global numbers doesn’t define a song of the year when everyone in your domestic country knows your song word for word and has been streaming it consistently for almost a year now
[#2026MAMA] BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE GROUP Nominee | 베스트 보컬 퍼포먼스 그룹 후보
#MAMAMOO#마마무
MOVE THE STARS,
A MUSIC INTERSTELLAR
2026 MAMA AWARDS
2026.11.20-21 (KST)
KYOCERA DOME OSAKA & Mnet Plus
#MAMAAWARDS#2026MAMAAWARDS
I will forever stand by the fact that 2nd gen through the beginning of 3rd gen was PEAK K-pop. The variety shows were absolutely UNHINGED. Idols were out here playing games, embarrassing themselves, exposing their personalities, and getting into the most ridiculous situations. Boy groups and Girl groups actually INTERACTED and hung out without every little thing turning into a dating scandal or a full-blown fanwar. We had idols getting fake married and living together!
You could actually get a sense of who these idols were outside of performing because they were allowed to just EXIST and have fun.And the MUSIC??? TOP TIER. The concepts, the choreography, the bridges, the VOCALSSSSS, the production, the ALBUMS. The number of songs from that era that are STILL being played, covered, sampled, and referenced today speaks for itself.
There was so much personality, spontaneity, and genuine entertainment beyond the music itself. I'm not saying everything was perfect back then, because it absolutely wasn't. There was definitely some problematic shit going down then too. But there was a certain magic to that era that I don't think can be replicated.