'Melon Music Awards', first lineup..."PLAVE·RIIZE→LNGSHOT"

[Dispatch=Lee Myung-ju] Boy groups that garnered attention on the Melon chart this year will take the stage at 'MMA 2026'.

Kakao Entertainment revealed the first lineup of the 18th Melon Music Awards (2026 Melon Music Awards, hereinafter 'MMA 2026') on the 16th.

Five boy groups will participate in 'MMA 2026'. PLAVE, RIIZE, NCT Wish, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, and LNGSHOT will light up the awards ceremony stage.

PLAVE proved its musical power with its fourth mini album 'Caliigo Part 2'. The title track 'Born Savage' ranked 2nd on Melon's 'Top 100' and 1st on 'Hot 100'.

Other B-side tracks also charted. Five songs in total including 'Seems Like That', 'Parade of Petals', 'Luna Hearts', and 'Heung Heung Heung' entered the 'Top 100'.

RIIZE achieved its fourth million-seller album with its second mini album 'II'. All tracks including the title track 'Do Your Dance' charted on Melon's 'Top 100'.

Global popularity also stood out. In particular, they ranked 1st on the 'Global-K Chart', which aggregates charts from Korea, China, and Japan.

NCT Wish achieved its best-ever performance in music source and album with its first regular album 'O.de to Love'. The title track ranked 1st on 'Hot 100' and 3rd on 'Top 100'.

Album sales also increased significantly. According to Hanteo Chart, 'O.de to Love' surpassed 1.825 million copies in first-week sales.

ALPHA DRIVE ONE, which debuted this year, also showed notable achievements. With the title track 'Freak Alarm' from its first mini album, it reached the top of 'Hot 100'.

That's not all. All B-side tracks entered the ranking of 'Top 100'. Furthermore, it topped the millions album (1 million views) 14 hours and 20 minutes after release.

LNGSHOT was also included in the 'MMA 2026' lineup at its debut. The group produced by Jay Park debuted in January with its first EP 'Shot Caller'.

It showed performance unbecoming of a rookie. Through the title track 'Moonwalkin', they ranked 12th on the chart for songs within 30 days of release on 'Hot 100'.

Meanwhile, 'MMA 2026' will be held on November 14-15 at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome. It will be held in a '2-show' format for the first time ever.