The 40th Golden Disc Awards ceremony was a highly anticipated event that generated significant online discussion and controversy surrounding fashion choices, artist interactions, and award decisions, particularly focusing on Blackpink's Jenny.
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The Golden Disc Awards quickly became
one of the most talked about events of
the year. Beyond the stunning outfits
and unforgettable performances, the
night also stirred its fair share of
controversies and discussions which are
still going on days after the show
ended. So, let's get into everything
that happened. On January 10th, the
Golden Disc Awards returned for their
40th edition with a massive ceremony
held at Taipei Dome in Taiwan organized
by HLLL Jungang. Over the course of 6
hours, around 40,000 fans filled the
venue to watch artists compete across 15
different categories alongside
large-scale stages that highlighted the
biggest songs and performers of 2025.
The night featured an impressive lineup
with groups like Lerae, IV, ATS, Monster
X, and Hypen and Isna taking over the
stage. While major names such as Gragon,
Jenny, and Stray Kids walked away with
the most talked about awards. As
expected from an event of this size, the
ceremony did not pass without stirring
debate online. From fashion choices to
performances, reactions, and even
certain wins, the show quickly became a
hot topic, turning the night into one of
the most discussed awards ceremonies in
recent years. Among all the moments that
sparked conversation, the red carpet
look stood out first, especially one
that immediately divided opinions. All
Day Projects Tarzan drew heavy attention
the moment he appeared, wearing a tight
leather top paired with black pants and
sunglasses. While the outfit itself
already leaned toward a bold image, what
truly caught people's eyes was his hair,
which was styled extremely short and
covered with multiple silver hair clips.
This marked a sharp shift from the
hairstyles he had previously been known
and highly criticized for, making the
look feel unexpected and intentionally
striking. Some viewers praised the
styling for pushing limits and
experimenting with image, calling it
daring and unconventional. His fans
wrote comments like, "This is how you
make a fashion statement." And Tarzan
Boy never failed to impress us with his
style. At the same time, plenty of
people were far from impressed and
quickly pushed back against the praise.
A lot of the criticism centered on
comparisons to rapper ASAP Rocky, with
commenters saying the styling felt
almost identical to looks he has already
worn in the past. Because of that, some
questioned why Tarzon's image was being
labeled as original at all, arguing that
his artistic identity relies too heavily
on borrowing from black artists rather
than creating something new. The
discussion then widened beyond Tarzan
himself, turning into criticism of K-pop
as a whole. One commenter pointed out
that idols often take inspiration from
non-Corean artists, especially black
creators, and then get praised for being
unique. According to them, the real
issue appears later when another idol
does something similar, and fans accuse
that idol of copying a Korean artist
instead of acknowledging the black
artist who introduced the look in the
first place. They ended their comment
with, "The entire foundation of K-pop is
stolen from other artists, yet the
industry and the fans are full of people
who like to act as if they created it."
Another moment that quickly turned into
a heated topic online had nothing to do
with the awards themselves and
everything to do with a brief
interaction caught on camera. While the
show was ongoing, NCT Wishes Riku
surprised viewers with a short unplanned
dance cover of EXO's The Eve, instantly
drawing attention for how sharp and
confident his movements were, with many
praising his control and stage presence
despite the casual setting. The issue
only started once fans looked more
closely at what was happening in the
background. James from Cortis, who was
seated behind Riku at the time, was seen
reacting with repeated and noticeably
exaggerated facial expressions as the
dance went on. Once clips began
circulating online, especially among
international fans, those reactions were
quickly criticized with many people
interpreting them as unnecessary,
mocking, and disrespectful. A Twitter
user responded to the moment, posting,
"Is it just a common occurrence for
Cortis to be blatantly rude? He's making
nasty facial expressions when all Riku
is doing is dancing." For many fans,
this moment did not exist in isolation,
as it immediately brought up past
criticism James had already faced just a
month earlier. Back in December, he had
been called out during the Mama Awards
for his reaction toward Baby Monsters
Ayan's high notes, which some viewers
also described as rude and
inappropriate. Because of that, people
were quick to connect the two incidents,
with a few going as far as labeling him
as a pickme and accusing him of trying
to pull focus onto himself instead of
letting Riku have his moment. That said,
the backlash was far from unanimous. A
large number of viewers felt the outrage
was blown out of proportion and argued
that the reaction said more about fan
expectations than James himself. They
pointed out how idols are often
criticized for looking blank or
unresponsive during performances, yet
are attacked the moment they show
visible reactions. According to this
side of the discussion, James appeared
genuinely impressed, even following
along with the choreography rather than
making fun of Riku. One supporter summed
it up by saying, "He's literally doing
the moves with them and his facial shows
that he's impressed. Please move along
and get off of him. Before we get into
the other controversial moments of the
night, don't forget to like the video,
subscribe to the channel, and turn your
notifications on so you don't miss
anything. By far the most talked about
moments of the night were tied to
Blackpink's Jenny, who essentially
became the center of the entire
ceremony. From the moment she arrived,
attention followed her as she stepped
onto the red carpet in a strapless
corset style dress with flowing draped
sleeves. [music] The look highlighted
her silhouette without feeling
excessive, while a striking diamond and
ruby necklace added a touch of luxury.
