The 2025 Music Awards Japan is set to take place at the Rohm Theater in Kyoto on May 21-22, highlighting outstanding musical achievements across more than 60 categories. This prestigious event is organized by CEIPA and will award major titles including Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best Artist. The voting process will consist of two rounds; the first from March 13 to 31, and the second from April 17 to 30, where industry professionals will ultimately determine the winners.
Engagement is encouraged for fans, who can cast their votes for select categories through platforms like Spotify and USEN. Free Spotify users have one vote per day while premium users enjoy three votes daily, although it’s important to note that Spotify voting is not accessible for users with accounts registered in Japan.
Winners will be announced during the awards ceremony in May, with the final results based on a combination of streaming data, artistic merit, and evaluations from the music industry. The event will receive extensive coverage; it will be broadcast live on NHK on May 22 and a global livestream will be available on YouTube in select regions.
This year, K-pop continues to assert its presence in global music, with members from BTS receiving multiple nominations for both their individual work and collaborative projects. Other top nominees include renowned groups like SEVENTEEN, NewJeans, TWICE, and aespa, showcasing K-pop’s rapid ascent on the international stage.
K-pop Nominees at the 2025 Music Awards Japan
Oshikatsu Request Artist of the Year:
The Oshikatsu Request Artist of the Year award at the 2025 Music Awards Japan is exclusively fan-centric, supported by USEN Corporation. Fans can participate in selecting their favorite artists through the USEN voting platform. The voting timeline for this category is as follows:
- March 13 – April 13, 2025: Fans vote to identify the top 10 nominated artists from an initial pool of 50.
- April 17, 2025: Announcement of the 10 nominated artists.
- May 21–22, 2025: Award presentation to the artist with the highest fan requests during the ceremony in Kyoto.
K-pop artists nominated for this category include:
- BTS’ V
- BTS’ Jin
- BTS’ Jimin
- TXT
- &TEAM
- Stray Kids
- PLAVE
2025 Music Awards Japan – Song of the Year:
- MAESTRO – SEVENTEEN
- Armageddon – aespa
- HOME SWEET HOME (feat. Taeyang & Daesung) – G-DRAGON (BIGBANG)
- How Sweet – NewJeans
- Ditto – NewJeans
- ONE SPARK – TWICE
- SHEESH – BABYMONSTER
- Magnetic – ILLIT
- OMG – NewJeans
- Shohikigen – SEVENTEEN
- EASY – LE SSERAFIM
- Hot Mess – aespa
- STRATEGY – TWICE
- I GOT YOU – TWICE
- Bubble Gum – NewJeans
- 五月雨 (Samidare) – &TEAM
- WISH – NCT WISH
- APT. – BLACKPINK’s Rosé & Bruno Mars
- Toxic till the End – Rosé
- CRAZY – LE SSERAFIM
- Supernova– aespa
- Cherish (My Love)– ILLIT
- Whiplash– aespa
- Birthday – ATEEZ
- ひとつの誓い (We’ll Never Change)– TXT
- Who– BTS’ Jimin
- 青嵐 (Aoarashi)– &TEAM
- ABCD– TWICE’s Nayeon
- Smart –LE SSERAFIM
- Hush-Hush– ATEEZ & Be:First
- KING KONG– TREASURE
- Seven (ft. Latto)– BTS’ Jungkook
- Lucky– RIIZE
- NOT OKAY— ATEEZ
- Running Wild– BTS’ Jin
- UP (KARINA Solo)– aespa
2025 Music Awards Japan – Best Album:
- SUPER REAL ME– ILLIT
- 17 Is Right Here– SEVENTEEN
- SPILL THE FEELS– SEVENTEEN
- Armageddon– aespa
- Yukiakari– &TEAM
- EASY– LE SSERAFIM
- GIANT– Stray Kids
- Romance: Untold– ENHYPEN
- The Star Chapter: Sanctuary– TXT
- Strategy– TWICE
- GOLDEN– BTS’ Jungkook
- Whiplash– aespa
- UNFORGIVEN– LE SSERAFIM
- Minisode 3: Tomorrow– TXT
- BABYMONS7ER– BABYMONSTER
- RIIZING– RIIZE
- Seventeenth Heaven– SEVENTEEN
- HOP– Stray Kids
- CRAZY– LE SSERAFIM
- DIVE– TWICE
- Happy– BTS’ Jin
- Get Up– NewJeans
- With You-th– TWICE
