Starting 2021, we will acknowledge what shaped the summer of every Korean music fan worldwide. This is the mission of the Summer Music Awards. We are back this year for more, and this time around it is going to be hot as you’ve never seen before.

We would like to present the nominees of this year’s Summer Music Awards. This year, the Summer Music Awards eligibility period is from May 30, 2022 – August 5, 2022. The award will be based on the votes of music critics from various blogs around the world specializing in Korean or East Asian music.

Before we begin, the Summer Music Awards would like to address a serious topic that has been the backbone of the music industry since the modern era began.

Child exploitation is the unfortunate issue that has been swept under the rug for decades now. How many more minors will the industry tolerate? How much more profit is going to expand this elaborate and appalling condition that we have normalized and made the core of the system? This political, social, and economic issue cannot be swept anymore. This breeds pedophilia, oppression, and inhumanity.

We call for immediate laws in South Korea, in Japan, in China, in the United States, in the global world, to stop child labor in the arts, and everywhere. Stop debuting MINORS! We call for an act that ensures, no one shall debut below 18 years old.

This sounds late, and liberal, and succumbing to the oppressor. Unless, you and we can revolt against K-pop; against the industry, as a global cabal. So pick which side are you choosing. We must stop this through reform, or revolution! To Min Hee-jin and the whole of the South Korean music industry executives, and petitbourgeois, we continue to condemn and watch you. Thank you, and let’s begin.

General Field (Daesang)

Hot Summer Artist

  • aespa
  • ATEEZ
  • BTS
  • Kep1er
  • Nayeon
  • NewJeans
  • NCT DREAM
  • SEVENTEEN
  • The Volunteers
  • WJSN

Hot Summer Album

  • Girls (aespa)
  • Proof (BTS)
  • The Beginning: World Tree (Forestella)
  • From Our Memento Box (fromis_9)
  • Jack in the Box (j-hope)
  • Doublast (Kep1er)
  • IM NAYEON (Nayeon)
  • Beatbox (NCT DREAM)
  • Sector 17 (SEVENTEEN)
  • Summer Vibe (VIVIZ)

Hot Summer Song

  • Arson (j-hope)
  • Attention (NewJeans)
  • be free (KB)
  • Girls (aespa)
  • Last Sequence (WJSN)
  • Mango (Super Junior)
  • New Plant (The Volunteers)
  • Pop (Nayeon)
  • Pop? Pop! (CSR)
  • Scent (Yukika)

Hot Summer Debut

  • CSR
  • KB
  • Kep1er
  • Nayeon
  • NewJeans

Genre Field

Hot Summer Alternative

  • be free (KB)
  • begin (Yoojung)
  • Danger (woo!ah!)
  • Villain (PIXY)
  • Up! (Kep1er)

Hot Summer Pop

  • Last Sequence (WJSN)
  • Mango (Super Junior)
  • Pop (Nayeon)
  • Pop? Pop! (CSR)
  • Scent (Yukika)

Hot Summer Dance

  • Crazy (WONHO)
  • Girls (aespa)
  • Hype Boy (NewJeans)
  • Sparkling (Chungha)
  • Starlit (UiU)

Hot Summer Rap

  • Arson (j-hope)
  • Beatbox (NCT Dream)
  • Doom Du Doom (P1HARMONY)
  • Drummin’ (TO1)
  • W.A.T.1 (MCND)

Hot Summer R&B

  • Attention (NewJeans)
  • be free (KB)
  • Scream (SF9)
  • ParadoXXX Invasion (ENHYPEN)
  • Yet To Come (BTS)

Hot Summer Rock

  • Chemical (from20)
  • Guerilla (ATEEZ)
  • Mixtape: Time Out (Stray Kids)
  • New Plant (The Volunteers)
  • ZERO (DRIPPIN)

Technical Field

Hot Summer Video

  • Yet To Come (BTS)
  • Pop (Nayeon)
  • Heart Burn (Sunmi)
  • New Plant (The Volunteers)
  • begin (Yoojung)

Hot Summer Style

  • aespa
  • DRIPPIN
  • j-hope
  • SUNMI
  • The Volunteers

Hot Summer Performance

  • Attention (NewJeans)
  • Chemical (from20)
  • Arson (j-hope)
  • New Plant (The Volunteers)
  • Guerilla (ATEEZ)

Hot Summer Producer

  • Yoo Young-jin
  • 250
  • EDENARY
  • The Volunteers
  • Nap!er

Hot Summer Writer

  • j-hope
  • from20
  • The Volunteers
  • iiso
  • Forestella

The winners of the 2022 Summer Music Awards will be announced here on deforestedmusic on August 22, 2022. Thank you for participating and see you around the summer wave!

VOTE HERE NOW

https://s.surveyplanet.com/f93feosf