RECAP: 9 favorite moments from 2023 Asia Artist Awards

Hallyu fever swept across the Ciudad de Victoria in Bulacan last week for the 2023 Asia Artist Awards (AAA), which marked the first time that the Philippines hosted a South Korean year-end award show.

A slew of K-pop and K-drama stars joined several artists from Japan, China and the Philippines at the Philippine Arena for the ceremony, which recognized achievements in music, film, television and online content creation.

• FULL LIST: Winners in the 2023 Asia Artist Awards in PH

Apart from the awarding, the seven-hour show also featured epic performances and heartwarming interactions among artists and fans. Below, we list our favorite moments from the star-studded event.

1. FAN ZONE

Even before the awards show, Ciudad de Victoria or the Philippine Arena Complex was already teeming with excited fans engaging in various activities. As early as 8 a.m, fan groups of the participating artists set up booths at the Philippine Sports Stadium, giving away fan-made banners, stickers, photocards and other merchandise.

• Star-studded Asia Artist Awards draws fans to Philippine Arena

Various photo zones were set up where fans posed with photos of their favorite K-pop acts, including those that attended past editions of the AAA, while a giant blue wall was erected in the middle of the stadium for fans to write messages dedicated to the artists.

2. RYAN BANG’S RED CARPET HOSTING

Philippine-based Korean entertainer Ryan Bang is no stranger to hosting K-pop-related events. But for the AAA, he was given the privilege of serving as the red carpet’s emcee — an apt choice since Bang easily spoke to and instructed the artists in Korean.

But the “It’s Showtime” host garnered attention for his humorous side comments in Filipino. For instance, he told K-drama heartthrob Kim Seon-ho to do “lahat ng heart [poses] na gusto mo (all of the heart poses that you want), take your time.” He also remarked: “Parang may pasok pa sila (It looks like they are still going to class)” to Japan’s Sakurazaka46, whose members walked the red carpet in school uniforms.

During K-pop boy group Stray Kids’ time, Bang also said, “Sana mag-guest kayo sa ‘Showtime’ (I hope you guys appear on Showtime),” referring to ABS-CBN’s noontime variety show.

He also had a “fanboy moment” when he told hitmaking girl group NewJeans that he was their fan.

3. SB19’S FIERY PERFORMANCE

SB19 further cemented its status as a leading P-pop act when the five-member group set the stage ablaze with a medley comprised of “Bazinga,” “Mana,” Crimzone” and the viral “Gento,” drawing loud cheers from the crowd and excited reactions from some of the Korean stars.

To cap off the seven-minute performance, SB19 was joined by Japanese-Korean boy band &TEAM for another round of “Gento,” which was a viral dance challenge among K-pop idols this year.

• SB19's 'Gento' gains buzz among K-idol community

Later in the evening, SB19 won two prizes, the most for the Pinoy artists recognized at the event. The group took home the Best Artist (Singer) and Hot Trend awards.

• Pinoy artists feted at 2023 Asia Artist Awards

4. MELAI CANTIVEROS’ FUNNY MOMENTS

Comedienne Melai Cantiveros never failed to make fellow AAA attendees and audience members laugh every time she was put on the spotlight. First, when host Jang Won-young asked her about how she felt attending the awards show, the “Magandang Buhay” host responded: “Attending AAA is [an] honor... I feel like I'm the first honor, a valedictorian.”

• VIRAL: Melai Cantiveros feels like 'the first honor' at AAA

During her acceptance speech as one of the recipients of the Best Actor Award, Cantiveros said, “If someone questions why I have an award, don’t worry, I question it too.”

“I think it’s because God moves in mysterious ways,” the star of the South Korea-set film “Ma'am Chief: Shakedown in Seoul” added.

5. ‘KATHNIEL’ ATTEND TOGETHER

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Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla had the internet abuzz with their attendance at the 2023 AAA, among their first few public appearances since the two announced the end of their 11-year relationship in late November. In one viral video, Padilla can be seen with his arm around Bernardo during the event.

The Kapamilya actors, who make up the phenomenal “KathNiel” love team, were among the recipients of the Fabulous Award at the ceremony, joining NewJeans, Stray Kids and Korean soloist Lim Young-woong.

• TINGNAN: Kathryn Bernardo at Daniel Padilla, nagkasama sa AAA 2023

6. RETURNING ARTISTS

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The previous years have seen a slew of Korean stars visit the Philippines for concerts, music festivals and fan meetings. Thus, the AAA served as an opportunity for them to reunite with their Filipino fans, with some of the K-pop acts — such as Kim Jae-joong, AKMU, ITZY, Dreamcatcher, Kang Daniel, The Boyz, NMIXX, KARD and STAYC — showcasing their new releases.

Among the actors who returned to the country are Kim Seon-ho, Ahn Hyo-seop, Kim Sejeong, Lee Jun-ho, and EXO's Suho.

7. FIRST-TIME PERFORMERS

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The AAA also marked the first time that some of the participating K-pop acts met their Filipino fans. They include girl groups Le Sserafim and NewJeans, who were met with passionate screams during their respective performances.

Le Sserafim showcased “Perfect Night” and “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard's Wife,” while the crowd sang along to NewJeans as the quintet dished out its catchy singles “OMG,” “ETA” and “Super Shy.”

Rapper Lee Young-ji showed she knew how to hype the audience with “I Am Lee Young Ji” and “Not Sorry,“ while Kwon Eun-bi — who went viral earlier this year for her appearance at South Korea's Waterbomb Festival — was a stunner during her “Underwater“ stage.

Also among the first-timers in the country were K-pop girl group Kep1er; boy groups ONEUS, BOYNEXTDOOR, ATBO, Tempest and LUN8; Japanese idol band Sakurazaka46; and Chinese singer Yao Chen.

8. STRAY KIDS’ ENERGETIC STAGE

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After holding a two-day concert in Manila earlier this year, K-pop boy band Stray Kids returned to the country for the AAA, where they received the grand prize for Stage of the Year.

With unrelenting energy and ferocity, the eight-piece act also delivered a 12-minute performance, showcasing “Maniac,” “Get Lit,” “Topline” and latest single “LALALALA.”

9. SEVENTEEN BSS CLOSING THE SHOW

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Serving as the night's final performer is Seventeen's sub-unit BSS, which received an AAA grand prize for Performance of the Year.

The trio composed of DK, Sueungkwan and Hoshi opened their set with the mellow “7PM,“ which they sang while doing a skit with actors Kim Se-jeong, Lee Dong-hwi and Kentaro Sakaguchi.

BSS raised the energy with its latest title track “Fighting,” performed with Lee Young-ji, and debut single “Just Do It,” which both had audience members and artists cheering while on their feet.

— With a report from April Benjamin, ABS-CBN News

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