Generation

AAA 2023 in PH: A night of talent and fashion

by Joshua Gerona

PUBLISHED ON December 21, 2023

ONE week after the Asia Artist Awards (AAA) took place for the first time at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, many Filipino K-pop fans seemed to have not moved on from a night full of breathtaking performances and stunning outfits.

Considered a historical moment for Hallyu fans, Filipinos were finally able to witness live the speeches and performances of some of the biggest stars in the K-pop industry.

Let us reminisce about some of the best moments at one of the highly-anticipated award ceremonies in Asia.

Filipino pride: SB19, HORI7ON

If there is one thing that made AAA a night to remember, it was because of all the Filipino artists who brought pride to the country with their all-out performances and memorable appearances.

Among them is the P-pop group SB19.

With their current global success, the group kicked off the star-studded event by performing some of their hit songs, such as ‘Gento’, ‘Mana’, ‘Bazinga’, and ‘Crimzone.’

At the end of their performance, the audience was surprised when the rising Japanese boy group &Team suddenly appeared and danced to Gento with SB19 on the big stage.

SB19’s performance marked an iconic comeback for the group after recently securing the rights to their name and logo. They also won the Best Artist and Hot Trend Awards.

MLD Entertainment’s South Korean-based Filipino boy group HORI7ON also graced the AAA stage with their ‘SIX7EEN’ performance. The group bagged the Focus Award.

HORI7ON debuted last July this year, composed of Vinci Malizon, Kim Ng, Kyler Chua, Reyster Yton, Winston Pineda, Jeromy Batac, and Marcus Cabais.

Former Star Magic artist and now a Lapillus member Chantal Videla and Filipino band Ben&Ben were also present at the event.

Honoring Filipino talents, humor

One of the main highlights of the event was the first public appearances of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla together after confirming their break up last month.

The former celebrity couple both received the Fabulous Awards, alongside K-pop groups NewJeans and Stray Kids, and Korean singer Lim Young-woong.

TV comedian Ryan Bang’s hosting performance during the AAA red carpet event was also praised by many Filipino fans.

Bang was able to showcase Filipino humor during his brief interaction with some K-pop groups on the red carpet.

Meanwhile, Filipino actress-comedian Melai Cantiveros received resounding applause and laughter from the audience with her funny speech after receiving the Best Actor Award, along with Ahn Hyo-seop, Kim Se-jeong, Lee Dong-hwi, and Lee Joon-hyuk.

AAA stages and awards

The event would not have been memorable without the stage performances of some of the popular K-pop groups today.

South Korean girl group NewJeans made the audience crazy with their stunning performances of hit songs ‘OMG’, ‘ETA’, and ‘Super Shy.’ The quintet snatched five awards, including the AAA Grand Prize for Song of the Year and Singer of the Year.

This was immediately followed by Le Sserafim performing ‘Perfect Night’ and ‘Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s Wife’ off their debut album, Unforgiven.

Meanwhile, K-pop boy groups Stray Kids and BSS rocked the entire arena with their drop-dead performances.

Stray Kids, who won the AAA Grand Prize Stage of the Year, performed four songs at the event, including ‘Maniac’, ‘Get Lit’, ‘Topline’, and ‘Lalalala.’

While the AAA Grand Prize winner for Performance of the Year, Seventeen’s subunit group BSS took the audience on a roller coaster ride with their performance of ‘7PM’, ‘Fighting’, and ‘Just Do It.’

Other groups who performed in the AAA event include ITZY, The Boyz, Nmixx, STAYC, Kepler, Dreamcatcher, AKMU, Tempest, Lapillus, Kard, Li Young-ji, Lim Young-woong, and Kim Jae-joong, among others.

The ceremony was hosted by Kang Daniel, IVE’s Jang Wonyoung, and ZeroBaseOne’s Sung Hanbin.

Here are the full list of the AAA 2023 winners :

Focus Award: Ahn Dong Gu, HORI7ON, LUN8, THE BOYZ’s Younghoon
Potential Award: ATBO, Lapillus, Paul Blanco, Yoo Seon Ho
New Wave Award: Ash Island, DKZ’s Jaechan, KINGDOM, Yao Chen
Best Creator Award: 3RACHA (Stray Kids’ Bang Chan, Changbin, Han)
Best Producer Award : Seo Hyun Joo
Icon Award: Cha Joo-young, Kep1er, NMIXX, TEMPEST
Popularity Award: Kim Sejeong, 2PM’s Lee Junho, Lim Young Woong, Sakurazaka46
Hot Trend Award: Ahn Hyo Seop, 2PM’s Lee Junho, Lim Young Woong, NewJeans, SB19
Emotive Award: BOYNEXTDOOR, ONEUS, EXO’s Suho, &TEAM
Asia Celebrity Award: IVE’s Jang Won Young, Kim Seon Ho, LE SSERAFIM, NewJeans, Sakaguchi Kentaro
Rookie of the Year: ZEROBASEONE, Moon Sang Min, Lee Eun Saem
Best Choice Award: Ben&Ben, BOYNEXTDOOR, DinDin, Dreamcatcher, Kang Daniel, JYJ’s Kim Jaejoong, Lee Young Ji, Lim Young Woong, NewJeans, NMIXX, &TEAM
Best Acting Performance Award : Kim Young Dae, U-KISS’s Lee Jun Young, Moon Ga Young, EXO’s Suho
Fabulous Award: Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernardo, Lim Young Woong, NewJeans, Stray Kids
Best Musician Award: KARD, Kwon Eun Bi, Sakurazaka46, STAYC, ZEROBASEONE
Scene Stealer Award: Jung Sung Il
Best Actor Award: Ahn Hyo Seop, Kim Sejeong, Lee Dong Hwi, Lee Joon Hyuk, Melai Cantiveros
Top of K-Pop Record Award: JYJ’s Kim Jaejoong
Best Performance Award: LE SSERAFIM
Best Artist Award (Singer): AKMU, ITZY, IVE, LE SSERAFIM, SB19, THE BOYZ
Best Artist Award (Actor): Kim Ji Hoon, Kim Seon Ho, Sakaguchi Kentaro

Grand Prize – Actor of the Year: 2PM’s Lee Junho
Grand Prize – Singer of the Year: NewJeans
Grand Prize – Album of the Year: SEVENTEEN (FML)
Grand Prize – Daesang – Song of the Year: NewJeans (Ditto)
Grand Prize – Stage of the Year: Stray Kids
Grand Prize – Performance of the Year: SEVENTEEN’s BSS
Grand Prize – Fandom of the Year: Lim Young Woong

AAA Audience fashionable outfits

More than just meeting their favorite idols and groups, Filipino Hallyu fans also flaunted their majestic K-pop outfit in the recently held AAA event in Bulacan.

Some were dressed in a white, fluffy outfit often worn by K-pop idols like Le Sserafim’s Chaewon, Twice’s Momo, and IVE’s Wonyoung.

Other fans donned a swaggy style outfit, exuding the vibe of K-pop groups like Stray Kids, The Boyz, ITZY, and Dreamcatcher.

Most of the attendees wore a K-pop shirt and tote bag with a printed face of their idol.

K-pop outfits and where to buy them

If you are seeking to achieve a perfect K-pop outfit for the upcoming concerts of various K-pop groups in the country, Lazada has everything you need.