The 18th Korean Music Awards announced their nominees from both mainstream and underground music this year. This is to unite the artists from different music genres.
Focusing on musical achievements over sales and giving more importance to albums and songs rather than the artists are the criteria in choosing the winners.
Here are the nominees for the 18th Korean Music Awards:
Album of the Year
Baek Yerin – “Every letter I sent you.”
BTS – “Map of the Soul: 7”
Jeongmilla – “CheongPa Sonata”
Jo Dongik – “Blue Pillow”
LEENALCHI – “SUGUNGGA”
Sunwoo JungA – “Serenade”
Song of the Year
Baek Yerin – “Square (2017)”
BTS – “Dynamite”
LEENALCHI – “Tiger is Coming”
Sunwoo JungA – “Run With Me”
Zico – “Any Song”
Artist of the Year
Baek Yerin
BTS
Jeongmilla
LEENALCHI
Sunwoo JungA
Rookie of the Year
DeVita
DUOXINI
Meaningful Stone
Seo Bo-Kyung
Squash Vines
Best Pop Album
Baek Yerin – “Every letter I sent you.”
BTS – “Map of the Soul: 7”
EXO’s Baekhyun – “Delight”
The BLANK Shop – “Tailor”
Yukika – “SOUL LADY”
Best Pop Song
Baek Yerin – “Square (2017)”
BTS – “Dynamite”
IU – “eight”
Oh My Girl – “Dolphin”
Yukika – “SOUL LADY”
Zico – “Any Song”
Best Rock Album
ABTB – “Daydream”
BADLAMB – “Frightful Waves”
JuliaDream – “Life and Death”
Organic Beer – “Trans-Continental Railway”
Squash Vines – “New World”
Best Rock Song
ABTB – “Daydream (feat. YoonChul Shin)”
BADLAMB – “Frightful Waves”
cotoba – “reyn”
H a lot – “We are”
JuliaDream – “El nuevo mundo”
Best Modern Rock Album
Gong Joong Geu Neul – “Love Song”
Hyukoh – “through love”
Jo Dongik – “Blue Pillow”
SE SO NEON – “Nonadaptation”
Shin Hae Gyeong – “In Dreams, In Dreams”
Best Modern Rock Song
Gong Joong Geu Neul – “Season”
Hyukoh – “New Born”
LEENALCHI – “Tiger is Coming”
Meaningful Stone – “Bweep Bwoop-Bweep Bwoop”
SE SO NEON – “NAN CHUN”
Shin Hae Gyeong – “Colors of You”
Best Metal and Hardcore Album
COMBATIVE POST – “Whiteout”
Loss of infection – “Dark dimension”
Messgram – “Cheers for The Failures”
METHKAMEL – “20th Century”
Remnants of The Fallen – “All The Wounded and Broken”
Best Dance and Electronic Album
Lofibaby – “Art Museum”
Mogwaa – “Open Mind”
swimrabbit – “POND”
Two Tone Shape – “Fantastic Machines”
UZA & SHANE – “Classy”
Best Dance and Electronic Song
Aseul – “Bye Bye Summer”
IDIOTAPE – “Too Old to Die Young”
Jang Myung Sun – “Remiel”
Mogwaa – “Reflex”
Two Tone Shape – “The Prophet”
Best Rap and Hip Hop Album
B-Free – “FREE THE BEAST”
BILL STAX – “DETOX”
Deepflow – “FOUNDER”
Khundi Panda – “GAROSAWK”
Nucksal – “1Q87”
Best Rap and Hip Hop Song
BILL STAX – “Lonely Stoner”
Khundi Panda – “Nevercomanie”
MUSHVENOM – “Nice Head”
Nucksal – “AKIRA”
Swervy – “Mama Lisa”
Best R&B and Soul Album
A.TRAIN – “PAINGREEN”
Cadejo – “FREEBODY”
Chudahye Chagis – “Underneath the Dangsan Tree Tonight”
Samuel Seo – “UNITY II”
Sunwoo JungA – “Serenade”
Best R&B and Soul Song
A.TRAIN – “HURT”
Chudahye Chagis – “Ritual Dance”
DAMYE – “I’m not your son”
DeVita – “EVITA!”
Sunwoo JungA – “Run With Me”
Best Folk Album
Bae Young Gyoung – “Travel Record”
Jeongmilla – “CheongPa Sonata”
Jo Donghee – “Sadness is the shadow of beauty”
Kim Jae Hyung – “Flex”
Kim Sawol – “Heaven”
Best Folk Song
Jeongmilla – “Departing from Seoul Station”
Jeongmilla – “The Square”
Kim Chang Wan – “Old Man’s Bench”
Kim Jae Hyung – “Failure Story”
Kim Sawol – “Key”
Best Jazz Album
Cho Yoonseung & Kim Sungwon – “Stellive Vol.5 – Blues in the Night”
Jung Sumin – “Sense of Agony”
MALO – “Song Changsik Song Book”
Seo Bo-Kyung – “INNER MOVIE”
Soojin Suh – “Colorist”
Sukyung Kim – “Lilac Hill”
Best Crossover Album
GaYoung Bae – “Sepia Painting”
Gonia – “A Tension”
Gray By Silver – “Eternal Gray”
Ji Park – “VRI String Quartet ‘Save The Planet’”
LEENALCHI – “SUGUNGGA”
Best Jazz and Crossover Performance
Charlie Jung – “Sein’s Blues”
Jehee – “On The Wind”
KoHeean Trio – “Live at Jazz First”
Soojin Suh – “Colorist”
Sunjae Lee & Eunyoung Kim & Dayeon Seok – “Pulse Theory”
Winner of Special Achievement Award: Deulgukhwa
The 18th Korean Music Awards will announce its winners on February 28 at 6 PM KST at Nodeulseom, Seoul and it will be live-streamed online. -HallyuLife.com
