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As K-pop continues its meteoric rise on the global stage, the industry’s biggest award show sets a new milestone with its first-ever U.S. date for its 25th anniversary.
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This week, on Nov. 21, 2024, the MAMA Awards will be held at Hollywood’s iconic Dolby Theater, marking the first time the event has crossed over to the States since its introduction in 1999. Widely regarded as one of the premiere K-pop events of the year, the MAMAs have spent the last 25 years growing from a music video awards ceremony in a Seoul theater to a multi-day, international affair across Asia. This year, the 2024 MAMA Awards will kick off with one night in Los Angeles before jumping to two days at the massive Kyocera Dome stadium in Osaka, Japan.
“Taking a first step is challenging, but at the same time, it’s meaningful,” MAMA’s chief producer Yoon Shin Hye shares with Billboard. “We strive to present various stages with an unmatched scale and provide unique experiences to global fans.”
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This year’s theme, “Big Blur: What is Real?,” encapsulates MAMA’s commitment to pushing boundaries and exploring ways to reshape and rethink the music industry. Meanwhile, legendary K-pop producer and music executive J.Y. Park will link with Anderson. Paak for a meeting of the musical minds, as HYBE and Universal Music’s LA-based girl group KATSEYE will team up with another local troupe in the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders.
In this exclusive preview of this year’s show MAMA’s chief producer Yoon Shin Hye, delves into the vision and execution behind this year’s event. From overcoming the logistical challenges of hosting in two countries to crafting unique collabs that embody the MAMA spirit, the CJ ENM executive offers an inside look at the dedication and innovation driving the award show to evolve at its 25th anniversary.
Congratulations on what’s sure to be the biggest MAMA Awards. While I know having a ceremony in the U.S. was spoken about in the past, what happened to make it officially occur this year?
Yoon Shin Hye: Looking back on our 25-year MAMA heritage, MAMA has been held across Asia including Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Japan and evolved to become the world’s No. 1 K-Pop awards, which started as the “Mnet Asian Music Awards.” Over the course of our 25-year journey, MAMA Awards has realized the value of “MUSIC MAKES ONE” with the growth of K-pop, and has established our own unmatched system and know-hows through facing and overcoming countless challenges. This has paved the way to host MAMA Awards in the U.S.
How long did it take to confirm MAMA in LA?
Every year as we hold KCON LA, I could feel the strong passion of fans in the U.S. and thought 2024 would be the right time to take a first step in the U.S. with the growth of K-pop. In the planning phase, we came up with the concept of “BIG BLUR,” as it’s about blurred boundaries between time and space, online and offline, imaginary and reality, language and culture, I thought it would be fun to run the MAMA Awards in relays from U.S. to Japan, and this perfectly fits to this year’s story.
How did the Los Angeles lineup come together?
As MAMA Awards is taking a significant first step in the U.S., we thought it would be meaningful to have rookies. So, we made a lineup for the first MAMA Awards in the U.S. with rookie artists. Plus, we have J.Y. Park, who marks the 30th anniversary of his debut, and RIIZE, who have special memories in the U.S. The group debuted in LA, and this year marks the first year of their debut and they are set to show something about their debut stories at MAMA Awards.
What went into the collaborations between J.Y. Park and Anderson .Paak, and KATSEYES with the LA Rams Cheerleaders? Take us through the process.
We wanted to show and present collaborations that have never been seen anywhere else only at MAMA Awards, and what only MAMA can make it happen. This year marks the 30th anniversary of J.Y. Park’s debut — he’s a renowned K-pop producer and K-pop artist — and Anderson .Paak is a Grammy Award winner. Anderson .Paak also has a strong interest in K-pop and recently directed a film about K-pop titled K-Pops! and, as it happens, the two artists are of the same Miryang Park clan [a Korean clan originating from the southeastern city of Miryang in South Korea].
On top of that, we have another special collaboration between the global girl group KATSEYE and the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders. We brought ideas about what we can only do in LA, what can be seen only at MAMA and to present performances with a diverse group of artists and become one through music at MAMA.
Actor Park Bo Gum will be the host for the U.S. date. How are you and he preparing?
Park Bo Gum has been with MAMA as a host since 2017 and he hosts the show with sincerity and delivers what MAMA wants to tell about its value and story. We’re confident that we can deliver our message and story well with our host, Park Bo Gum, at the MAMA Awards US. Park is also looking forward to hosting.
What challenges have you faced or do you anticipate facing to successfully hold the MAMA Awards in LA for the first time?
MAMA tries a new thing every year. We strive to present various stages with an unmatched scale and provide unique experiences to global fans. This year, the MAMA Awards will take place in the U.S. and Japan in relays and be broadcast live around the world. This reflects our commitment to bringing people together around the world. This year’s concept especially means opening and creating a new world of MAMA that transcends dimensions of time and space. We decided to host MAMA Awards in two different regions, starting in LA on the 21st and then moving over to Osaka for two days. Taking a first step is challenging, but at the same time, it’s meaningful. Given the time difference and distance, it wasn’t easy to arrange a meeting to prepare and discuss, but the whole process was meaningful and fun to work toward the same goal with artists and staff to create a great show.
The Dolby Theater in Hollywood is a very different venue than the Kyocera Dome. How do you create a seamless experience between a theater and a stadium?
LA Dolby Theatre is a symbolic place to many and home of the Oscars, where the Academy Awards is held every year; it’s like the heart of Hollywood. For the past few years, MAMA Awards has been held at a dome-style venue, and Dolby Theatre has its own mood as a venue and different characteristics. We are going to show something different from our previous MAMA stages and artists will take the stage in a different way at the distinctive venue.
With Los Angeles opening the MAMA Awards this year, can you share the ways you’ll establish the “Big Blur: What is Real?” theme? It’s very interesting but somewhat abstract.
MAMA has always wondered what kind of a new thing will be created when new technology meets art, and has visualized and created stages with that idea. MAMA’s concepts have been comprehensive ones, reflecting trends and environmental changes like the world shifting from analog to digital age, and globally being connected online in this digital era. At this year’s MAMA, we wanted to talk about chaos caused by rapid technological change in our time, which is happening faster than ever and how technological advancement and convergence across industries are affecting the music industry. We also reflected our willingness to create MAMA’s own “NEW THING” that crosses boundaries between imaginary and reality, time and space and online and offline. And we wanted to ask a question of “What is Real?” and make people think about what kind of music they really like.
Historically, MAMA has been a place for new TV projects or teasers to be announced, like Produce 48 or Boys Planet. Are there any surprises for audiences this time?
As we have been taking an uncharted path, MAMA will be full of ever-evolving performances. We are working hard to meet high expectations. MAMA is one “big live show,” and will have many surprising moments. Although watching performances in clips is becoming more common these days, I’m sure it will be much more fun to watch it live.
Madonna is thinking of readjusting how she presents her much-awaited upcoming biopic.
The Queen of Pop took to Instagram on Monday (Nov. 18) to share a series of recent selfies and photos, reflecting in the caption on the difficulties she’s been facing in telling the story of her life. “After struggling for days in LA , listening to producers and agents Tell me why I couldn’t make my film —I(been working on it for 4 years!!!),” she began. “Downsize-down scale -think smaller-they say—I realized that everything in my life is going to be challenged.”
Madonna continued that the experience as well as hanging out with “creative friends” has allowed her to “think outside the box,” noting, “I did not have a normal life. I cannot make this in the normal way.”
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She continued, “We cannot shrink and make ourselves smaller. If you want something badly enough in life— the whole universe will conspire to [help] you get it.”
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Ultimately, the “Material Girl” singer asked fans for their input, asking if she should make the “story of my life into a series or a feature film,” with much of the comment section agreeing that she should, in fact, make a multiple-part show. See her post here.
The film, initially announced in 2020, was set to delve into the life and career of the beloved musician, and Inventing Anna actress Julia Garner was rumored to have been offered the role of portraying the pop superstar. However, in 2023, the biopic was reportedly put on hold at Universal Pictures for Madonna to focus on her global Celebration Tour.
In July 2024, the biopic seemed to be back in the works. She took to Instagram to share a slideshow of photos in which she’s seen posing with a typewriter, writing a screenplay titled Who’s That Girl, in reference to her 1987 film and song of the same name. While the script is blurred, there are circles and notes indicating edits.
Ooh, bet you’re thinking, she’s so cool about Gracie Abrams, who just scored her first-ever top 10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with her runaway hit “That’s So True.”
As revealed Monday (Nov. 18), the 25-year-old singer-songwriter’s The Secret of Us deluxe track has reached a new peak at No. 6, a full seven spots up from its previous apex at No. 13 the week prior. Released Oct. 18 alongside three other bonus songs from her June sophomore LP, the jealousy-riddled post-breakup anthem first entered the chart at No. 44 on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 2.
