BTS made a grand showing at the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards on Sunday night (Dec. 6), sweeping all the major categories and delivering three wildly ambitious performances.
To close out the biggest K-pop awards show of the year, the boy band kicked off their big finale performance with Map of the Soul: 7’s “On” from inside Seoul’s World Cup Stadium, flanked by a masked drum line, cheerleaders and a marching band.
The group then transitioned to their No. 1 hit “Dynamite,” delivering their English-language single in ’70s-inspired suits from inside a rainbow-colored tent, which fell away to reveal a gigantic stage covered in projected, multi-colored graphics. As the song reached its final chorus, the boys were showered in confetti, all while fireworks and clouds of color exploded in the sky above them.
Despite the grandiose display of pyrotechnics, BTS wasn’t finished yet. The boy band’s final number of the evening was their latest Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, “Life Goes On.” Dressed in serene, all-white ensembles, the idols crooned the ballad as they wandered through a town square filled with masked pedestrians frozen in place.
Suga, who’d been sidelined from the previous two performances due to his recent shoulder injury and subsequent operation, even made a special appearance from home during the number thanks to a high-tech volumetric display.
The band also brought home a total of eight awards during the show, including artist of the year, song of the year (for “Dynamite”), album of the year (for Map of the Soul: 7) and worldwide icon of the year.
Other performers included Twice, Seventeen, BoA, Ateez and Tomorrow X Together, the latter of which also included a cover of “Dynamite” in their own four-song medley.
Just one day earlier, BTS also hit the stage at the 2020 Melon Music Awards, closing out the four-day online ceremony by adding an orchestral version of “Black Swan” to the aforementioned medley and winning six of the eight awards for which they were nominated. (The septet took home song, artist and album of the year, as well as best dance award [male] and the night’s netizen popularity award.)
Watch all of BTS’ awards show performances from the weekend below.
