SM and MAMA are Gatekeeping Solo Awards and Visibility to Korean Idols and Ambitious Non-Korean Solo Artists Should Leave Kpop

I usually don’t post here, but I have to get this off my chest because the data literally speaks for itself. The 2025 MAMA Best Dance Performance (Male Solo) final nominees were just announced — and Ten, who was ranked 3rd in every prediction based on real metrics for three consecutive months since July, is the only one from the top 5 to be left out and despite outperforming Kai and Mark in the metrics for 3 months. And he was instead replaced by SHINee’s Key (also from SM and from the same production center Prism) despite the fact that Stunner did way better than Key’s Hunter in number, and well honestly, also in choreo and in impact. I mean Stunner had real organic impact and numbers despite the fact that his solo releases somehow always conflict with other NCT soloists - this year it was with Mark’s and last year it was with Taeyong’s. I mean you can just search YouTube and see how there are so many posted Stunner dance cover complete with Stunner’s EP logo in the thumbnail. Even Ten’s older songs like Birthday and Nightwalker still get dance covers and I don’t think I could say the same for dance performance and nominee MAMA and SM replaced him with. No hate on Key especially because he’s close with Ten but it’s obvious they are using him to bury Ten’s work and prevent him from getting any visibility in mainstream kpop. Also, just to put it out there, Key has a decent body of work but still I can’t deny that the spot given to him was supposed to be Ten’s and somebody has to say it. Let’s Talk Dance Performance Excellence Now the new criteria to determine the winner gives 40% to judges. And honestly, even if GD and J-hope did astronomically way better than Ten in numbers cuz well, they are the biggest kpop names out there, little as it may be, Ten actually has an actual chance of winning if all the judges will focus only the dance performance quality and execution and not be affected by popularity. It’s simply because Stunner choreo is indeed very sophisticated and was such a masterclass in textures. I don’t need to discuss how it’s much more superior to the choreos of other dance performances nominated but let’s just say Babyzoo (dancer/battler/choreographer) himself said that Bambola (pre-release of Stunner) was only possible because it’s Ten, yet despite that, on the bts video he admitted that Stunner is even more difficult than Bambola (keep in mind that dancing is more than just moving the limbs but actually expressing the feel of the choreo and the vibe of the song). And Babyzoo doesn’t just casually say these things with other kpop acts he works with. But yeah, this is not a perfect world so honestly Ten’s fans weren’t expecting him to win either. They know Ten doesn’t have mainstream kpop clout so what they really wanted was to see Ten a least get nominated and possibly perform solo in MAMA so he could show them who he is onstage. Basically, they just want and opportunity that comes way easier for Korean idols. Elephant in the room: Ten is not Korean Let’s be real, Korean citizenship/blood is the only thing Ten doesn’t have compared to other nominees. This is not a dig at other nominees cuz I am actually also a VIP (GD is another ult) and I also have a soft spot for Mark. This is about SM and MAMA and how it’s ironic that they are so hungry of global success for Korean artists but are not letting non-korean solo kpop artists like Ten get the respect they deserve. The double-standard. The greed. The gate-keeping. Anyway.. Ten’s contract is about to end. And I do hope he leaves kpop for his solo endeavors. Not because kpop is no good. But because the people controlling it will never allow him to rise to the level of success he deserves. And also, I am not sure if I will still be willing to fully support artists who allow themselves to be used and abused by their labels. It’s much easier to respect people who know their worth. I just hope Ten goes the Jackson Wang/ Lay Zhang/ Lisa route or do something a bit similar cuz honestly kpop is not yet ready for him. submitted by /u/Intelligent-Ad9582 [link] [comments]