MMA2026: From Lee Young-ae and Lee Seung-chul to aespa, IVE and KORTIS ... “A Convergence of Stars”

[Financial News] This year’s Melon Music Awards (MMA2026) will be held over two days for the first time, with the lineup expanding to 26 acts. Last year’s event centered on high-profile stars such as G-Dragon, Jennie and EXO; this year, the standout is a festival-style lineup featuring a broad mix of acts, from aespa, IVE and NCT groups to rookies.

On the 23rd, Melon announced 37 presenters for MMA2026, which will be held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on November 14–15. People from a range of fields, including acting, music and broadcasting, will present awards.
On the first day, the 14th, 17 people will take the stage, including Kang Hoon, Kang So-ra, Kwon Sung-jun, Kim Shin-young, Kim Tae-young, Roh Yoon-seo, Ryeoun, Shin Ye-eun, Oh Na-ra, Yoo Seung-ho, Yoon Eun-hye, Lee Do-hyun, Lee Si-woo, Lee Yeon, Lee Young-ae, Jang Keun-suk and Han Ye-ri.
On the 15th, 20 people will serve as presenters, including Gamst, Kwak Beom, Kim Shin-rok, Kim Jae-young, Roh Jeong-eui, Moon Sang-min, Byun Yo-han, Ahn Jae-hyun, Won Gyu-bin, Lee Se-young, Lee Jun, Lee Seung-chul, Lee Joo-bin, Lee Chang-ho, Lee Hyun-yi, Jang Doyoun, Jonathan, Choi Daniel, Tiffany Young and Hong Jong-hyun. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Lee Seung-chul’s debut.

A total of 26 acts will perform. On November 14, “DAY1” will feature 14 acts, including I.O.I, aespa, Dragon Pony, IDID, A.N, TUIDE and HANA, joining the previously announced NCT Dream, Ateez, Yena, RIIZE, TWS, RESCENE and Hearts2Hearts.
On November 15, “DAY2” will feature 12 acts, including IVE, KiiiKiii, KORTIS and hrtz.wav, as well as NCT 127, PLAVE, 82MAJOR, NCT WISH, ILLIT, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Long Shot and AND2BLE.
NCT Dream, marking its 10th anniversary since debut, has consistently ranked near the top of the “Global-K Chart,” which combines usage figures from Melon, Tencent Music in China and Line Music in Japan. The group is set to release a new album in the fourth quarter of this year.
Ateez, which drew attention with its “Let’s All Die” challenge, set a new personal record with “BAD,” the title track of its 14th mini album released last June. The song entered Melon TOP100 at No. 81 and climbed to No. 7 last September. The album recorded first-week sales of 1.88 million copies, while 223,000 copies sold in the U.S. in its first week, taking it to the top of Billboard’s main albums chart, the Billboard 200.
TWS continued its growth with two comebacks this year. Its fifth mini album, “NO TRAGEDY,” sold more than 1.11 million copies in its first week, making it the group’s first million-seller.
PLAVE showed strength on digital music charts with its mini album “Caligo Pt.2,” released last April. Its title track, “Born Savage,” ranked No. 2 on Melon TOP100 and No. 1 on HOT100, and all five other tracks on the album also entered TOP100.
RIIZE, marking its third anniversary since debut, scored its fourth million-seller with the mini album “II,” released last June. Every track on the album, including the title track “Do Your Dance,” entered Melon TOP100, and the group also topped the Global-K Chart.
NCT WISH ranked No. 1 on Melon HOT100 and No. 3 on TOP100 with its first full-length album, “Ode to Love,” released last April. First-week sales exceeded 1,825,000 copies.
ALPHA DRIVE ONE released its debut mini album, “EUPHORIA,” last January. Its title track, “FREAK ALARM,” topped Melon HOT100 and surpassed 1 million streams just 14 hours and 20 minutes after release, earning a place on the “Millions Album” list.

Voting on “TOP10,” which selects the 10 most-loved artists of the year, is underway on Melon through the 29th. An invitation event is also being held for VIP and MVIP members who have used Melon for at least three years. Every participant will receive 1,000 Melon Cash, and 150 people will be selected by lottery to receive one invitation ticket each.
Melon’s MMA page also features a “Cheer Board,” where fans in Korea and abroad can leave messages for the performing artists.
MMA2026 will be held at 6 p.m. on November 14–15 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter