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MAMA 2021: Venue and date of 2021 ceremony announced for Mnet Asian Music Awards

The award show has received a release date but it is still unclear if the event will be held online or in-person

The Mnet Asian Music Awards (famously knows as MAMA) is one of the biggest South Korean music award ceremonies that is presented annually by Mnet. Since it started in 1999, the show has been running for the past 22 years. By the mid-2000s, the awards ceremony got very popular and attracted some international interest due to the spread of Hallyu.

The ceremony first aired outside South Korea, 2008 onwards when MAMA aired in China and Japan, and then the show traveled to international countries like Macau, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan also while being broadcast worldwide for fans to watch. In the year 2020, MAMA was held online and took place in South Korea due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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MAMA 2021 in South Korea

In July of 2021, it was reported by Ilgan Sports that the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards was undergoing discussion for the event to be held in Hong Kong despite the ongoing pandemic and travel restriction. It has now been announced that the K-pop music awards ceremony MAMA will be held in South Korea in December.

The entertainment company, CJ ENM that produces the ceremony announced on September 8 that the 2021 MAMA will be held at CJ ENM Content Studio in Seoul, South Korea, on December 11, 2921. The head of the content studio, Kim Hyun-soo said, “Due to the Covid pandemic, the music industry, as well as society as a whole, are in a stagnant atmosphere. I hope that K-pop will serve as an opportunity to give hope and courage to those who are weary.”

It is reported that going forward, MAMA will comprehensively consider the current pandemic situation and government guidelines. They said they will only come up with a decision whether to conduct face-to-face events after the health and safety of fans, artists, and staff is the top priority.

MAMA awards over the years

MAMA 2020 saw performances from groups like Ateez, BTS, GOT7, Mamamoo, Seventeen, NCT, Stray Kids, and many more. The event also saw rookie groups perform like Enhypen, aespa, and Treasure. The show was hosted by Vicenzo star, Song Joongki among other hosts.

MAMA, which also started as Mnet's 'Video Music Awards in 1999 and has continued to evolve along with the growth of the Korean music industry. MAMA was the first K-pop awards ceremony held in Macau in 2010, the first K-pop awards ceremony held simultaneously in three Asian regions in 2017, and the first K-pop awards ceremony held in a dome venue in 2019.