You know that feeling when you're scrolling through Twitter—or X, whatever we're calling it today—and your entire feed is just screaming about "Bonsangs" and "Daesangs"? It’s chaotic. It’s loud. And usually, it’s centered around The Fact Music Awards.
Honestly, the K-pop award season is a marathon, not a sprint. But the TMA (that's the shorthand everyone uses) has carved out this weird, specific niche that makes it feel different from the MAMA Awards or the Golden Discs. It’s a bit more intimate, a lot more fan-driven, and let’s be real, the red carpet looks are usually top-tier because it happens right when the fashion season is heating up.
What Most People Get Wrong About The Fact Music Awards
There’s this common myth that these awards are just "participation trophies." I hear it every year. People say, "Oh, if you show up, you get an award."
That’s not exactly how it works.
The Fact Music Awards, which started back in 2019, actually uses a pretty rigorous data-set. They pull from the Circle Chart (which used to be Gaon), so they’re looking at real sales numbers and streaming data. But the "secret sauce" is the Fan N Star involvement. This is an app-based ecosystem where fans literally grind for weeks to vote their favorites into the top spots.
If you see an artist winning a "Fan N Star Choice Award," that wasn't decided by some suit in an office. That was decided by thousands of fans watching ads to get voting points at 3:00 AM. It’s pure, unadulterated stan power.
The Big Winners and Historical Shifts
For the longest time, the TMA was basically the "BTS Invitational." They won the Daesang—the Grand Prize—five years in a row from 2018 to 2022. It was a total lockout.
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Then things started shifting.
In 2023, SEVENTEEN broke the streak. And by the 2024 ceremony, which took place over two days at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, we saw something historic. aespa took home the Daesang, becoming the first-ever female artist to win the top prize at this specific show. They absolutely dominated that year with Supernova and Armageddon. It wasn't just a win for them; it felt like a shift in the entire K-pop landscape.
Fast forward to the most recent 2025 ceremony held in Macao. The vibes were completely different. The venue was the Macau Outdoor Performance Venue—the biggest of its kind there—and the energy was electric. Stray Kids ended up being the big story of the night. They walked away with the "Honor of the Year" and "Record of the Year" for their album KARMA.
How the Winners Are Actually Picked
It's a mix. A messy, complicated mix.
Basically, they break it down into three buckets:
- Objective Data: This is 60% of the score for many categories. They look at how many albums you sold and how many people streamed your song on platforms like Melon.
- The Judges: A panel of industry experts—think composers like Ryan Jhun or Park Geun-tae—decides who actually had the most "impact" artistically. This is about 40%.
- Fan Participation: For the "Popularity" and "Fan N Star" specific categories, the data and judges don't matter. It is 100% fan votes.
This is why you’ll sometimes see a smaller group win a massive award. Their fans are just more organized. It’s a digital war zone, and honestly, it’s kind of impressive to watch.
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The MC Duo You Can’t Escape
You can't talk about The Fact Music Awards without mentioning Jun Hyun-moo and Seohyun from Girls' Generation. They are the "mom and dad" of this ceremony. They’ve hosted almost every single one since the beginning.
Their chemistry is actually great because Jun Hyun-moo brings that chaotic variety show energy while Seohyun stays perfectly poised and professional. It’s a comfort thing for fans at this point. If they weren’t there, it wouldn't feel like the TMA.
Why 2025 in Macao Was a Turning Point
The move to Macao for the 2025 show was a big deal. Usually, these shows are in Seoul or Japan. Moving it to Macao showed that the organizers are really leaning into the "Global" part of K-pop.
We saw groups like IVE winning "Sound of the Year" and ENHYPEN taking "Icon of the Year." But the highlight was definitely the TMA Popularity Award. This is the one every fandom wants. Stray Kids snagged it, but the competition was razor-thin.
One of the coolest moments? Donnie Yen—yeah, the Ip Man legend himself—showed up as a presenter. It was one of those "only in K-pop" crossovers that makes no sense on paper but is absolutely legendary to watch on a livestream.
New Kids on the Block
The TMA is also where you look to see who the next big thing is. They have this category called "Next Leader."
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In 2024, it went to TWS and NCT WISH. By 2025, we were looking at groups like Hearts to Hearts and KIKI. If a group wins this award, you should probably start paying attention to them, because the TMA track record for picking future superstars is actually pretty solid. Just look at NewJeans—they were winning "Next Leader" trophies not that long ago, and now they're sweeping the main categories.
What You Should Do Before the Next Ceremony
If you’re a fan and you want your "faves" to win, you can’t just wait for the show to air. You’ve gotta be proactive.
First, download the Fan N Star app. It’s available globally. This is where the preliminary voting happens months in advance.
Second, keep an eye on the Circle Chart rankings. If your group is consistently in the top 10 for digital streaming and physical sales, they’re almost guaranteed a "Bonsang" (Artist of the Year).
Finally, don't sleep on the "Best Music" categories. These are seasonal—Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. They allow artists who might not have had a massive year overall to get recognized for that one viral hit that everyone was humming in July.
The Fact Music Awards might be younger than the Mnet Asian Music Awards, but they've got heart. They reward the hustle of the fans and the raw numbers of the artists. Whether you're there for the high-fashion red carpet or the "Daesang" drama, it’s a staple of the K-pop calendar that isn't going anywhere.
Keep your voting fingers ready. The next cycle starts sooner than you think.
To stay ahead of the game, make sure you're following the official TMA social media accounts and checking the Fan N Star app daily for voting missions. Most fans lose out simply because they start voting too late in the second round. If you want to see your bias on that stage in 2026, the work starts with the daily login points right now.