A Co-Ed Group in a “Female” Category
ALLDAY PROJECT being nominated for Fans Choice Female at the 2025 MAMA Awards feels… off. They’re a mixed-gender group, yet they’re competing alongside female acts. It’s a sign of how inconsistent MAMA’s category system has become.
A Lost Category
Interestingly, the organizer Mnet used to have a category tailored for mixed-gender groups. From 2000 to 2009 there was a Best Mixed Group award that recognised groups that had male and female members.
After the category was retired, co-ed groups had to slip into male or female categories (or general ones) depending on how they were marketed. Today, there are still enough active co-ed groups (KARD, AKMU, Koyote, and Clazziquai) to justify reviving the category.
So why didn’t Mnet bring back Best Mixed Group this year? If ADP is nominated as a “female” act, what does that say about the Fans Choice category now?
The System Doesn’t Know What It Wants
This year, MAMA merged the male and female rookie awards into one Best New Artist category. It was a small acknowledgment that gender doesn’t define artistry or impact. Yet, when it came to finalizing the nominees for the Fans Choice category, they took three steps back.
ALLDAY PROJECT was added to the list of idols fans can vote for in the Fans Choice Female category. The decision is probably strategic. Fans Choice Female usually has less competition than the male category. Slotting a co-ed group there could subtly improve their odds.
At the same time, the criteria of how winners are chosen for MAMA’s changed. Judges’ scores now hold more weight while the importance of album sales has been reduced. This change could favor groups with strong industry backing or lower sales but are favored by the judges.
How MAMA’s Structure Compares to Others
What makes this mishap stand out is how other major award shows have handled gender-based categories. The Melon Music Awards doesn’t use gender for their main awards. They do have male and female categories for Best Solo Artist and Best Group. The Circle Chart Music Awards (formerly Gaon Chart Music Awards) focus on measurable metrics like streams, sales, chart performance with no need to split artists by gender.
MAMA, on the other hand, keeps one foot in the past. It wants to feel modern, but it’s still anchored to a structure built around gender lines. It’s a split identity that doesn’t hold up in 2025. The industry has changed. The audiences have changed. Yet Mnet is clinging to an outdated system that sorts artists by gender first, talent second.
What Do Gendered Categories Even Mean Anymore?
ALLDAY PROJECT’s nomination shows how limiting it is to define an artist’s worth by their gender. If a co-ed group can be nominated in a female category, what does “female” even mean in this context? Is it an aesthetic? A target demographic? A marketing label? None of those are valid metrics.
This isn’t about nitpicking one nomination. MAMA fails to reflect what K-pop actually looks like today. Instead of separating idols based on gender, maybe Mnet should have a Fans Choice for Performance or Fans Choice for Best Vocals. These categories measure skill and artistry without relying on gender.
ALLDAY PROJECT’s nomination for Fans Choice Female isn’t just confusing. It shows how inconsistent these gender-based categories have become. The fans have moved on from using gender as a metric to define someone’s artistry. The artists themselves have, too. Now award shows need to catch up.
