At the 2023 MTV VMAs held on September 12, at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, several K-pop groups made their mark in the music industry by achieving multiple victories. The event saw Tomorrow X Together, Stray Kids, and Jungkook from BTS winning awards, marking another successful year for K-pop artists and groups. TXT was awarded the PUSH Performance of the Year for their song “Sugar Rush Ride” from their fifth mini-album “The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION”. The Best Song of the Summer went to Jungkook from BTS for his solo single, “Seven”, featuring the 22-year-old rapper Latto.
After the awards ceremony, the performances began, with TXT being the first to collaborate with Brazilian singer, Anitta, for their upcoming pre-release song “Back For More”. The song will be the main track for their upcoming album “The Name Chapter: FREEFALL”. This marked their debut stage at the shows and their first-ever mixed-genre performance. Stray Kids then performed “S-Class” from their 5-Star album, released this summer, with glitching graphics behind them placing the members in a laser-filled video game landscape. They were joined halfway through their set by a crew of additional dancers who added to the performance’s high energy and phenomenal choreography. Finally, BTS’ Jungkook won the Best Song of the Summer VMA for his first solo single, “Seven (feat. Latto)”.
These three wins not only highlight the artists’ achievements but also add to the list of K-pop groups that have earned MTV Video Music Awards. Over the years, only five K-pop groups have won VMAs, and most nominated artists have only received recognition with no awards. This year, three K-pop groups have finally won awards, proving that K-pop can be just as popular and successful as any other genre of music. Although the awards may not be distributed fairly among these groups, every year brings new opportunities for K-pop artists to expand their list of winners and prove they are VMA-worthy. Who knows what the 2024 VMAs hold? Maybe new rising K-pop groups will finally be able to showcase their talents or this year’s nominees will win an award.
