LIST: Here are some of the highlights of the 37th Golden Disc Awards
K-pop fans kicked off 2023 with wonderful performances and treats from their favorite idols at the recently concluded Golden Disc Awards.
Held at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, Jan. 7, the prestigious K-pop awards ceremony put the spotlight on renowned groups and solo artists in the industry and recognized those who stood out in the music scene in the past year. Some of them even belted out their hit songs onstage, including ENHYPEN, SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, G(I)-DLE, and PSY.
Here are some of the highlights of the hotly anticipated event.
Rookie groups
We particularly loved how the Golden Disc Awards gave our favorite rookie groups their time to shine.
Five-member girl group NewJeans was the first to say their thank yous after winning "Rookie Artist of the Year."
"It's really hard to put into words how grateful we are to be standing here on this stage today. But to be here and to be receiving such an incredible award, OMG guys, thank you so much," NewJeans member Hanni said.
LE SSERAFIM, who took home the same award, also had the opportunity to express their deep appreciation for their fans.
"It's such an honor to be able to kick off 2023 here in Thailand with the Golden Disc Awards. So thank you so much for having us and thank you so much to everybody who supported us for us to be able to be here today. There's nothing we love more than to be able to perform together so thank you so much for making it possible. We love you and we'll make 2023 another great year," LE SSERAFIM member Huh Yunjin said.
Upbeat group displays
With their energizing dance moves, fiery voices, and fearless presence onstage, various K-pop groups made this year's Golden Disc Awards ceremony a memorable one.
The first group to perform were the spicy women of NewJeans, and they unquestionably got our attention as they performed their smash hits Attention, Hype Boy, and OMG while dishing out smooth and exhilarating dance moves.
Eight-member boy group Stray Kids showed exactly why they deserved the "Best Album" award when they burst into life while singing their songs SUPER BOARD and CASE 143.
ENHYPEN, who also took home the award for "Best Album," amped things up as they belted out their hit songs ParadoXXX Invasion, Future Perfect (Pass the MIC), and SHOUT OUT in ensembles that absolutely caught our eye.
And of course, who can forget about the blazing performance of 13-member boy band SEVENTEEN? The iconic group set the stage on fire with their spectacular performance of their hit songs HOT, CHEERS, _WORLD, and DON QUIXOTE.
PSY, BTS, and IVE win major awards
Gangnam Style singer PSY bagged "Artist of the Year"—a major category at the prestigious show. He also earned "Best Digital Song" for his collaborative work That That, which he performed along with South Korean rapper Suga of BTS.
Speaking of BTS, the iconic boy group won the Inkisang (TikTok Most Popular Artist) category, with J-Hope receiving the award on behalf of the group. They also won" Album of the Year" for their anthology project Proof, which features the band's lovely singles through the years.
Another significant win went to six-member girl group IVE for their single "Love Dive," which was released back in April and is regarded as a modern dark pop and electropop song.
See the full list of winners here.