Asian Pop Music Awards 2025: Jennie Leads Pack, G-Dragon & Lay Zhang Follow as K-Pop Solo Stars Dominate

The 2025 Asian Pop Music Awards are shaping up to be a historic showdown for K-pop's solo elite. With the official nominee list finally revealed late on December 1, BLACKPINK's Jennie has emerged as the artist to beat, collecting a staggering nine nominations across major categories. Close behind are G-Dragon and Lay Zhang with eight nods each, while Jackson Wang secures seven — proving that the region's biggest stars are no longer content to shine only within their original groups.

This year's nominations arrive with added emotional weight. The APMA organizers, represented by Hong Kong's Asia VVV Entertainment Group and London-based UK VVV Music Group LTD, originally delayed the announcement following a devastating residential building fire in Hong Kong. In a message of condolence, the organization expressed its sympathies before releasing the full slate, underscoring the deep connection between the awards and the city that hosts them.

A New Era of Asian Pop Dominance

The top of this year's nominee leaderboard tells a compelling story about the state of Asian pop music. Jennie's nine career-defining nods reflect not only the strength of her solo album Ruby but also the sustained global pull of BLACKPINK, a group that has redefined what it means to be a K-pop act on the international stage. Her nominations span Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Artist, Best Music Video, and more, making her the clear frontrunner of 2025.

G-Dragon, the iconic BigBang leader, matches Lay Zhang with eight nominations each. Both artists have successfully transitioned from beloved group members to standalone superstars, with G-Dragon's Ubermensch and Lay Zhang's NAO TIAN GONG (Rock the Heavenly Palace) earning major recognition. Jackson Wang, a Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 honoree, follows closely with seven nominations, further cementing his place as one of the most versatile artists in the industry.

What makes this year's list especially notable is the way it reflects the globalization of Asian pop. These four artists all began their careers in Korea-based groups, but their solo ambitions have taken them far beyond traditional K-pop boundaries — with music and collaborations reaching into China, the U.S., and global markets. The APMA nominees are no longer just regional stars; they are international forces.

BLACKPINK Members Rule the Field

Jennie is joined in the nominee ranks by her BLACKPINK bandmates, making the group an undeniable powerhouse at this year's ceremony. Rosé collected six nominations, Jisoo earned five, and Lisa landed four, while BLACKPINK itself also appears as a group on the list. Their collective success at the APMAs is nothing new — the group took home Album of the Year in 2020 for The Album and again in 2022 for Born Pink. All four members have also secured solo wins in past ceremonies, with Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa each earning at least one award at the 2024 APMAs.

This year, the members are competing across multiple categories, including Best Female Artist, where Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé all find themselves among the nominees. It's a rare and exciting occurrence to see four artists from the same group dominate an awards show's marquee category simultaneously.

History Makers and Record Chasers

The 2025 APMAs also spotlight some significant historical moments. Mandopop icon JJ Lin remains the most-awarded artist in APMA history with 16 trophies since the ceremony launched in 2020. He has three nominations this year, including for Best OST with “Blink of Eternity” from Measure in Love, and could extend his record further.

Lay Zhang, however, is chasing more than just a win. With 12 APMA trophies already to his name — tying him with K-pop supergroup SEVENTEEN for the second-most wins — his eight nominations this year give him a genuine opportunity to surpass JJ Lin at the top of the all-time leaderboard. That storyline alone makes his presence at the 2025 ceremony one of the most anticipated in APMA history.

Standout Nominees and Genre-Bending Talent

Beyond the lead pack, the 2025 nominations showcase an impressively diverse range of artists. Chinese pop idol KUN, Japanese singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu, Taiwanese R&B-rock crossover star David Tao, and multinational K-pop girl group aespa all scored four nominations apiece.

Among the most intriguing entries in this year's list:

• Record of the Year features the powerhouse collaboration “Born Again” by LISA x Doja Cat x RAYE, as well as standout tracks from Stray Kids, aespa, XG, BABYMONSTER, and Lay Zhang's “KAI TIAN.”
• Best Collaboration includes JENNIE x Dua Lipa's “Handlebars,” JISOO x ZAYN's “EYES CLOSED,” G-DRAGON x Anderson .Paak's “TOO BAD,” and J-Hope x GloRilla's “Killin’ It Girl.”
• Best Music Video pits KUN's “Deadman” against JENNIE's “ZEN,” LISA's “Dream,” and JOLIN's “Pleasure.”
• Best Global Artist sees international names like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Sabrina Carpenter, and Justin Bieber competing in the same field as Asian acts, highlighting the APMA's expanding scope.

The People's Choice Award remains the only fan-voted category at this year's ceremony. Fans can cast their votes through social platforms including WeChat, Instagram, Weibo, and X (formerly Twitter), with the winners traditionally being announced as part of a Top 10 list.

What This Means for the Industry

The 2025 Asian Pop Music Awards arrive at a crucial moment for the Asian music industry. Solo artists are outshining their group origins, cross-border collaborations are becoming the norm, and streaming platforms have erased geographic boundaries that once limited Asian pop's global reach. The nominees reflect a generation of artists who are no longer waiting for Western validation; they are building their own global infrastructure and bringing the world to Asian pop.

As Hong Kong continues to heal from the late-November tragedy, the ceremony's timing and tone will carry even greater significance. Organizers have not yet confirmed the full event details, and the winners' reveal may be adjusted out of respect for the city's recovery. But the nominations themselves offer a powerful reminder of how far Asian pop has come — and how much further it can go.

With Jennie's remarkable run, Lay Zhang's potential record-breaking moment, and BLACKPINK's collective dominance, the 2025 APMAs are poised to be a defining chapter in the global story of Asian pop. The only question now is which of these extraordinary artists will turn their nominations into gold.

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