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The 18th High1 Seoul Music Awards ceremony will unfold on the 12th of next month at Gangwon-do Taebaek-si’s Gowon Auditorium and balance the books once and for all on 2008’s music industry.

Voting for the event—which will be sponsored by SportsSeoul and hosted by High1 Resort—already began on January 8th and will continue until the 11th of next month on the Seoul Music Award website (seoul.incomms.co.kr). Though it is just one part of the process for selecting winners, mobile voting will reflect 20% of the final standards used to determine the recipients of the ‘Seoul Music Award’ (of which there will be ten), the ‘Newcomer Award’, and the ‘Mobile Popularity Award’. Additional criteria for judging winners will include digital music sales, popular research conducted by the firm, and an evaluation by the judging board.

There are 31 nominees in contention for a ‘Seoul Music Award’, 10 nominees up for the ‘Newcomer Award’, and 41 nominees for the ‘Mobile Popularity Award’. There is fierce competition taking place in each of categories.

First off, the nominees for the ‘Seoul Music Awards’ include top stars who were the most outstanding participants in the music industry in 2008. Nominees include:
– TVXQ, who recorded the highest in album sales after the release of their 4th album ‘Mirotic’ last September.
– Big Bang, winners of the top award at the 17th Seoul Music Awards.
– Wonder Girls, of fame, who also had consecutive hits last year with and .
– Kim JongKook, who had a successful comeback after his return from military service through his hit .
– Baek JiYoung, who proved, once again, that she was deserving of the title ‘Ballad Queen’ after charting a big hit with her sorrowful ballad .
– Lee HyoRi, who showcased both her sexy and easy-going charms simultaneously with .
Other stars in line for the honor included: Son DamBi with , MC Mong with , Brown Eyed Girls with , and Tei with .

When it comes to mobile voting in general, there are a number of groups fighting over the ranks.
– TVXQ, with the support of their powerful fan-club.
– FT Island, who received love for their song .
– Big Bang, who had consecutive hits with and .
However, TVXQ, FT Island, Big Bang, SHINee, and the Wonder Girls, are all contenders for the ‘Mobile Popularity Award’ with each of the teams leading or trailing at any given time.

There are more sparks flying right now in the contest for the ‘Newcomer Award’ category than in any previous year.
– SHINee, who quickly rose to the popularity after receiving attention through , , and .
– 2PM and 2AM, both protégés of JYP and company.
– Davichi, the female group who made hits of and .
– Mighty Mouth, the male duo who managed to stand out through their cheerful melodies and featurings.
Also listed among the nominees were JOO with and IU with .

Meanwhile, there is also an event being held for fans participating in the mobile voting. 5 winners will receive the opportunity to represent fans by presenting the winning artists with flowers onstage and attending the awards ceremony. 25 winners will get the chance to attend the rehearsal for the event.

The 18th Seoul Music Awards will be broadcast live on cable channel YTN STAR on February 12 from 5PM-8PM.

By: Kim SangHo @ SportsSeoul (sangho94@sportsseoul.com)
Source: SportsSeoul
Translation: ppopki@wgspectacle
Credit: sunmijjang.wordpress.com
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