BTS Takes Six Trophies as IVE Sheds Tears and CORTIS Wins First Grand Prize at MMA 2026

BTS led the 2026 Melon Music Awards (MMA 2026) with six trophies, while IVE celebrated a tearful Song of the Year win and CORTIS claimed its first grand prize.

The second night of the 18th Melon Music Awards took place at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 15, bringing the two-day ceremony to a close.

BTS claimed Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, becoming the ceremony's biggest winner with six trophies, including two grand prizes. Its other wins included Best Male Group, Global TOP10, TOP10 and Stage of the Year.

Unable to attend due to its ongoing "ARIRANG" world tour, BTS shared a prerecorded acceptance speech, thanking ARMY for making 2026 a memorable year.

The members reflected on returning with "ARIRANG" after three years and nine months and expressed gratitude for being able to reunite with fans and perform again.

IVE took home Song of the Year for "BANG BANG," with several members breaking into tears as they accepted the award.

"I really didn't expect this, so I'm overwhelmed," Wonyoung said. "Thank you for choosing our song among so many incredible nominees. Without our fans, we wouldn't be where we are today."

Recalling IVE's previous Song of the Year win with "LOVE DIVE" in 2022, Gaeul said the award brought back memories of the group's journey.

"I think we're crying because we're remembering everything we've been through to get here," she said.

Yujin also reflected on the group's approaching fifth debut anniversary and its early success at MMA, saying she had come to appreciate those achievements more with each passing year.

IVE collected five awards in total, including Best Female Group, Best Music Video, TOP10 and Global TOP10.

CORTIS earned Record of the Year at its first MMA appearance, completing a three-award haul that also included TOP10 and Global TOP10.

"Every time we make music, we hope it will do well, and I think our fans made that dream come true," the group said.

They also thanked their parents for supporting their dreams and expressed appreciation to the staff at BIGHIT MUSIC, admitting they had not expected to receive such a major award.

Rookie of the Year went to LNGSHOT and ALPHA DRIVE ONE.

ALPHA DRIVE ONE described the award as an honor they did not take for granted and promised to continue growing into artists their fans could be proud of.

LNGSHOT's Ohyul recalled wishing for a Rookie of the Year award on his birthday. The group also mentioned advice from Jay Park, who had told them that sincerity would eventually reach people, saying the moment felt like proof of his words.

NCT WISH and ILLIT each collected four awards. NCT WISH won TOP10, Global TOP10, Global Impact Artist and Japan Favorite Artist by U-NEXT, while ILLIT received Best Female Performance, Global Impact Artist, TOP10 and Global TOP10.

During ILLIT's acceptance speech, Minju sent a message to absent member Moka, saying, "Moka, let's perform together again soon."

KiiiKiii secured three trophies, winning Best Female Performance, Best Music Style and TOP10. Other winners included AKMU's Lee Chanhyuk for Best Songwriter, AND2BLE for Global Rising Artist, hrtz.wav for 1theK Icon and SUMIN for Track Zero Choice.

The ceremony also featured performances from 12 artists, with several stages drawing attention for their elaborate production and interaction with other performers.

ILLIT performed "You're Under Arrest" before bringing a playful twist to the stage with "It's Me." During the latter, the members moved into the artist seating area and invited other performers to join the choreography. Members of CORTIS and 82MAJOR were among those who stood up and danced along.

CORTIS performed "MONEYMONEYMONEY," "REDRED" and "YOUNGCREATORCREW," moving toward the audience to interact with fans. 82MAJOR highlighted its hip-hop identity with a six-member cypher performance.

IVE presented "BANG BANG," "Looks Can Kill" and "Dear Cupid," with a large dance crew joining the group for "BANG BANG."

NCT 127 closed the ceremony with "Cherry Bomb," "Kick It," "Piñata" and "Blingy." Marking its 10th debut anniversary, the group mixed some of its best-known hits with newer releases.

NCT WISH opened with a dreamy, butterfly-themed sequence before performing "Ode to Love," the Korean version of "Boy Meets Girl," "We Own This Street" and "I SPY."

PLAVE incorporated space-themed visuals into its performance, while KiiiKiii brought a house-party atmosphere to the stage. hrtz.wav focused on live band arrangements, with AND2BLE, LNGSHOT and ALPHA DRIVE ONE also performing.

MMA 2026 was organized by Kakao Entertainment, with KakaoBank serving as the title sponsor.

MMA 2026 Day 2 Major Winners

Artist of the Year: BTS

Song of the Year: IVE, "BANG BANG"

Record of the Year: CORTIS

Rookie of the Year: LNGSHOT, ALPHA DRIVE ONE

TOP10: NCT WISH, IVE, PLAVE, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, AKMU, BTS, ILLIT, I.O.I, Hearts2Hearts

Global TOP10: IVE, CORTIS, ILLIT, NCT WISH, aespa, G-Dragon, RESCENE, RIIZE, BTS, Hearts2Hearts

Global Rising Artist: AND2BLE

Best Group: BTS, IVE

Best Music Video: IVE, "BANG BANG"

Best Female Performance: KiiiKiii, ILLIT

Best Music Style: KiiiKiii

Track Zero Choice: SUMIN

Japan Favorite Artist by U-NEXT: NCT WISH

Global Impact Artist: ILLIT, NCT WISH

1theK Icon: hrtz.wav

Best Songwriter: Lee Chanhyuk