Seoul Music Awards: Monster Rookies Clash

The 35th Seoul Music Awards will be held on the 20th at the Inspire Arena in Yeongjongdo, Incheon. The Rookie Award at the Seoul Music Awards has been a gateway to stardom since its inception in 1990 with the late Shin Hae-chul, producing numerous stars. A total of 91 teams have received the honor of winning the award up to the 34th edition. This year, in particular, seven "monster rookies" who have shaken up the music industry are poised for fierce competition for the Rookie Award trophy.

Alpha Drive One recorded 1.44 million copies in initial album sales with their debut album 'EUPHORIA,' ranking second in K-pop debut initial sales history. They achieved top rankings on the Japanese Oricon chart for an extended period and won four music show awards with 'FREAK ALARM.' Currently, they are in first place in the fan vote for the Rookie Award.

Close Your Eyes surpassed 1.2 million cumulative album sales and swept eight Rookie Awards at other award ceremonies. They proved their artistic capabilities with 'OVEREXPOSED,' in which the members directly participated in lyric writing and choreography production, earning them the title of "complete idol."

The 24-member group idntt recorded over 700,000 initial sales with their unit albums 'unevermet' and 'yesweare,' and took first place on terrestrial music shows with 'Pretty Boy Swag.' They were recently named 'K-pop Rookie of the Month' by Billboard Korea.

The nine-member group AHOF, from SBS's 'Universe League,' has won three music show awards with every album released since their first mini-album 'WHO WE ARE.' They have built a global fandom through their debut Asian tour and have established themselves as the next global sensation with their proven live performance skills and diverse charms honed through a survival program.