Stray Kids, Enhypen, IVE, and aespa ......

Perfectly Presenting the Romance and Excitement of Outdoor Concerts… K-Pop's Power

Source: Reporter Park Heon-woo

[The Fact | Park Ji-yoon] The '2025 The Fact Music Awards', featuring a full lineup of top K-Pop artists of the year, lit up the Macao night with a dazzling display.

Hosted by The Fact and organized by Fan N Star and The Square ENM, the '2025 The Fact Music Awards (TMA)' took place on the 20th at the Macao Outdoor Performance Venue (澳門戶外表演區).

On this day, top artists who have garnered immense love from K-pop fans both domestically and internationally throughout the year, including NEXZ, MEOVV, Boynextdoor, Stray Kids, Ive, AHOF, aespa, NMIXX, NCT Wish, ENHYPEN, Zerobaseone, Close Your Eyes, KiiiKiii, TWS, and Hearts2Hearts (in alphabetical order), captivated the audience.

Source: Reporter Seo Ye-won

Stray Kids, who have achieved an irreplaceable record, including becoming the first album released this year to surpass 3 million copies in first-week sales, won Artist of the Year, Record of the Year, TMA Popularity Award, and Honor of the Year.

The members expressed their overwhelming emotions, saying, "This award is so huge, I'm not sure how to express my feelings. We'll take it as encouragement to work harder. We want to continue elevating the status of K-pop and conveying dreams and hopes." They continued, "We recently finished our album promotions, and we'll be preparing for our next promotions with flying colors. Thank you, STAY (our fandom name), for your continued support."

Stray Kids, who had previously teased their performance by saying, "We didn't know what you'd like, so we prepared everything," began with "Chk Chk Boom," followed by "TOPLINE," "Walkin On Water," and "CEREMONY." Their reliable live performances and exceptionally large-scale motorcycle performances captivated the audience.

Establishing a unique genre known only as "Soimat," aespa won Muse of the Year, the Special Jury Award, and Artist of the Year. aespa expressed their overwhelming gratitude, saying, "We're so grateful to MY (fandom name), who are our top priority, for being our muses. We will strive to become even cooler artists for our muses."

Source: Reporter Seo Ye-won

Ive, who made a comeback last month with their fourth mini-album "IVE SECRET," swept various music show wins, demonstrating their prowess and winning Sound of the Year and Artist of the Year.

Ive emphasized, "First of all, I'd like to thank 'The Fact Music Awards' for making us who we are. We will continue to be Ives who can bring you great music in the future." He added, "I think we were able to receive this award thanks to Dive ( fandom name). We ask for your continued support."

ENHYPEN received Icon of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Today's Choice, which is determined by the audience's votes. The members, who joyfully lifted their trophies, expressed their special love for their fans, saying, "Thank you for giving us this meaningful award, following two truly honorable awards. I also want to sincerely say a word to ENGENE (fandom name). We love you."

Source: Reporter Lim Young-moo

Zerobase One won World Best Performer and Artist of the Year, while Boynextdoor won World Best Wave and Artist of the Year, proving their exceptional presence this year.

The "Next Leader" award, given only to those who debuted in the same year, went to KiiiKiii, Hearts2Hearts, and All Day Project. KiiiKiii said, "We've received so much love since our debut. It's an honor to be invited to the '2025 The Fact Music Awards' and receive the Next Leader award." Hearts2Hearts expressed their excitement, saying, "We're truly grateful to receive this precious Next Leader award. We love you, S2U (fandom name)."

MEOVV, who has established a distinct team identity with powerful yet sophisticated music and performances, and NEXZ, who are expanding their presence as next-generation K-pop icons with trendy music and overwhelming performances, have embraced global hot trends.

Fifth-generation representative boy groups TWS and NCT Wish, who continued their relationship with the "The Fact Music Awards" last year, won Artist of the Year. AHOF and Close Your Eyes, who have enjoyed remarkable success since their debut, took home the Hottest Award..

NMIXX, who won Artist of the Year, raised expectations by announcing, "We will be making a comeback with a full-length album in October. This album was only possible thanks to NSWER (our fandom name), so please show us your love and support."

Source: Reporter Bae Jeong-han

Along with the impressive lineup of artists, the audience was further enthralled by the limited edition stage, exclusive to the "2025 The Fact Music Awards."

"Fifth-generation hot rookies" AHOF, Close Your Eyes, KiiiKiii, and Hearts2Hearts opened the awards ceremony with their own unique interpretations of BTS's "Dynamite," SEVENTEEN's "HOT," BLACKPINK's "DDU-DU DDU-DU," and Red Velvet's "Red Flavor." AHOF and Close Your Eyes also captivated audiences with their first-ever group collaboration.

Ive's LeeSeo and NMIXX's Gyujin showcased their sweet vocals on Taeyeon's "To. X," while ZeroBaseOne's Zhang Hao and Ricky delivered a legendary duet performance of "特别的人," a song about the true meaning of love.

Some artists debuted new songs that have been receiving enthusiastic responses both domestically and internationally. Stray Kids captured the attention of global fans with their first performances of "CEREMONY," the title track from their fourth full-length album, NCT Wish with "COLOR," the title track from their third mini-album, and Zerobase One with their first full-length album's title track "ICONIK" and the b-side "Lovesick Game."

Source: Reporter Seo Ye-won

Jun Hyun-moo and Seohyun, who have become not only the faces of "The Fact Music Awards" but also its very symbol, once again delivered dependable hosting performances. Having teamed up for seven times since 2018, in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, and now this year, the duo's irreplaceable chemistry and witty banter solidified the awards show. Yoo Jae-pil also served as the red carpet MC, further heightening the anticipation for the event.

World-renowned action star and director Donnie Yen also dazzled the audience with his award presentation at the 2025 The Fact Music Awards. Expanding his activities from the Greater China region to Hollywood, he remains active to this day, demonstrating his powerful presence as a symbolic figure blurring the barriers between Eastern and Western pop culture.

The Fact Music Awards, which debuted in 2018 and captivated the audience at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan last year, moved to Macao, an international city where Eastern and Western cultures blend and the present and future coexist, to meet global K-pop fans.

The Macao Outdoor Performance Venue is the largest outdoor venue in Macao, capable of accommodating over 50,000 attendees. It is a grand new landmark in Macao. This marks the first time a South Korean-hosted awards ceremony has been held there, and this year's The Fact Music Awards presented the romance and charm of an outdoor performance, a stark departure from previous indoor ceremonies.