2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards to Open in Hong Kong Next Month

A host is presenting the next stage at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards, which took place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on November 29, 2011. [Mnet]

Mnet is set to open its curtain for one of the biggest music festivities in Asia next month.

The global music channel announced in a statement Monday that it will host the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards [2012 MAMA] in Hong Kong’s Convention & Exhibition Centre on November 30.

"The 4th edition opening this year is more meaningful than any other year. Whereas the first two years strengthened the MAMA's foundation, the 2012 MAMA will prove the cultural influence of K-pop in Asia," Mnet's chief Han Dong-chul was quote as saying.

“Hong Kong is consisted of various cultures and has cemented itself as the center of different Asian cultures. In that sense, we felt that Hong Kong is the perfect place to open this year’s MAMA which will play a vital role in spreading the Korean culture in the near future."

Under the channel's slogan “Music Makes One,” the big event will be broadcast live in over ten countries, and the nominees would be unveiled on October 23.

MAMA, known as one of the biggest music events in the country, first started out as Mnet KM Music Video Festival in 1999. It was changed into a total music festival five years later, and finally settled down as the MAMA in 2009.

After renewing itself as the MAMA, the channel brought the festival to Macao and Singapore in order.

With some named K-pop artists such as Girls' Generation, 2NE1, Super Junior and BEAST, Japanese soloist Koda Kumi and American musicians Will.i.am, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg joined last year’s MAMA.

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10 아시아 Reporter : Lee Hye Ji hjlee@
10 아시아 Editor : Monica Suk monicasuk@