Legendary music icon Stevie Wonder, internationally recognized music acts Ylvis of Norway and Icona Pop from Sweden, and Hollywood celebrity starlet Paris Hilton are all on the guest list for the upcoming fifth annual Mnet Asia Music Awards in Hong Kong on Friday.

One of the most anticipated awards ceremonies in Asia, MAMA attracts some of the top names in the K-pop and Korean entertainment industry; however, officials at CJ E&M have stated that it is continuing its attempts to turn the awards ceremony into a more internationally recognized event.

“As Stevie Wonder’s appearance this year demonstrates, 2013 MAMA is much more than a simple music awards show, but a true festival uniting Asia through music and culture, and promoting a message of hope throughout the world,” said Mnet production director Shin Hyung-kwan in a press release. 

The awards show recognizes the year’s most popular music acts and gives fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite nominated artists. Some of this year’s nominees include G-Dragon, Psy, Cho Yong-pil, Lee Seung-ki and Lee Seung-chul battling it out for male artist of the year. Meanwhile, Baek Ji-young, Sunmi of Wonder Girls, IU, Ailee and Lee Hyori are contending for the title of this year’s best female artist. 
  

Other nominees of the night include 2NE1, Girls’ Generation, Sistar, 4minute, f(x), EXO, SHINee, Shinhwa, Infinite, Lee Hi and Crayon Pop.

Since the worldwide online fan voting period opened on Oct. 24, more than 10 million people in 191 countries have cast votes for their favorite Korean artists, according to an Mnet official.

Chinese fans accounted for nearly half of the votes at 48 percent (approximately 4.5 million votes), followed by Korea at 13.5 percent, Taiwan at 6.8 percent, Malaysia at 5 percent and Thailand and the United States at 3.8 and 3.7 percent, respectively. 

“The number of participants in the online voting confirms the interest and anticipation of MAMA,” said Shin. “We hope to put on fun performances audiences around the world can enjoy.”

The 2013 Mnet Asia Music Awards will take place on Nov. 22 at the Hong Kong Asian Expo Arena and air in more than 93 countries across Asia, Europe, North America, Africa and Oceania.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)