By Shim Sun-ah
AKMU’s Lee Chan-hyuk dominated the evening at the recent awards ceremony, taking home the coveted Song of the Year and Best Pop Song awards for “Endangered Love,” along with Best Pop Album for “Eros.” The event was broadcast live on Melon, a popular music streaming platform, and YouTube.
“Eros,” Lee’s first solo album in over two and a half years since his 2022 debut “Error,” has garnered critical acclaim for its exploration of themes of mortality and the emotional impact of loss.
While not initially the album’s focus track, “Endangered Love” experienced a surge in popularity on domestic music charts following a memorable performance by Lee at the Blue Dragon Film Awards in November.
Jennie from BLACKPINK also celebrated a successful night, winning Best K-pop Album for her solo project “Ruby” and Best K-pop Song for its title track, “like Jennie.”
The Rookie of the Year award was presented to singer-songwriter Woo Hui-jun, while the Album of the Year honor went to Chudahye Chagis for their genre-bending album “Sosuminjok.” Chudahye Chagis is described as a “psychedelic shamanic funk band” fronted by Chu Da-hye, a “sorikkun” (Korean traditional vocalist) whose vocal style embodies the spirit of traditional Korean music.
Singer-songwriter Hanroro was recognized as Artist of the Year.
Other artists who secured multiple awards included Chudahye Chagis, Woo Hui-jun, Kwon Tree, rapper Sik-K, and producer Lil Moshpit.