Shortly after news of her top 10 debut went live, Abrams shared her gratitude on Instagram Stories. “First top ten on the Hot 100,” she wrote, typing out about 28 sobbing emojis and 18 red hearts. “THANK YOU FOR LISTENING”
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The Los Angeles native also showed her disbelief with a keyboard smash — “Agdgdhebfnsnchsjhfehdnmsydywgeyyeys” — and reposted cowriter Audrey Hobert’s reaction, “WHAT ON GODS GREEN.” “No like,” Abrams agreed.
In addition to No. 6 on the Hot 100, “That’s So True” also reaches No. 4 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart. Since it dropped, the track has blown past Abrams’ other Hot 100 high points with The Secret of Us‘ “Risk” and “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” which reached Nos. 94 and 19, respectively.
Before “That’s So True,” the pop songwriter’s biggest hit on the Hot 100 was “Us.,” a duet written and recorded with Taylor Swift for The Secret of Us. Bowing at No. 36 in July, the ballad recently nabbed Abrams her second-ever Grammy nomination (for best pop duo/group performance) and has become a staple of her setlists on The Secret of Us Tour and as an opener on the Eras Tour.
“This album has meant so much to me because it has supported me through a period of transitions,” Abrams told Billboard over the summer. “I’ve learned about how I like to spend my time, about what works for me or doesn’t in relationships, about how having friends is ultimately the priority for me. I don’t need to know who I want to wake up next to every day, but I know that I want to be there for every chapter of my friends’ lives.”
“I’m learning every five seconds,” she added at the time. “We’ll have to find out what it all turns into, but that’s me today.”
Gracie Abrams tops Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart for the first time, as “That’s So True” rules the Nov. 23-dated list. “That’s So True” lifts 4-1 in its fourth week on the chart (following its Oct. 18 release) with 23.5 million official U.S. streams earned in the week ending Nov. 14, a gain of 25%, according […]
Singing an Ariana Grande song with the pop star herself? Imagine a world like that.
Except one lucky fan doesn’t have to — he lived it in real life. In a recent moment captured in a video posted to Grande’s Instagram Story, the “Yes, And?” singer overheard a nearby driver listening to her Thank U, Next fan-favorite “Imagine” on full volume. She then had her car pull up parallel to the fan’s vehicle and rolled down her window to say hi.
“What’s your name? Edwin, nice to meet you!” Grande said after singing along to her own whistle notes for a moment. “I was like, ‘How is this real? Is that me?’ This made my day!”
Edwin — whose filmed POV has also been circulating on social media — replied breathlessly, “Oh my god, I adore you. I can’t believe … I’m this close to you!”
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Afterward, the Grammy winner shared a video taken by someone who was in the car with her and wrote that she’d “made a friend.” “i couldn’t believe my ears !!!!!!” she added. “it was blasting. thank you edwin for making my day. im still crying.”
It’s been a long time since fans got to hear Grande sing even a little bit of “Imagine,” which peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019. She hasn’t toured since December of that year, when she concluded her global Sweeter trek in support of albums Sweetener and Thank U, Next — both of which topped the Billboard 200.
The Wicked star has since released two more LPs: 2020’s Positions and 2024’s Eternal Sunshine. Though she’s teased that a smaller run of performances may be in the works for the latter project, Grande has also leveled with fans recently about wanting to focus more on acting and musical theater and less on pop star activities going forward.
“I’m always going to make music, I’m always going to go on stage, I’m always going to do pop stuff, I pinky promise,” she said on the Nov. 6 episode of Las Culturistas. “But I don’t think doing it at the rate I’ve been doing it for the past 10 years is where I see the next 10 years … Whatever makes sense, or whatever roles we see fit, or where I could really do a good job or honor the material, I would really love to [act more]. I think it’s a lot better for me.”
Watch Grande and Edwin’s spontaneous meet-and-greet below.
K-pop boy band Stray Kids announced 20 new stadium dates across Latin America, North America and Europe on Monday (Nov. 18) that will take the group to new territories on their world tour.
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The show will be the Stray Kids’ first full stadium run of gigs, following on the heels of their second world tour, 2022-2023’s MANIAC OUTING. The Live Nation-promoted tour will kick off in Chile at the Estadio Bicentenario La Florida on March 28, before moving on to stops in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil, as well as Lima, Peru and Mexico City before shifting to North America.
That run will launch on May 24 in Seattle, WA at T-Mobile Park before hitting stadiums in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Arlington, TX, Atlanta, Orlando, New York, Washington D.C. and Chicago, and winding down in Toronto at Rogers Stadium on June 29. The tour will then hop over to Europe for gigs in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid and a final show slated for July 26 at Stade de France in Paris. The U.S. run will feature the eight-man group making their debuts at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium and Citi Field in New York.
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Presale and onsale date information is available here; North American fans can register for first access to tickets in the artist presale now here, with a general onsale slated for Friday (Nov. 22) at 3 p.m. local time.
The Stray Kids will finish out 2024 with dates in the Philippines, Japan, Bangkok and Jakarta.
Check out the Stray Kids’ 2025 North American dates below.
March 28 — Santiago, CL @ Estadio Bicentenario La Florida
April 1 — Rio de Janeiro, BR @ Estádio Nilton Santos
April 5 — São Paulo, BR @ Estádio MorumBIS
April 9 — Lima, PE @ Estadio San Marcos
April 12 — Mexico City, MX @ Estadio GNP Seguros
May 24 — Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park
May 28 — San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park
May 31 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
June 6 — Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Field
June 10 — Atlanta, GA @ Truist Park
June 14 — Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium
June 18 — New York City, NY @ Citi Field
June 23 — Washington, DC @ Nationals Park
June 26 — Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
June 29 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Stadium
July 11 — Amsterdam, NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena
July 15 — Frankfurt, DE @ Deutsche Bank Park
July 18 — London, UK @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
July 22 — Madrid, SP @ Riyadh Air Metropolitano
July 26 — Paris, FR @ Stade de France
ROSÉ of BLACKPINK is gearing up to release her first-ever solo album Dec. 6, but before she takes the leap, the 27-year-old K-pop star says she got a little advice from one of the most successful pop soloists to ever do it: Taylor Swift.
Just a couple weeks ahead of the arrival of Rosie — ROSÉ’s 12-track debut LP independent from her famous girl group — the performer opened up about the bond she forged with the 34-year-old “Anti-Hero” singer while at a New York City hangout in a cover story interview with I-D published Monday (Nov. 18). “I told her I’m such a huge fan, and I just had some questions,” she recalled of introducing herself to Swift. “As soon as she met me, she’s like, ‘Spill, let me help you out.’”
The “APT.” singer added that Swift “was so ready to help me” and even passed along her number as the two conversed during the gathering, which was hosted by producer Jack Antonoff at Electric Lady Studios. “Who does that? Like, you’re Taylor Swift!” ROSÉ gushed in retrospect.
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“I’m really grateful for her, because I was at a moment where I was drowning a little,” the K-pop star added. “She is literally the coolest, and she’s such a girl’s girl. She was telling me – ‘make sure to take care of this, this and this’ – like, logistics. She was trying to protect me. Me becoming solo, being independent, it’s not an easy thing. There are a lot of things I should be careful with, and she gave me a rundown on all the things I have to look out for. That was the coolest part – she’s killed it in the game, and she was kind enough to walk me through.”
The interview isn’t the first time ROSÉ has expressed her admiration for the 14-time Grammy winner, whose Eras Tour show she caught in Tokyo in February. Afterward, the girl group member shared a five-minute video of herself singing along to Swift’s performance of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” and wrote on TikTok, “Best 10 minutes in tokyo.”
More than a year prior to that, Swift proved that she’s a BLINK by using BLACKPINK’s “Pink Venom” in a TikTok video while on her way to the 2022 VMAs, where the “Karma” artist would later announce her 10th studio album, Midnights. That night, the show’s cameras also captured Swift dancing along to the same track as it played over the speakers.
See ROSÉ’s I-D cover and photos from the shoot below.
There were plenty of highlights and unique moments at Tyler, the Creator‘s 10th Camp Flog Gnaw festival at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles over the weekend. But one of the biggest surprises occurred during Matt Champion’s set when BLACKPINK’s Jennie popped out to join him for a run through their collaboration, “Slow Motion.” Explore See […]
Sir Rod Stewart has another run of North American shows in the works. The “Maggie May” singer announced the dates for his One Last Time 2025 tour on Monday morning (Nov. 18), which will make its U.S. debut in Austin, TX on March 7.
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After rolling the tour out across Europe and Asia earlier this year, the 79-year-old pop icon will play 20 amphitheaters and arenas in the spring and summer as part of an encore North American run of the tour, which will feature opening act Cheap Trick. The outing will bring Stewart to Lake Tahoe, NV, as well as Philadelphia, Toronto, Charlotte, NC, Birmingham, AL and Nashville before winding down on August 15 with a gig at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis, MO.