- NA– TWICE’s Nayeon
- MUSE– BTS’ Jimin
- Layover– BTS’ V
- 2– (G)I-DLE
- ATE– Stray Kids
- WISHFUL– NCT WISH
- THE BEST OF BIGBANG 2006-2014– BIGBANG
- DRIP– BABYMONSTER
- 19.99– BOYNEXTDOOR
- Sparkling Blue– TWS
- ROCK-STAR– Stray Kids
- IVE SWITCH– IVE
- HOW?– BOYNEXTDOOR
- ALVE– IVE
- DREAM()SCAPE– NCT DREAM
- I’ve Ive– IVE
- Drama– aespa
- Always Yours– SEVENTEEN
- PROOF– BTS
- (5-STAR)– Stray Kids
- REBOOT -JP SPECIAL SELECTION- TREASURE
- Haute Couture- TWICE
2025 Music Awards Japan – Best Artist Award:
- NewJeans
- LE SSERAFIM
- ILLIT
- aespa
- Stray Kids
- SEVENTEEN
- MISAMO
- TWICE
- &TEAM
- TXT
- ENHYPEN
- BLACKPINK’s Rosé
- BTS’ Jungkook
- BTS’ Jimin
- BTS’ Jin
- BTS’ V
- BTS
- (G)I-DLE
- TREASURE
- BABYMONSTER
- IVE
- TWICE Nayeon
- BIGBANG
- BIGBANG’s G-Dragon
- TWS
- ZEROBASEONE
- NCT WISH
- BOYNEXTDOOR
- Kep1er
- ATEEZ
- aespa KARINA
- WayV
- NCT DREAM
2025 Music Awards Japan – Best K-pop Song in Japan:
- GOOD SO BAD – ZEROBASONE
- Yura Yura Flower Of Destiny – ZEROBASONE
- MAESTRO – SEVENTEEN
- LOVE, MONEY, FAME (feat. DJ Khaled) – SEVENTEEN
- Shohikigen – SEVENTEEN
- Super – SEVENTEEN
- CB2 (Prime Time) – SEVENTEEN’s BSS
- Last Night – SEVENTEEN’s Jeonghan & Wonwoo
- CHK CHK BOOM – Stray Kids
- LALALALA – Stray Kids
- Lose My Breath (feat. Charlie Puth) – Stray Kids
- WHY? – Stray Kids
- FANTASTIC BABY – BIGBANG
- HOME SWEET HOME (feat. Taeyang & Daesung) – BIGBANG’s G-DRAGON
- POWER – BIGBANG’s G-DRAGON
- Dynamite – BTS
- Butter – BTS
- Permission To Dance – BTS
- I’ll Be There – BTS’ Jin
- Running Wild – BTS’ Jin
- 3D (feat. Jack Harlow) – BTS’ Jungkook
- Never Let Go – BTS’ Jungkook
- Seven (feat. Latto) – BTS’ Jungkook
- Standing Next To You – BTS’ Jungkook
- WHO – BTS’ Jimin
- Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco) – BTS’ Jimin
- FRI(END)S – BTS’ V
- Winter Ahead (with Park Hyoshin) – BTS’ V
- BOOM BOOM BASS – RIIZE
- Siren – RIIZE
- Impossible – RIIZE
- Lucky – RIIZE
- IF I SAY, I LOVE YOU – BOYNEXTDOOR
- One And Only – BOYNEXTDOOR
- Plot Twist – TWS
- Last Festival – TWS
- Moonlight – NCT DREAM
- WISH – NCT WISH
- Songbird – NCT WISH
- Deja Vu – TXT
- Over The Moon – TXT
- We’ll Never Change – TXT
- NOT OKAY – ATEEZ
- KING KONG – TREASURE
- LAST NIGHT – TREASURE
- SHOW OFF – CRAVITY
- XO (Only If You Say Yes) – ENHYPEN
- No Doubt – ENHYPEN
2025 Music Awards Japan – Best Song Asia:
- Supernova- aespa
- WAY 4 LUV- PLAVE
- Warmth- Lim Young-woong
2025 Music Awards Japan – Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song:
- Royal- ATEEZ and Be:First
2025 Music Awards Japan – Best Music Video:
- HUSH HUSH- ATEEZ & Be:First
2025 Music Awards Japan – Best Dance Performance:
- Identity- TWICE’s MISAMO
- New Look- TWICE’s MISAMO
- HUSH HUSH- ATEEZ & Be:First
2025 Music Awards Japan – Best Japanese Song:
- New Look- TWICE’s MISAMO
- Hush-hush- ATEEZ
- Royal- ATEEZ
- Birthday- ATEEZ
2025 Music Awards Japan – Best Japanese Dance Pop Song:
- New Look- TWICE’s MISAMO
- Aoarashi- &TEAM
- Hush-hush- ATEEZ
- Royal- ATEEZ
- Birthday- ATEEZ
2025 Music Awards Japan – Listeners’ Choice International Song:
- Apt.- BLACKPINK’s Rosé & Bruno Mars
- Neva Play- BTS’ RM & Megan Thee Stallion
- Mamushi (Remix)- TWICE & Megan Thee Stallion
- Magnetic- ILLIT
- Whiplash- aespa
- Supernova- aespa
- How Sweet- NewJeans
- Supernatural- NewJeans
- Perfect Night- LE SSERAFIM
- CRAZY- LE SSERAFIM
- EASY- LE SSERAFIM
- DRIP- BABYMONSTER
- Shohikigen- SEVENTEEN
- WAY 4 LUV- PLAVE
- Warmth- Lim Young-woong
With K-pop artists at the forefront of numerous categories, anticipation builds as fans eagerly await the announcement of the finalists. The 2025 Music Awards Japan is poised to be a remarkable occasion, marking a significant moment for the global music landscape.