The 19th Korean Music Awards ceremony was held at Nodeul Live House, Nodeulseom, Seoul, on March 1, 2022, and was streamed online. It recognised the best music released in South Korea between December 2020 and November 2021. It was hosted by the Korean Music Awards Selection Committee and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency.
Criteria Unlike other South Korean music awards, the Korean Music Awards are based not on record sales but on musical achievement. The winners were determined by the Korean Music Awards Selection Committee, a panel composed of music critics, radio show producers, academics and other music industry professionals.
Winners and nominees The nominees for the 19th Korean Music Awards were announced on February 9, 2022. Folk singer Lang Lee was the most nominated artist with six nominations, followed by Aespa, IU and AKMU with four. BTS was nominated for the fifth consecutive year. For the first time, K-pop artists were nominated in independent categories, having previously been nominated in the pop and dance/electronic categories.
Main awards Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡). Nominees are listed in alphabetical order.
Lang Lee – There is a Wolf AKMU – Next Episode Chun Yong-sung – Drowned IU – Lilac Kim Hyun-chul – City Breeze & Love Song Aespa – "Next Level" AKMU – "Nakka" (with IU) BTS – "Butter" Lang Lee – "There is a Wolf" Lee Mu-jin – "Traffic Light" BTS IU Kim Hyun-chul Lang Lee The Volunteers Aespa Haepaary Lee Mu-jin Since STAYC Chungha – Querencia Aespa – Savage BoA – Better CL – Alpha Shinee – Atlantis Aespa – "Next Level" BTS – "Butter" STAYC – "ASAP" Tomorrow X Together – "0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You)" Weeekly – "After School" IU – Lilac AKMU – Next Episode eAeon – Fragile Jeong Cha-sik – Night Driving Kim Hyun-chul – City Breeze & Love Song AKMU – "Nakka" (with IU) IU – "Lilac" Lee Mu-jin – "Traffic Light" Lee Seung-hwan & Sunwoo Jung-a – "How Could You" Wendy – "When This Rain Stops" Soumbalgwang – Happiness, Flower Atom Music Heart – Exile of iZm Pakk – Chilgasal Trap – Trap Zeonpasa – Psyche of Eons Soumbalgwang – "Dance" Badlamb – "Noon Moment" Trap – "One Corner" Wabi King – "Rock & Roll Night" (featuring Shin Young) Zeonpasa – "Lie" Wings of the Isang – The Borderline Between Hope and Despair Bosudong Cooler – Sand Jannabi – The Land of Fantasy The Volunteers – The Volunteers Yang Chang-keun – Wave Silica Gel – "Desert Eagle" Leaves Black – "Farewell, My Books!" Meaningful Stone – "Dancing in the Rain" The Volunteers – "Let Me Go!" Wings of the Isang – "Twenty Years Old" Haepaary – Born By Gorgeousness Haihm – Owhere Joyul – Earwitness Leesuho – Monika Net Gala – Shinpa Haepaary – "Go to GPD and Then" Doildoshi – "Forest Illumination" Eobchae – "The Song of Hope" Kirara – "HRT" Moonsun – "Tom" Choi LB – Independent Music Changmo – Underground Rockstar Los – Skandalouz Mild Beats – Fragment Unofficialboyy & Haifhaif – Net, Trap, Launcher, Capture Changmo – "Taiji" Bill Stax – "420 Flow" (featuring Lobonabeat) Don Mills – "Daebak Life" (featuring Northfacegawd, Uneducated Kid) Los – "Blue Lemonade" (featuring Hwaji) Since – "Spring Rain" (featuring Rakon) Thama – Don't Die Colors Dvwn – It's Not Your Fault Jerd – A.M.P. Mind Combined – Circle Sogumm – Precious Sumin & Slom – Miniseries Sumin & Slom – "The Gonlan Song" Hiko – "Time Goes By" (featuring George) Lee Hi – "H.S.K.T." (featuring Wonstein) Thama – "Blessed" (featuring G.Soul) Youra – "Mimi" Lang Lee – There is a Wolf Chun Yong-sung – Drowned Jang Pill-soon – Petrichor Jeon Ho-kwon – Cosmos Lee Joo-young – Ballad Chun Yong-sung – "Barley Tea" (featuring Kang Mal-geum) Lang Lee – "There is a Wolf" Jang Pill-soon – "Petrichor" Lang Lee – "The Generation of Tribulation" Lee Joo-young – "It's Snowing" (featuring Earip) Jihye Lee Orchestra – Daring Mind Lee Jiyeun Jazz Orchestra – Blue Flower Nam Yoo-sun – Things We Lost & Found SB Circle – Pseudoscience Yongseok Lee – The New Old One Maria Kim – With Strings: Dream of You Bu-young Lee – Love, Like A Song Golden Swing Band – Golden Rules Kim Ju-hwan – My Funny Valentine: Kim Ju-hwan Sings Richard Rodgers Songbook Korea Jazz Guardians – We All Started in Jazz Club Agnes – Hegemony Shift Ambroxiak – Detritus of Elysian Creation Crux – Who Defines What's Divine Hammering – Libera Me Slant – 1st Album Spit On My Tomb – Necrosis
Special awards Achievement Award – Devils Selection Committee Special Award – Han Kyung-rok, Korea Jazz Guard
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