Golden Melody Awards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Golden Melody Awards
Presented by	Ministry of Culture (Taiwan)
Location	Taiwan
Country	Taiwan
First awarded	January 6, 1990; 35 years ago (1990-01-06)

The Golden Melody Awards (simplified Chinese: 金曲奖; traditional Chinese: 金曲獎; pinyin: Jīnqǔ Jiǎng), often called GMA, are super important music awards in Taiwan. They are given out by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture. These awards celebrate amazing achievements in popular and traditional music.

The music can be in different languages like Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Formosan languages. Winners are chosen by a group of judges. Many people think the GMAs are like the Grammy Awards for the Chinese-speaking world. They are as famous in music as the Golden Bell Awards are for TV and the Golden Horse Awards are for movies.

The very first Golden Melody Awards happened on January 6, 1990. It was a big event to celebrate popular music. After the 1996 show, the awards got some major updates in 1997.

In 1997, the awards were split into two main groups: one for popular music and one for traditional music. By 2007, these two groups even had their own separate award ceremonies. Since 2014, the traditional music awards have been managed by the National Center for Traditional Arts. This is another part of the Ministry of Culture.

Some recent award shows had to be moved because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the 31st and 32nd ceremonies were held later in 2020 and 2021. The 33rd awards took place on July 2, 2022, in Kaohsiung. This was the first time the show returned to Kaohsiung since the 16th awards.

A Look at the Golden Melody Awards Ceremonies

The Golden Melody Awards have been held in different cities across Taiwan. Most of the popular music ceremonies take place in Taipei. However, Kaohsiung has also hosted the event a few times.

The traditional music awards often happen in different places too. For example, the National Center for Traditional Arts in Wujie has hosted them. The Taiwan Traditional Theatre Center in Taipei is another common venue for traditional music awards.

Here's a list of the past Golden Melody Awards ceremonies:

Award Categories

The Golden Melody Awards have many different categories. They are split into two main groups: popular music and traditional arts and music.

Popular Music Awards

These awards celebrate popular songs and albums. They also recognize the talented people who create them.

Awards for Record Labels

These awards go to the record companies for their amazing music.

• Album of the Year
• Song of the Year
• Best Mandarin Album
• Best Taiwanese Album
• Best Hakka Album
• Best Indigenous Language Album
• Best Music Video

Awards for Individual Artists

These awards celebrate the singers, songwriters, and producers.

• Best Composition (for the music itself)
• Best Lyrics (for the words in the song)
• Best Music Arrangement (how the instruments are put together)
• Producer of the Year, Album (for making a whole album)
• Producer of the Year, Single (for making one song)
• Best Male Mandarin Singer
• Best Female Mandarin Singer
• Best Male Taiwanese Singer
• Best Female Taiwanese Singer
• Best Hakka Singer
• Best Indigenous Language Singer
• Best Band
• Best Vocal Group
• Best New Artist

Instrumental Music Awards

These awards are for music without singing.

Instrumental Awards for Record Labels

• Best Instrumental Album

Instrumental Awards for Individuals

• Best Instrumental Album Producer
• Best Instrumental Composer

Technical Awards

These awards recognize the technical side of music production.

Technical Awards for Individuals

• Best Album Design

Technical Awards for Record Labels

• Best Vocal Recording Album
• Best Instrumental Recording Album

Special Awards

These are unique awards given for special achievements.

• Special Contribution Award
• Jury Award (chosen by the judges)

Traditional Arts and Music Awards

These awards celebrate traditional music and performing arts.

Publishing Awards for Albums

These awards are for different types of traditional albums.

• Best Traditional Album
• Best Art Music Album
• Best Fusion Album
• Best Audiovisual Album (for videos of traditional performances)
• Best Religious Music Album

Publishing Awards for Individuals

These awards recognize the people who create and perform traditional music.

• Best Creation
• Best Album Producer
• Best Interpretation (for how well someone performs)
• Best Recording

Performance Awards

These awards are for live performances.

• Best Performance of the Year (for groups)
• Best New Artist (for new individual performers)
• Best Actor (Actress) of the Year

Special Award

• Lifetime Contribution Award (for someone who has done amazing things over many years)