A release announcing the tour promises an “unprecedented evening of iconic hits” including such fan favorites as “You Wear It Well,” “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy,” “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” “Every Picture Tells a Story,” “Young Turks,” “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” and “Forever Young,” among others.
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Rod Stewart Fan Club members will have access to a presale beginning on Tuesday (Nov. 19) at 10 a.m. local time here. A series of additional presales will take place throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning on Friday (Nov. 22) at 10 a.m. local time. Citi cardmembers will also have access to a presale beginning on Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m. local time through Thursday (Nov. 21) at 10 p.m.; information is available here.
Stewart released his 33rd studio album, Swing Fever, last year, which he promoted with dates in Asia and Europe, as well as the final shows in his 13-year Las Vegas residency, Rod Stewart: The Hits. The singer will be back at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace from March-June 2025 for “The Encore Shows” run, which will mix Stewart’s biggest hits, with surprises from the Great American Songbook, swing tunes and deep cuts.
Check out the dates for Stewart’s 2025 North American summer tour below:
March 7 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center ATX
June 14 — Lake Tahoe, NV @ Outdoor Arena at Harveys*^
June 15 — Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amp*^
July 8 — Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park
July 11 — Gilford, NH @ BankNH Pavilion
July 12 — Philadelphia, PA @ TD Pavilion at the Mann
July 15 — Saratoga Springs NY @ Broadview Stage at SPAC
July 19 — Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
July 22 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
July 25 — Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena^
July 26 — Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
July 29 — Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
August 1 — Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
August 2 — Birmingham, AL @ Coca-Cola Amphitheater
August 5 — Brandon, MS @ Brandon Amphitheater
August 8 — Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
August 9 — Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
August 12 — Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
August 14 — Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
August 15 — St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
*Not A Live Nation Date | ^Cheap Trick not on these dates
The first trailer for the upcoming Beatles 64 documentary chronicling the band’s arrival on U.S. shores six decades ago captures the hysteria that greeted John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all those years ago.
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The nearly two-and-a-half-minute clip opens with black and white footage of the band doing bits on a train ride before cutting to footage of McCartney wailing on a cover of Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally.” The film directed by David Tedeschi (Personality Crisis: One Night Only) and produced by Martin Scorsese will premiere on Disney+ on Nov. 29.
The doc folds in footage shot by famed documentarians Albert and David Maysles (Gimme Shelter), as well as new interviews with living members McCartney and Starr, as well as with Smokey Robinson, Motown founder Berry Gordy and the late Ronnie Spector. “We’re in America! America!,” Starr says enthusiastically to Scorsese at one point in describing the Beatles’ exuberance about making their trip across the Atlantic. Cue archival footage of Ringo raving about arriving in New York only to be told he’s actually in Washington, D.C.
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“It was like being in the eye of the hurricane. It was happening to us and it was hard to see,” Lennon says in voiceover in the film that includes footage of the band’s first American concert. The trip included, of course, the Fab Four’s historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 9, where more than 73 million people tuned in to what would be the big bang of Beatlemania in the U.S.
A synopsis of the film reads: “On February 7, 1964, The Beatles arrived in New York City to unprecedented excitement and hysteria. From the instant they landed at Kennedy Airport, met by thousands of fans, Beatlemania swept New York and the entire country. Their thrilling debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show captivated more than 73 million viewers, the most watched television event of its time. Beatles ’64 presents the spectacle, but also tells a more intimate behind the scenes story, capturing the camaraderie of John, Paul, George, and Ringo as they experienced unimaginable fame.”
Director Tedeschi told Rolling Stone that the doc features more than 17 minutes of never-seen-before footage — mostly from the Maysles — with the music produced by Giles Martin. He said the movie covers the three week period the Beatles were in America, from their arrival in New York, where they stay four four or five days, before moving on to Washington and then Miami. The Washington show at D.C. Coliseum was the Beatles’ first-ever arena concert, with Tedeschi promising that the Martin-restored sound on the D.C. gig has made it sound “better than it ever has.”
“There’s footage from the Maysleses all the way through, but there’s other stuff. We had a great researcher who found a lot of local Miami footage from local archives — a lot of footage was buried, and he really had to go digging in order to find it. So that’s exciting,” the director said of the cleaned-up tape that was remastered by Peter Jackson’s WingNut Studios, which did the same for Jackson’s Get Back Beatles series.
In a fresh interview, McCartney notes that the Beatles’ visit came shortly after President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated, speculating that “maybe American needed something like the Beatles to be lifted out of sorrow.”
Watch the Beatles 64 trailer below