G-Dragon dominates 2013 Mnet Asia Music Awards

The leader of K-pop idol group Big Bang won big at the fifth annual Mnet Asia Music Awards ceremony held in Hong Kong on Friday.

The K-pop superstar was nominated in four categories this year and took home the crown in every one: Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Best Male Solo Performance for his single “Crooked,” and finally the Best Music Video award for “Coup d’etat.”

G-Dragon swept all the major music charts with the release of his second studio album “Coup d’etat” on Sept. 2. The highly anticipated album, which features tracks written and composed by the singer himself and a collaborative single with five-time Grammy-winning rapper American hip-hop artist Missy Elliot, came more than four years after the release of the debut solo album “Heartbreaker.” The artist is one of the nation’s most successful music producers, finding himself in the No. 5 spot on the digital singles income rankings for last year.

K-pop diva Lee Hyori, who also made her long-awaited comeback this year, was crowned Female Artist of the Year. The singer and fashion icon released her fifth studio album “Monochrome” after a three-year hiatus from the music scene. The album features a number of self-composed tracks including the jazzy single “Miss Korea,” which dominated the charts upon its release in May.
The night’s big winners also included legendary veteran rock singer Cho Yong-pil, who received Song of the Year for his hit single “Bounce” included on the artist’s comeback album “Hello,” released after a decade-long hiatus.

Popular new boy band EXO was crowned with Best Album of the Year for the group’s debut studio album “XOXO” featuring the lead single “Wolf.”

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)