Producer 250, Four-time Winner at the Korean Music Awards... NewJeans Wins Three Awards

by Kim Heeyun

Published 06 Mar.2023 08:10(KST)

250 "I Gained Pride and Strength from My Music"

"When I chose the songs, I was anxious, but now I feel that my choice was not wrong. I am grateful for the pride and strength to make music more personal and more freely."

DJ and producer 250, who won four awards at the Korean Music Awards with the album 'Ppong'. <br>[Photo by Beats and Natives]

DJ and producer 250, who won four awards at the Korean Music Awards with the album 'Ppong'.
[Photo by Beats and Natives]

250 (real name Lee Ho-hyung), known as the producer of the group NewJeans, won four awards at the 20th Korean Music Awards.

At the Korean Music Awards ceremony held on the afternoon of the 5th, 250 swept the trophies by winning in the categories of ‘Album of the Year,’ ‘Musician of the Year,’ ‘Best Electronic Album,’ and ‘Best Electronic Song.’

The Korean Music Awards were established to restore the diverse artistic value of Korean popular music and to promote diversity and creative vitality in popular music culture. Unlike commercial-based awards, the ceremony evaluates primarily on musicality, with winners selected by a panel of 54 experts including Chairman Kim Chang-nam and popular music critics.

250 received acclaim last year for his album Bbong, which modernized trot sounds. The music video for the track ‘Bang Bus’ from Bbong was invited to the Boston International Film Festival, the Sweden International Film Festival, and others, gaining recognition for its artistic quality.

The songs he composed for the girl group NewJeans’ debut album New Jeans and the track ‘Ditto’ have maintained top positions on music charts from their release until now, showing long-lasting popularity.

In his acceptance speech, 250 said, “Being selected as one of the well-made albums among those released this year makes me feel that the anxious moments when choosing songs were not wrong,” and added, “I am thankful for the pride and strength to make music more personally and more freely.”

NewJeans won three awards for ‘Rookie of the Year,’ ‘Best K-pop Album,’ and ‘Best K-pop Song.’

NewJeans expressed their gratitude, saying, "We are very thankful to our Bernies (fan club name) and our families who are always with us," and promised, "We will continue to do our best as NewJeans."

Younha, who achieved a chart resurgence with ‘Event Horizon,’ took home two trophies for ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Best Pop Song.’

Nucksal×Kadeho won two awards for ‘Best Rap & Hip Hop Song’ and ‘Best Rap & Hip Hop Album.’ The married duo Sun and Young also won in the ‘Best Folk Album’ and ‘Best Folk Song’ categories.

Special awards went to Hong Se-jon, who operated the live venue ‘Club Evans’ in Hongdae, and the Achievement Award was given to the band Sarangwa Pyeonghwa (Love and Peace). Lee Cheol-ho, the vocalist of Sarangwa Pyeonghwa, said, "I have been in the band for 55 years, and it’s not just because of the long time, but because I have been part of the band called ‘Sarangwa Pyeonghwa’ that I received this award."

Below is the list of winners.

▲ Album of the Year = 250 ‘Bbong’

▲ Song of the Year = Younha ‘Event Horizon’

▲ Musician of the Year = 250

▲ Rookie of the Year = NewJeans

▲ Best K-pop Album = NewJeans ‘New Jeans’

▲ Best K-pop Song = NewJeans ‘Attention’

▲ Best Rock Album = Concord ‘Supersonic Passenger Plane’

▲ Best Rock Song = Jambinai ‘From the Erased Place’

▲ Best Modern Rock Album = The Black Skirts ‘TEEN TROUBLES’

▲ Best Modern Rock Song = Silica Gel ‘NO PAIN’

▲ Best Metal & Hardcore Album = Madmen’s Esprit ‘I See Myself Through Us, You See Me Through Me’