The 8th edition of the Asia Artist Awards 2023 held in the Philippine Arena last December 14, 2023 ended with a lot of unforgettable and remarkable moments that made history in the Philippines, especially since it is the first event of this kind to be staged here. From the stunning red carpet outfits from artists all over Asia to the announcement of winners and exhilarating performances all throughout the day β here are some of what we think are remarkable moments during the prestigious award ceremony.
Check out also the full list of winners: Asia Artist Awards 2023: Winners’ List
AAA Red Carpet host Ryan Bang skilfully switching between multiple languages along with his funny remarks
During the red carpet event, host Ryan Bang has used many languages during his introductions of the artists entering the red carpet venue. From Korean, to English, with a bit of Filipino remarks, and even Japanese! Fans surely were entertained as slew of posts mentioning his hilarious remarks have flooded social media after the event. Here are some of his highlights (though I’d actually recommend doing a quick search on X for more):
tawang tawa ako sa mga side comment ni ryan bang haup π pic.twitter.com/wUmOr9OApY
β wiz (@jhyngae) December 14, 2023
“Thank you, I’m a fan. hayy sobrang saya ko ~(i’m so happy)”
ryan bang is such a mood π pic.twitter.com/w7ZXCBNyUc
β π§ΈΒ° (@phamhanies) December 14, 2023
SB19 x &TEAM explosive opening performance
“That GENTO stage was surely legendary.”
Filipino pop group SB19 was the first act to grace the Asia Artist Awards 2023 stage, and sure they are worthy of being the opening performers in the front of their home crowd β add to that the special stage with the group &TEAM. Their song, “GENTO”, was a phenomenon not only in the Philippines, but worldwide β even K-pop idols themselves are vibing to it and are doing dance covers of their own! In fact, watching this live gave us goosebumps.
Crowd chanting Sejeong’s name during her award speech
“It’s almost a tear-jerking moment.”
Singer-actress Kim Sejeong was surprised during her award speech when the entire AAA crowd suddenly chanted her name out loud β proving she deserved that “AAA Popularity Award”.
THE CHEER βKIM SEJEONGβ ππ thank you PH Sesangs!! #AAA2023 #kimsejeong #κΉμΈμ pic.twitter.com/BIkG05KuM7
β μΆ₯μ€ (@choobs0828) December 14, 2023
Filipina Actress Melai Cantiveros-Francisco’s Interview with Wonyoung
“I feel like I am the first honor, a valedictorian β Melai”
At one moment during the award ceremony, Filipina actress and comedienne Melai Cantiveros-Francisco, who also won the Best Actor Award at the ceremony for her lead role in the movie “Ma’am Chief: Shakedown in Seoul”, was interviewed by one of the show’s hosts, Jang Wonyoung of K-pop girl group IVE. Being the comedienne she is, Melai surely did made everyone at the arena laugh with her true personality being shown on her responses to Wonyoung’s questions.
dogshow ni melai si wonyoung π pic.twitter.com/LqJ0QaFsfC
β pinoy tiktok videos (@pnoytiktok) December 14, 2023
When asked on whom she is looking forward to meet, she answered: Actor Kim Seon-ho, and K-pop girl group NewJeans, who reacted enthusiastically about their group being mentioned.
ph comedian actress melai said she wanted to meet newjeans and the girlsβ reactions are so cute jdjfjff pic.twitter.com/lSHPaXz4u4
β el saw newjeans π (@hannivocals) December 14, 2023
Melai’s hilarious speech on receiving her AAA Best Actor award
“If someone question why I have award, don’t worry, I question too.”
Melai once again delivered laughter to everyone when she delivered her speech filled with jokes on receiving the AAA Best Actor award. The crowd and even the artists was laughing and cheering her at the same time!
NewJeans & LE SSERAFIM’s debut in the Philippine stage clearly showed fans’ clamor for a Manila show
While every artist who performed was graciously greeted with loud cheers by Filipino fans, K-pop girl groups NewJeans and LE SSERAFIM, both who are undeniably popular in the country, was greeted with definitely louder cheers from the enthusiastic number of Bunnies and Fearnots at the arena who were waiting long enough for them to appear on stage for their debut performance in the Philippines.
Although NewJeans haven’t done a world tour yet, LE SSERAFIM unfortunately didn’t include Manila on their previous “FLAME RISES” tour. Here’s us hoping for both groups to have a Philippine stop on their upcoming tours!
SEVENTEEN BSS’s party-like closing performance
Incorporating an impromptu skit with some actors at the start of their performance, SEVENTEEN’s sub-unit group BSS (BooSeokSoon) ensured that everyone will go on a high note as they close the ceremony with their party-like stage. At one point, almost all artist have stood up and vibed to their song “Fighting” β and adding rapper Lee Youngji to the mix made it perfect.
The chair in the middle during the “group photo” on stage
During the end, all artists have been asked to go on stage to do the photo-op. On the livestream, seemingly confused audience have poked fun at the chair in the middle (which by the way, is for the photographer who’s going to take the shot), and says it’s actually very “pinoy” to see it there. Some even said it’s like the ever-popular “trip to Jerusalem” game, and the first to sit in will also get an award.
paunahan daw makaupo may award din πππππππππππππππππππππππ pic.twitter.com/IX5jevpwHC
β pami; (@hosh1maoy) December 14, 2023
The 2023 ASIA ARTIST AWARDS (AAA) is co-hosted by StarNews Korea, the Asia Artist Awards Organizing Committee, TONZ Entertainment, and Philippine concert promoter PULP Live World.
