K-pop heaven: who won what at the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards?

Girl Generation’s Taeyeon and rapper Zico won Best Female Artist and Best Male Artist respectively. While fans raised cream-coloured umbrellas for Taeyeon’s performance for Rain, many were disappointed that she didn’t perform See You Again with Wiz Khalifa. Anticipation was high for the performance after their rehearsal video was leaked, but the American rapper performed the song solo, with the audience singing along to Charlie Puth’s original vocals. Both artists gave different accounts on social media for the cancellation.

Highlight performances of the night included BTS’s Blood Sweat & Tears and EXO’s Monster. Twice performed Cheer Up and TT to a colourful background while Best Collaboration winners Suzy and Baekhyun sang Dream live for the first time. Pianist Yiruma also played River Flows in You, and was joined by Best Rap Performance winner BewhY for an electric jazz and rap collaboration.

Despite its star-studded line-up, which also included Got7, NCT 127, Gfriend, I.O.I and Taemin, the 4.5-hour ceremony wasn’t watched by many outside of the arena. According to Nielsen Korea, the average ratings were 1.2 per cent, which is less than half of last year’s ratings of three per cent.

This could have been because no YG Entertainment artists attended the ceremony, including Black Pink, which won Best Music Video for Whistle.

Love in the Moonlight actress Kim Yoo-jung, Terminator Genisys actor Lee Byung-hun and Cold Eyes actress Han Hyo-joo were among the list of presenters, as well as Taiwanese actor Darren Wang Talu.

Veteran producer Quincy Jones, who was given a special category award for Inspired Achievements, took to the stage near the end of the four and a half hour ceremony, but the crowd did not appear interested in his speech about modern American history. Jones threw his hands up in frustration as a video began to play before he had even finished his speech. He then left the stage.

Hong Kong’s own Leon Lai, who presented the Album of the Year award, appeared to be in better spirits, and joked about his staff using K-pop stars’ photos for their screensavers. “I’m not firing them, but they’re not getting a raise either,” he said.

Here’s the list of all the awards and the winners:

Korean Category

Song of the Year: Cheer Up by Twice

Artist of the Year: BTS

Album of the Year: EX’ACT (The 3rd Album) by EXO

Best New Female Artist: I.O.I.

Best New Male Artist: NCT 127

Best Asian Style: EXO

Worldwide Favorite Artist: GOT7

Best OST: Don’t Worry by Lee Juck for Reply 1988

Best Female Artist: Taeyeon

Best Dance Performance Male Group: Blood, Sweat & Tears by BTS

World Performer: Seventeen

Best Vocal Performance Male Solo: Don’t Forget by Crush

Best Vocal Performance Female Solo: If You by Ailee

Best Dance Performance Solo: Press Your Number by Taemin

Best Vocal Performance Group: Beside Me by Davichi

Best Male Group: EXO

Best Female Group: Twice

Best Band Performance: You’re So Fine by CNBlue

Best Music Video: Whistle by Black Pink

Best Collaboration: Dream by Suzy and Baekhyun

Best Rap Performance: Puzzle by C Jamm, BewhY

Best Male Artist: Zico

Best Dance Performance Female Group: Rough by GFriend

Best Asian Artist

Best Asian Artist Thailand: Getsunova

Best Asian Artist Vietname: Noo Phuoc Thinh

Best Asian Artist Japan: Sekai No Owari

Best Asian Artist Indonesia: Isyana Sarasvati

Best Asian Artist China: Hua Chenyu

Best Asian Artist Singapore: JJ Lin

Professional Category

Best Executive Producer of the Year: “Hitman” Bang

Best Producer of the Year: Black Eyed Pilseung

Best Promoter of the Year: Masahiro Hidaka

Best Choreographer of the Year: J.Da Apissara Phetruengrong

Best Visual & Art Director of the Year: Min Hee Jin

Best Engineer of the Year: Tanaka Hironobu

Special Categories — Best International Producer: Timbaland

Special Categories — Inspired Achievements: Quincy Jones