Who will be the "Artist of the Year" this 2021 at the 11th Gaon Chart Music Awards (GCMA)? On November 28, the first set of nominees for the awards ceremony was unveiled, and top K-pop acts IU, EXO, BTS, IZ*ONE, SHINee and more are chosen!

What is Gaon Chart Music Awards (GCMA)?

In particular, Gaon Chart Music Awards is one of the major music awards in the Korean music scene held annually. GCMA is organized by Korean Music Content Association (KMCA), one of the biggest entertainment companies in South Korea.

The winners are chosen based on song and album sales recorded on the national music chart Gaon Music Chart.

On top of KMCA, the ceremony is also backed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. It is also referred to as Korea's counterpart of the U.S. Billboard and Japan's Oricon.

IU, IZ*ONE, BLACKPINK Rosé, BTS & More: Here are the Nominees for 'Artist of the Year - Digital Music' at the GCMA

The main prize of the music awards is the "Artist of the Year," which is divided into two categories: (1) Physical Album (Album of the Year) and (2) Digital Music (Song of the Year).

In the first set of nominees, artists who released music from December 2020 to September 2021 and gained the most Gaon Chart Index (points) were nominated.

Here's the first Set of Nominees for 'Artist of the Year - Digital Music' from Dec. 2020 to Sept. 2021 at the 11th Gaon Chart Music Awards:

December (2020)

• IZONE "Panorama"
• Ben "Lonely night"
• Rain "Switch on Me" (Feat. JYP)
• Lee Hi "For You" (Feat. Crush)
• Taeyeon "What Do I Call You"

2021

January

• (G)I-DLE "HWAA"
• Gyeongseo & MJ "Let's Have a Drink"
• IU "Celebrity"
• Epik High "Rosario"(Feat. CL, Zico)
• HyunA "I'm Not Cool"

February

• Kang Daniel "PARANOIA"
• SHINee "Don't Call Me"
• Sunmi "TAIL"
• SECHSKIES "Don't Look Back"
• PaulKim "Love Letter"

March

• Rosé "On The Ground"
• IU "LILAC"
• IU "Coin"
• IU "Hi spring Bye"
• Lim Young Woong "My Starry Love"

April

• ITZY "In the morning"
• Kang Daniel "Antidote"
• DAVICHI "Just hug me"
• Kassy "I will light your way"
• Ha Dong Qn and BongGu "I will be waiting"

May

• aespa "Next Level"
• BTS "Butter"
• OHMYGIRL "Dun Dun Dance"
• Joy "Hello"
• Heize "HAPPEN"

ALSO READ: aespa's 'Savage' Becomes the Best-Selling Debut Album by a Girl Group in Gaon History

June

• NCT DREAM "Hello Future"
• TWICE "Alcohol-Free"
• Brave Girls "Chi Mat Ba Ram"
• Big Mama "One Day More"
• Epik High "Rain Song" (Feat. Colde)

July

• AKMU "NAKKA" (with IU)
• AKMU "Hey kids, close your eyes" (with Lee Sun Hee)
• SG WANNABE "You're the best of me"
• BTS "Permission to Dance"
• Taeyeon "Weekend"

August

• 10CM "Go Back"
• Red Velvet "Queendom"
• Melo Mance "Go Back"
• Jeon Somi "DUMB DUMB"
• Car the Garden "Closely Far Away"

September

• Coldplay and BTS "My Universe"
• ITZY "LOCO"
• NCT 127 "Sticker"
• STAYC "STEREOTYPE"
• Lee Mujin "Fall in Fall"

EXO, BTS, TREASURE, ENHYPEN & More: Here are the Nominees for 'Artist of the Year - Physical Album' (1st Quarter - 3rd Quarter)

Meanwhile, the second category is focused on Physical Album, where those who released albums from the 1st quarter to the 3rd quarter were nominated based on their album sales.

First Set of Nominees for 'Artist of the Year - Physical Album' From Dec. 2020 to Sept. 2021 at the 11th Gaon Chart Music Awards:

1st Quarter Nominees

• IZONE "One-reeler / Act IV"
• TREASURE "THE FIRST STEP: TREASURE EFFECT"
• Kim Ho Joong "The Classic Album I - My Favorite Arias"
• Kim Ho Joong "The Classic Album II - My Favorite Songs"
• SHINee "Don't Call Me"

2nd Quarter Nominees

• ENHYPEN "BORDER: CARNIVAL"
• NCT DREAM "Hot Sauce"
• Rosé (BLACKPINK) "-R-"
• Baekhyun (EXO) "Bambi"
• TXT "The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE"

3rd Quarter Nominees

• EXO "DON'T FIGHT THE FEELING"
• NCT DREAM "Hello Future"
• Stray Kids "NOEASY"
• BTS "Butter"
• SEVENTEEN "Your Choice"

On the other hand, the second part of the nominees will be unveiled in the following weeks, along with the candidates for "New Artist of The Year."

READ MORE: These are the Best-Selling Albums by Female K-Pop Artists in 2021 So Far

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Written by Eunice Dawson