King Gnu bags Best Video of the Year and Best New Artist Video at MTV VMAJ 2019

Fans entertained at live event by stellar line-up of artists, including GLAY, Daichi Miura and INTERSECTION

Japanese rock band King Gnu became the first artist in the history of the MTV VMAJ to bag both Best Video of the Year and Best New Artist Video. King Gnu’s ‘Hakujitsu’ earned the most fan votes across all categories, earning it the award of Best Video of the Year. The theme song from a drama, the ‘Hakujitsu’ music video is a huge hit with more than 62 million plays.

The MTV VMAJ is an annual music event that recognises and honours the best music videos. It has been held since 2002 as the Japanese version of the largest music award ceremony, MTV Video Music Awards, in the United States.

Winners for each category were selected by a committee comprising MTV creative directors in Japan and other international regions.

“It was great to see the different creative approaches to each performance. The international videos are very elaborate in composition, whereas the Japanese performances tend to be more structured and nuanced in their style. When we look at King Gnu’s ‘Hakujitsu,’ it highlights their charm and strong presence through their sophisticated, studio-shot monochrome video. As a result, King Gnu won both Best New Artist Video and Best Video of the Year by viewers’ vote, proving their success as a band well on their way to stardom,” said Simon Bates, Head of MTV Asia Pacific, Viacom International Media Networks.

Among the other awards given out were Best Male Video – Japan, which went to Daichi Miura who has won five other MTV VMAJ awards in the past; Best Alternative Video which was won by BiSH; and Best Choreography by Hinatazaka46 for their song ‘Kyun.’ BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE and K-pop group THE BOYZ took home awards for Rising Star while Foorin, the youngest ever VMAJ performer, won for MTV Breakthrough Song. Japanese rock band GLAY, who celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, were honoured with the MTV Rock the World Award.

Daichi Miura, BiSH, Hinatazaka46, BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE, THE BOYZ, Foorin and GLAY thrilled fans with live performances at the event, along with guest acts INTERSECTION and Sanari.

The event, MTV VMAJ 2019 – LIVE, was held at Studio Coast in Tokyo on September 18, and will be broadcast by MTV in Japan, China, Australia/New Zealand, and Southeast Asia from September 22. Please check local listings for airing details.

Sponsors for the event included Daimaru-Matsuzakaya, DIP Corporation, General Motors Japan, GYAO!, Mitsubishi Electronics Corporation, The Monogatari Corporation, QUICPay, uP!!!LivePass. For more information, please visit http://www.mtvjapan.com/vmaj/2019

FULL LIST OF WINNERS FOR THE MTV VMAJ 2019

• Best Video of the Year: King Gnu「Hakujitsu」（OSRIN）              
• Best Male Video – Japan: Daichi Miura「Katasumi」（Hirotaka Shimizu）
• Best Male Video – International: Khalid「Talk」（Emil Nava）
• Best Female Video – Japan: Aimyon「Konya kono mama」（Tomokazu Yamada）    
• Best Female Video – International: Taylor Swift「Me! feat. BRENDON URIE OF PANIC! AT THE DISCO」（Dave Meyers & Taylor Swift）
• Best Group Video – Japan: Keyakizaka46「Kuroi Hitsuji」（Ryohei Shingu）         
• Best Group Video – International: THE 1975「Sincerity is Scary」（Warren Fu）
• Best New Artist Video – Japan: King Gnu「Hakujitsu」（OSRIN）
• Best New Artist Video – International: Billie Eilish「Bad Guy」（Dave Meyers）
• Best Rock Video: BUMP OF CHICKEN「Aurora」（Kyotaro Hayashi）        
• Best Alternative Video: BiSH「stereo future」（Masaki Ohkita）
• Best Pop Video: Suda Masaki「Machigaisagashi」（Kyotaro Hayashi）    
• Best Hip Hop Video: KREVA「Neiro ～2019 Ver.～」（Masaki Ohkita）
• Best Dance Video: Sakanaction「Wasurerarenaino」（Yusuke Tanaka） 
• Best Collaboration Video: Sheena Ringo & Hiroji Miyamoto「The Narrow Way」（Yuichi Kodama）
• Best Choreography: Hinatazaka46「Kyun」（Hayato Ando）

SPECIAL AWARDS

• MTV Rock the World Award: GLAY
• Artist of the Year: ONE OK ROCK
• Best Album of the Year: Gen Hoshino「POP VIRUS」
• Best Buzz Award: BTS
• Best Song Award: Official Hige Dandism「Pretender」
• Rising Star Award: BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE, THE BOYZ
• MTV Breakthrough Song: Foorin「Paprika」