She later walked away with three major
awards as a solo artist, which quickly
sparked debate. Jenny received the best
digital song Bonong for like Jenny, the
global impact award, and the newly
introduced artist of the year day song.
Since this was the first time the
ceremony had ever given out this day
song, with previous years only
recognizing song of the year and album
of the year, some viewers questioned the
timing, accusing the show of creating
the award specifically to honor her,
arguing that her chart performance did
not justify such a top prize. One post
on the Korean community site, Pan gained
significant attention for claiming that
the ceremony rushed to introduce a new
grand award simply to ensure Jenny would
receive it. The post went on to read,
"People are dragging them because the
judging criteria are ridiculously vague.
just give her a participation or
lifetime achievement award instead,
wondering why they couldn't give the
award to other artists who had good
results. Still, that criticism did not
fully land with everyone. Many
commenters pushed back, arguing that
when looking at overall impact and
recognition, there simply were not many
releases that outperformed Like Jenny
during the period in question. Aside
from K-pop Demon Hunter Golden, which
was often mentioned as the only real
competitor, fans felt that Jenny's song
stood above the rest, making the award
feel justified in their eyes. Another
commenter said in obvious confusion,
"Huh?" Jenny's impact is insanely
obvious. How is this rushed? Even with
all the attention surrounding her
awards, nothing sparked more backlash
than Jenny's performance itself. Her
solo performance, which lasted almost 8
minutes and was built around songs from
her album Ruby, such as Filter, Damn
Right, and the title track Like Jenny,
was positioned as the biggest solo
moment of the night. But it also became
the most heavily criticized almost
immediately. Online discussions turned
harsh with some viewers going as far as
calling it the worst stage of the entire
award show. Much of the criticism
focused on her live vocals with people
claiming she was not properly singing
and instead shouting at different
volumes, claiming that they were
noticeable voice cracks. Others shifted
their attention to her choreography,
describing her movements as sloppy and
unpolished and questioning how someone
with a decade of experience could
perform that way. There were also
accusations that the large number of
backup dancers was used to pull focus
away from what critics viewed as weak
singing, rapping, and dancing. Another
critic wrote, "Jenny has zero singing
technique. Her expressions are always so
strange, too, acting like she did
something groundbreaking with her
yelping and shrieking." Even among those
who liked the performance, there were
still criticisms. Many claimed that her
energy didn't stay consistent
throughout, saying she seemed to run out
of stamina and was noticeably out of
breath by the end, which they felt
weakened an otherwise strong stage.
Another controversy erupted around a
short clip that quickly went viral
online which was unrelated to the
performance. The video captured Jenny
returning to her seat after her stage.
Seeing as she had performed non-stop for
8 minutes, by the time she reached her
seat, she was visibly drained and sank
into the chair, clearly exhausted from
the performance. But the person who
shared the clip accused her of faking
tiredness to gain sympathy. A claim that
spread fast and racked up nearly 7
million views, sparking heated debates
across social media. As the video
circulated, many fans and viewers jumped
to her defense, arguing that the
criticism was unfair and overblown. They
stressed that anyone who had just
completed such a physically demanding
performance would naturally show signs
of fatigue. Not to mention, she had also
received back-to-back awards, which had
her going up to the stage three times,
so it's no wonder that she felt tired.
Countless Nisonens questioned why
showing real exhaustion should even be
criticized, calling it yet another
example of the impossible standards
female idols, especially top tier stars
like Jenny are expected to meet. Fans
and the public quickly came to her
defense, arguing that the backlash she
was facing was completely unwarranted.
Many Korean netisonens praised her stage
presence, saying she commanded attention
from start to finish. They highlighted
her powerful voice, infectious energy,
and captivating aura, noting that every
moment felt magnetic and entertaining. A
number of viewers even went so far as to
claim this performance surpassed her
Melon Music Award stage, a statement
that speaks volumes about how impressive
it was. One user wrote, "She raps,
dances, sings, and has a unique aura.
She's a complete package ace queen, it
girl." When it comes to idols like
Jenny, it often feels like criticism
isn't meant to be helpful at all.
Instead of pointing out ways to improve,
people latch on to every little detail
of a performance, whether it actually
deserves critique or not. The so-called
feedback quickly turns into pure
negativity aimed at tearing her down.
Thankfully, online noise is just online
noise, and it doesn't affect her
standing. Everything else considered,
Jenny is still one of the hardest
working and cherished idols in the
industry, and no amount of online
backlash can change that. What moment
from the Golden Disc Awards stood out to
you the most? Share your favorite
highlights in the comments below, and
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