Held on June 21 at Inspire Arena in Jung-gu, Incheon, the ceremony was hosted by Miyeon ((G)I-DLE), Kang Seung-yoon (WINNER) and Soobin (TXT). The Seoul Music Awards, launched in 1990, is one of Korea’s longest-running music award shows.
This year’s event featured 19 performing teams, including BTOB, VVUP, SAY MY NAME, I-DLE, ILLIT, NCT Doyoung, NCT WISH, Young Tak, Wave to Earth, ZEROBASEONE, and more. A-list actors such as Kang You-seok, Kim Sung-cheol, Nam Gyu-ri, Park Ju-hyun, and Ong Seong-wu also attended as presenters.
Grand Prize Goes to I-DLE
Winning the Grand Prize, I-DLE expressed their gratitude, “We’re deeply thankful. It’s an honor to receive the same award our senior artists once held in such high regard. This motivates us to work even harder.”
They also thanked fans, “Your unwavering support brought us here. We’ll continue to repay your love with even better performances.”
2025 is especially meaningful for I-DLE, marking their 7th debut anniversary. The group recently dropped the prefix “(G)” from their name to begin a new chapter. Known for hits like “DUMDi DUMDi,” “TOMBOY,” “Nxde,” “Queencard,” “Super Lady,” and “Fate,” they proved their continued impact by ending the night with an encore of “Fate.”
TXT Sweeps Best Album and Song Awards
TXT won both Best Album and Best Song, showcasing their massive popularity.
“Thanks to our fans’ love, we received this award,” said the group after winning Best Album.
They added after Best Song, “We’re grateful to perform and dance because of your support. We’ll continue for a long time.”
ZEROBASEONE also received Best Album. The group stated, “We’re honored to receive such a meaningful award thanks to our fans. We’ll make sure our upcoming album lives up to the title.”
Both TXT and ZEROBASEONE also took home Main Prizes (Bonsang).
Young Tak Scores Four Awards Including OST and Trot
Young Tak took home four trophies: K-pop World Choice (Solo), Bonsang, Trot Award, and OST Award.
Speaking about winning for his “Unpredictable Life” OST from “For Eagle Brothers“, he shared, “My music journey started with an OST in 2005. It’s been 20 years now, so winning this for an OST is even more meaningful.”
Rising Stars and More Winners
Newcomers KiiiKiii, KickFlip, and Hearts2Hearts won Rookie of the Year, while RM received the R&B/Hip-hop Award, and Hwang Karam the Ballad Award.
Other notable winners include:
Wave to Earth – Band Award
SAY MY NAME – Discovery of the Year
CRAVITY and FIFTY FIFTY – Best Performance
ILLIT and NCT WISH – Best Group
Doyoung (NCT) – Best Solo
BTOB – K-pop Special Award
Lee Chan-won – Popularity Award
Jimin (BTS) – K-Wave Special Award
VVUP – Rising Star Award
The 34th Seoul Music Awards once again highlighted the dynamic and diverse talent in Korean music, with I-DLE’s Grand Prize serving as the emotional high point of the evening.
