Exclusive, new stages highlight of 2024 MAMA

This year's Mnet Asian Music Awards presented new and exclusive performances while exploring the tastes of K-pop fans worldwide Thursday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and at Osaka's Kyocera Dome on Friday and Saturday.

The Korean music awards ceremony, broadcast live in around 200 countries, held part of its three-day event in the US for the first time, attracting an audience of around 93,000.

2024 MAMA was held under the theme of "Big Blur," which the festival host said was inspired by boundaries -- such as tastes, culture and regions -- becoming increasingly ambiguous and convergent.

The event included unique collaborations, such as that of multiple Grammy Award winner Anderson Paak and K-pop producer and singer Park Jin-young, who marked his 30th debut anniversary this year.

Paak played the drums for Park’s performance of “Easy Lover” at the Dolby Theatre, during which the two artists tossed rhythms back and forth with Park playing the keyboard.

Over at the Kyocera Dome, Blackpink's Rose and Bruno Mars hit the stage in vintage baggy black suits performing their hit track “APT.” live for the first time on Friday.

Their vocals and simple, easy-to-follow choreography harmonized magically during this special performance, with a live band adding to the already bright atmosphere.

G-Dragon, the icon, made his first solo comeback to the MAMA stage in seven years at the Kyocera Dome on Saturday, surprising fans with a reunion of Big Bang with members Taeyang and Daesung.

Together they performed “Home Sweet Home,” which is G-Dragon’s latest single featuring Taeyang and Daesung, as well as Big Bang’s “Bang Bang Bang” and “Fantastic Baby.”

The biggest winner at 2024 MAMA on Saturday was Seventeen, nabbing two grand prizes — Artist of the Year and Album of the Year.

Seventeen also took home the Best Male Group, Super Stage and Fan’s Choice Male Top 10 awards.

"I don't know why my heart feels so overwhelmed every time our team receives an award. I can proudly say that, for over 10 years of making music, I have never once neglected the study of music. We will repay you with good music until the end. We will never change, and the 13 of us will stay strong together,” Woozi of Seventeen shared his remarks shedding tears of joy.

Seventeen took to the stage for the event's finale, performing “Maestro,” “Ash” and “Love, Money, Fame (feat. DJ Khaled),” using augmented reality, earning praise for showcasing their true mastery of music.

Aespa also nabbed a grand prize, Song of the Year, and five awards: Best Female Group, Best Girl Group Performance, Best Choreography, Best Music Video and Fan’s Choice.

“We honestly never imagined this. We are so grateful and honored that 'Supernova' has received so much love. We will continue to work hard and do our best so that we can continue presenting good music. Thank you to all the fans. Thank you for your support. We exist because of you. We will continue to work hard in the future,” said Karina of aespa.

MAMA considers songs and artists that have had the biggest impact on the K-pop scene, as determined by a panel of global music specialists, global metrics such as album and single performance, and fan votes verified by Samil PwC for transparency.