Indie Band Danpyunsun Receives Most Nominations Across Six Categories at 2025 Korean Music Awards

The 22nd Korean Music Awards announced its nominees this year, focusing on musical achievements rather than sales figures. Indie band Danpyunsun and Its Moments Ensemble (Danpyunsun, real name Park Jong-yoon) received the most nominations at six categories, with K-POP girl group aespa following closely behind with five nominations. Unlike other Korean music awards that prioritize sales volume, the Korean Music Awards use musical accomplishments as the primary evaluation criterion, giving greater weight to the value of albums and songs themselves. Danpyunsun and Its Moments Ensemble submitted their debut album “Hail to the Music,” released after the dissolution of their previous group Danpyunsun and The Sailors, for nominations in Album of the Year and Best Modern Rock Album. Additionally, tracks “Independence” and “It Seems There Will Be Few Happier Days Left in My Life” were nominated for Song of the Year and Best Modern Rock Song respectively. The band also secured a nomination for Artist of the Year. aespa received a nomination for Artist of the Year, while its full-length album “Armageddon” was nominated for Album of the Year and Best K-POP Album. The album’s track “Supernova” competed for Song of the Year and Best K-POP Song. As a result, these two artists are now competing to win the most awards. Singer-songwriter Lee Seung-yoon and project duo Sumin&Slom each received nominations in four categories. BLACKPINK’s Rosé was nominated for three categories—Song of the Year, Best K-POP Song, and Artist of the Year—with her track “APT.” The 22nd Korean Music Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on February 27 via the online platform Prism and the official Korean Music Awards YouTube channel.