MMA2026: YENA, ILLIT, RESCENE, and Hearts2Hearts Take the Stage!

*This content was translated by AI.

Singer YENA, groups ILLIT, RESCENE, and Hearts2Hearts will perform at Melon Music Awards (MMA), Korea's largest music awards ceremony and festival.

Kakao Entertainment’s music platform Melon announced that YENA (Choi Yena), ILLIT, RESCENE, and Hearts2Hearts will be part of the second lineup for 'The 18th Melon Music Awards, MMA2026', to be held on November 14 and 15 at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome with KakaoBank as the title sponsor. Following the initial announcement featuring a lineup of prominent boy groups, this latest reveal of hot girl groups and solo queens has further heightened global fan interest in MMA2026.

YENA (Choi Yena), a 'multi-entertainer' who bridges broadcasting and stage performances, set a record as the first solo artist to enter the top 10 on Melon's TOP100 chart this year with her mini-album 'LOVE CATCHER' title track 'Catch Catch', which peaked at No. 4. With a unique concept and energy so distinctive that the term 'YENA Core' has emerged, she is actively establishing her own musical world and demonstrating versatility as a 'solo queen'.

ILLIT (ILLIT), who won the Rookie Award at MMA2024 and Best Performance at MMA2025, saw their April-released mini 4th album title track 'It's Me' climb to No. 2 on Melon's TOP100 chart, where it continues to hold a top position and maintain strong commercial momentum. Their July-released Japanese single 2nd album title track 'I Got Your Back (Feat. JISOO, MOMOKA of HANA)' has also revitalized their previous hits, with four songs including this track, 'Magnetic', and 'Almond Chocolate' simultaneously appearing on LINE Music's weekly chart, further expanding their presence in the global market.

RESCENE (RESCENE), the star behind the 'reverse hit phenomenon', created a dramatic turnaround with their August 2024 mini 1st album 'SCENEDROME' title track 'LOVE ATTACK'. After successfully achieving reverse hits by reaching No. 1 on Melon's TOP100 in July—nearly two years after release—they also topped Melon's monthly chart in August. Their remake of KARA's 'Pretty Girl', sharing the same title, achieved full-cycle success, climbing to No. 2 on Melon's TOP100 and No. 5 on the monthly chart, while securing six wins across music shows. This unprecedented achievement of both reverse hits and full-cycle success is firmly cementing their presence.

SM Entertainment's 'trendsetting girl group' Hearts2Hearts (Hearts2Hearts) achieved career highs with their February-released single 'RUDE!', which secured No. 2 on Melon's TOP100, No. 1 on HOT100, and daily and monthly rankings of No. 3, while also winning five awards at music shows. Their June-released mini 2nd album 'Lemon Tang' sparked a refreshing wave in the summer music scene, with its title track topping both China's QQ Music K-pop weekly chart and rising charts simultaneously. In August, they officially debuted in Japan with their first single 'ICONIC HEART', expanding their global activity scope.

MMA2026 will be held for two days (two shows) on November 14 (Saturday) to 15 (Sunday) for the first time in history. Under the main slogan 'K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse' with 'Connection (Connect)' as its core keyword, the event will create a stage where fans worldwide unite through K-pop. Melon plans to broadly reflect the voices of K-pop fans globally by introducing a new 'Global TOP10' category linked with the China-Korea-Japan integrated index 'Global-K Chart', jointly launched with Tencent Music and LINE Music.

Currently, Melon's Instagram is hosting an event where two lucky winners receive MMA tickets daily through randomly drawn secret codes released each day ahead of MMA2026. Various pre-event activities, including voting for the TOP10 and category-specific awards, are also in preparation. Related announcements will be gradually shared via Melon's official MMA2026 page.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.