21st Korean Music Awards

The 21st Korean Music Awards was held in Seoul, South Korea on February 29, 2024. Hosted by the Korean Music Awards Selection Committee and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, the ceremony recognized the best music released in South Korea between December 1, 2022, and November 30, 2023.^[1]

21st Korean Music Awards
Date	February 29, 2024
Location	Seoul, South Korea
Highlights
Most awards	Silica Gel NewJeans (3)
Most nominations	Beenzino NewJeans Silica Gel (5)
Musician of the Year	Silica Gel
Album of the Year	Beenzino – Nowitzki
Song of the Year	NewJeans – "Ditto"
Website	koreanmusicawards.com
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Unlike other South Korean music awards, the Korean Music Awards are based on musical achievement rather than record sales. Winners are determined by the Korean Music Awards Selection Committee panel comprising music critics, radio show producers, academics, and other music industry professionals.

Nominations were announced on January 26, 2024. Girl group NewJeans, rapper Beenzino, and rock band Silica Gel received the most nominations with five.^[2] With three, NewJeans and Silica Gel won the most awards.^[3]

Winners and nominees

Main awards

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡). Nominees are listed in alphabetical order.^[4][5]

Album of the Year Beenzino – Nowitzki‡ Lee Jin-ah – Hearts of the City NewJeans – Get Up Silica Gel – Machine Boy Yeoyu and Solbin – Comedy	Song of the Year NewJeans – "Ditto"‡ Beenzino – "Travel Again" (featuring Cautious Clay) H1-Key – "Rose Blossom" Jungkook – "Seven" (feat Latto) Silica Gel – "Tik Tak Tok" (featuring So!YoON!)
Musician of the Year Silica Gel‡ Beenzino Carina Nebula Jungkook NewJeans Wave to Earth	Rookie of the Year Kiss of Life‡ Dongyi H1-Key Hanel Mihyang Moon NO.LINK
Best K-Pop Album NewJeans – Get Up‡ Billlie – The Billage of Perception: Chapter Three Jungkook – Golden Kiss of Life – Born to Be XX Tomorrow X Together – The Name Chapter: Freefall	Best K-Pop Song NewJeans – "Ditto"‡ Fifty Fifty – "Cupid" H1-Key – "Rose Blossom" Ive – "I Am" Jungkook – "Seven" (feat Latto)
Best Pop Album Lee Jin-ah – Hearts of the City‡ Cacophony – DIPUC Kim Se-jeong – Door Kim Su-young - Round and Round Parc Jae-jung – Alone Yoon Ji-young – In My Garden	Best Pop Song AKMU – "Love Lee"‡ Dean – "Die 4 You" Parc Jae-jung – "Let's Say Goodbye" Yoon Ji-young – "In My Garden" Yoon Seok-cheol & Sejin – "Cocktail Paradise"
Best Rock Album OVerdrive Philosophy – 64 see me‡ Bongjeingan – 12 Languages Ohchill – The Burning City Thornapple – Animal Touched – Yellow Supernova Remnant Zeonpasangsa – Second Quarter Results	Best Rock Song Seoul Electronic Band – Ghost Writers‡ Gate Flowers – "All In" Ohchill – "Something's Wrong" OVerdrive Philosophy – "Soju & Soul" Zeonpasangsa – "I'm Blues Man"
Best Modern Rock Album Silica Gel – Machine Boy‡ Dabda – Yonder Jungwoo – Cloud Cuckoo Land Parannoul – After the Magic Wave to Earth – 0.1 Flaws and All	Best Modern Rock Song Silica Gel – "Tik Tak Tok" (featuring So!YoON!) Cho Yong-pil – "Feeling of You" Dabda – "Flower Tail" Jungwoo – "Cloud Cuckoo Land" Verycoybunny – "Now or Never"
Best Electronic Album Yetsuby – My Star My Planet My Earth‡ Cifika – ION Hypnosis Therapy – Psilocybin No. Link – Move That Otot – 21st Century Electronic Duo	Best Electronic Song Cifika – "Hush"‡ Guinneissik – "Farewell Two Shell" Hypnosis Therapy – "JONGNO" Kirara – "Numbers" Mount XLR – "Acid Wasp"
Best Rap & Hip-Hop Album Beenzino – Nowitzki‡ Kid Milli – Beige Lonbonabeat! – Trapstar Lifestyle O'Domar – Propaganda X Skyminhyuk – Liberation	Best Rap & Hip-Hop Song E Sens – "What the Hell"‡ Beenzino – "Travel Again" (featuring Cautious Clay) Lobonabeat! – "Young Boy" (feat. Oygli) Kid Milli – "25" (feat. Yang Hong-won) Skyminhyuk – "14-23"
Best R&B & Soul Album Jerd – Bomm‡ BRWN – Yours Truly Crush – Wondergo Hoody – Sailing Youra – (1)	Best R&B & Soul Song Youra – "Motif"‡ Jerd – "Closed" (feat. Jjangyou) Soul Delivery – "Whiskey" (with Sole and Thama) Sumin – "Closet" (feat. Uhm Jung-hwa) Thama – "Bump It Up"
Best Folk Album Yeoyu and Solbin – Comedy‡ Heo Jeong-hyuk – Bud Days Hwang Pu-ha – Two Faces Jeong Mil-ah – Riverside Lee Hyung-ju – To Cherish Lee Min-hwi – Hometown to Come	Best Folk Song Yeoyu and Seolbin – "Like the Stars in the Night Sky"‡ Hwang Pu-ha – "Fire" Hwang Pu-ha – "Inept" Jeong Mil-ah – "Describe" Lee Min-hwi – "Hometown to Come"
Best Jazz Instrumental Album Soojung Lee – Four Seasons‡ Heo Daeuk – Will It Be Spring Tomorrow? Jung Su-min – Intrinsic Nature Lim Mi-jung – Flow Song Nam-hyun – The Verdant Hill	Best Jazz Vocal Album Kim Yu-jin – Extraordinary‡ Carina Nebula – Good Match Moon Mi-hyang – I Wished On the Moon Sunny Kim, Vardan Ovsepian & Ben Monder – Liminal Silence Vardan Ovsepian and Song Yi-jeon – Lawless Heart
Best Metal & Hardcore Album Mahatma – Reason for Silence‡ Doguul – If These Bodies Could Talk Hollow Jan – Confusion Noeazy – Behind the Mask	Best Global Contemporary Album Dongyi – a method for capsaicinoid analysis‡ Ensemble Sinawi – Cosmos Hanel – Vals del Sí Iseul Kim's Two Voices – Evolving

Special awards

• Lifetime Achievement Award – Kang Tae-hwan^[6]