The 34th Seoul Music Awards celebrated the top K-pop artists of the year at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, South Korea on June 21, 2025. I-DLE made history by winning the grand prize (Daesang), becoming the first girl group in 15 years to achieve this feat since Girls’ Generation in 2010. The group also received one of the Main Awards (Bonsang), making them double winners at the event.
I-DLE’s success comes after their rebranding earlier this year and the massive commercial success of their second full-length album, which sold over 1.53 million copies in its first week. The lead track, “I Hate Being Sick,” topped major global charts, and their most recent release surpassed 1 million in sales, marking their fourth consecutive million-seller. ZEROBASEONE jointly won the Best Album Award for their fifth mini-album, “Blue Paradise,” continuing their streak with a fifth consecutive million-seller and debuting at No.
28 on the Billboard 200, the highest for any fifth-generation K-pop group to date. TOMORROW X TOGETHER also had a successful night, winning the Best Digital Song Award and becoming the first group since 2020 to win both top honors in the same year.
i-dle’s historic win at SMA
The Rookie of the Year award was shared by three new groups: Starship Entertainment’s new act, JYP Entertainment’s rookie group, and Hearts2Hearts from SM Entertainment. Each group garnered attention with their debut tracks and were positioned as the next leaders of their respective labels. BTS members Namjoon and Jimin also received individual awards.
Namjoon, also known as RM, was honored with the R&B/Hip Hop Award, while Jimin received the Korean Wave Award. Other notable winners included BLACKPINK’s Rosé, who made history by becoming the only K-pop female soloist to win multiple awards at this year’s Seoul Music Awards. She was honored with the “World Best Artist Award” for her monumental records achieved by her acclaimed album and its included songs.
The 34th Seoul Music Awards showcased the growth and global influence of K-pop, celebrating both established artists and newcomers who are making their mark on the industry. The event demonstrated the immense talent and achievements within the K-pop scene and highlighted the artists who have made significant contributions to the genre’s success.
