YENA walked away with two trophies at the 2026 Korea Grand Music Awards, and she made sure her team knew exactly who deserved the credit. The singer, whose full name is Choi Ye-na, won Best Solo and Best Music at the ceremony’s Music Day on Saturday, 8 November 2026, at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, in one of the standout solo moments of the weekend.
Accepting the Best Solo trophy first, YENA thanked fans for supporting her throughout her solo career. “Since debuting as a solo artist, I’ve been climbing one step at a time, and there were many times I fell short or was inexperienced. I’m grateful to my fans for giving me their support without holding back,” she said, according to reports. After winning Best Music to complete the double, she added: “This award is not mine but my staff’s.” She also told the audience she felt so thankful it was as though the day might be her birthday.
A big night for solo stars
The third annual Korea Grand Music Awards took place over two days, 7 and 8 November, with Music Day hosted by Kim Jae-won and IVE’s Liz. YENA shared the Best Solo honours with SHINee’s Minho, who won the male prize, while she took the female prize. The Best Music list was long and star-studded, including IVE, aespa, NMIXX, WayV, TWS, Hearts2Hearts, RIIZE, ATEEZ and ITZY, with ATEEZ winning the Grand Record trophy for the second year in a row and ITZY taking home five awards as the night’s biggest winner.
Away from the podium, YENA also held interviews below the stage with fellow artists including ALPHA DRIVE ONE, KiiiKiii, Minho and ATEEZ. She then delivered a special remix stage that combined her hit “Catch Catch” with T-ara’s “Bo Peep Bo Peep”, bringing a bright energy to the ceremony that fans praised online.
From Produce 48 to a double win
YENA, born 29 September 1999, first found fame as a member of the South Korean-Japanese girl group IZ*ONE, after finishing fourth on Mnet’s reality survival show Produce 48. She made her solo debut on 17 January 2022 with her first EP, Smiley, and has built her solo career step by step since then, releasing her fifth EP, Love Catcher, on 11 March 2026 and touring Asia through the spring and summer.
The double win at the KGMA caps a busy year for the singer, who is set to release a remake of “Sakuranbo”, the 2003 hit by Japanese singer Ai Otsuka, on 17 November. For a soloist who once described herself as climbing one step at a time, Saturday night was proof of how far those steps have taken her: two trophies, one stage, and a thank-you that belonged to her staff.
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