT, reflecting the breadth of this year’s scene—from arena dominators to fast-rising performance units.

Key winners at a glance

• Grand Artist (Daesang): ATEEZ

• Grand Performer (Daesang): BOYNEXTDOOR

• Grand Honor’s Choice (Daesang): THE BOYZ, ALLDAY PROJECT

• Best Artist (Top 10): ATEEZ, BOYNEXTDOOR, CRAVITY, FIFTY FIFTY, Jennie, Lee Chan Won, RIIZE, THE BOYZ, Xdinary Heroes, xikers

• Best Music Video: Jin — “Don’t Say You Love Me”

• Best Hip Hop: j-hope — “Killin’ It Girl”

• Best OST: D.O. (EXO) — “Forever” (Resident Playbook)

• Best Band: Xdinary Heroes

• Best Stage: CRAVITY

• Best Producer: Teddy

• Trend of the Year (K-pop Group): NewJeans

• Trend of the Year (Trot): Lee Chan Won

• Overseas K-pop Artist: INI

• Best Memory: WOODZ

• Best Trot Performance: Park Seo Jin
  (Selections consolidated from multiple outlets for accuracy.) 

Performances you should replay

If you missed the live show, the organizers promptly rolled out official performance clips—an increasingly standard (and welcome) move that amplifies global reach. Highlights from the Day 1 stage dropped on November 15, keeping the buzz rolling through the weekend. 

Why these wins matter

• Visual storytelling is king: Jin’s MV win rewards thoughtful, narrative-first directing at a time when short-form edits often dominate discovery. It’s a signal that full-length, rewatchable videos still move culture (and juries). 

• Solo star power holds: Jennie’s Best Artist (Top 10) placement reinforces the viability of solo cycles within group legacies—particularly when the music and branding land cohesively over multiple quarters. 

• Performance economy thrives: The Daesang distribution—ATEEZ’s arena clout, BOYNEXTDOOR’s rapid ascent, and THE BOYZ’s stagecraft—maps cleanly onto touring demand and viral stage cuts across the year. 

The takeaway

Day 1 of KGMA 2025 balanced blockbuster names with performer-driven recognition, rewarding artists who built worlds—onstage and on screen. With Day 2 still to come, the early ledger already sketches a year defined by high-concept visuals, precision performance units, and solos that cut through the noise.

Sources: winner lists, venue/date details, and official performance uploads referenced from Soompi and other reputable outlets as cited above.