The heat is on for the KMA (KM Chart Awards) 2026 Popularity Award voting currently underway on the global fandom platform UPICK!
The first round of voting began on June 6 and will run until June 19. Fierce competition is unfolding across seven categories: Best Popular Song, Best Popular Trot, Best Popular Solo Singer (Male/Female), Best Popular Group (Male/Female), and Global Rising Star.
The winners of these awards will be decided 100% by fan votes. The artists who rank in the top 30 of each category during this first round will advance to the second round of voting.
Looking at the current standings, BTS, ENHYPEN, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER are dominating the Best Male Group category. Meanwhile, BABYMONSTER and Dreamcatcher’s unit groups, YuA-U and Hades, are making their mark in the Female Group category.
The Solo Singer categories are also seeing intense battles. In the Male category, TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Yeonjun, EXO’s D.O., and Flare-U’s Choi Rip-woo are leading the pack. For the Female category, (G)I-DLE’s Minnie and Yuqi are both ranking high. In the Trot category, Jeon Yu-jin and Kim Yong-bin are holding the lead, while Cortiz and Kickflip, who have already confirmed their attendance at the ceremony, are performing well in the Global Rising Star category.
ZEROBASEONE, who are set to make a comeback on June 18 with their 6th mini album ‘ASCEND-‘, are already gearing up as nominees for the Best Male Group award. Member Sung Han-bin is also nominated for the Male Solo Singer award, receiving plenty of love from fans. With their comeback activities about to begin, all eyes are on whether they will climb the rankings before the voting closes.
The main KMA 2026 ceremony will take place on July 25 at Korea University’s Hwajung Gymnasium in Seoul.
