The Golden Melody Awards (金曲獎), often referred to as the “Taiwanese Grammys”, is an annual music awards event in Taiwan that honors outstanding achievements in the Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and indigenous pop music industries. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan to recognize outstanding achievements in the Taiwanese and Mandarin pop music industry.

It is often compared to the Grammy Awards in the United States due to its significance and prestige in the Mandarin-speaking music world.

Winning a Golden Melody Award can significantly boost an artist’s career, providing recognition and opening up further opportunities in the music industry.

The awards were first presented in 1990, and the 35th Golden Melody Awards will be held on June 29, 2024, at the Taipei Arena. The ceremony will be broadcast live on television and online.

The Live contents of Golden Melody Award 2023 ceremony

In addition to the fashion show of the red carpet, the solemn award ceremonies, and professional singing performances, the host usually plays a role in the atmosphere of the whole ceremony. Though, hosts often make fun of nominees sitting in front of the stage.

The two hosts, Dee Hsu (徐熙娣) and Kevin Tsai (蔡康永), made fun of one nominee of Best Male Mandarin Singer,Wu Qing-feng (吳青峰), in Year 2016

The host was taking care of nominees’ babies in the auditorium.

Here are some of the most notable awards from the Golden Melody Awards:

Vocal category – Record label awards

Album of the Year (年度專輯獎)
Song of the Year (年度歌曲獎)
Best Mandarin Album (最佳華語專輯獎)
Best Taiwanese Album (最佳台語專輯獎)
Best Hakka Album (最佳客語專輯獎)
Best Indigenous Language Album (最佳原住民語專輯獎)
Best Music Video (最佳音樂錄影帶獎)

Instrumental category – Record label awards

Best Instrumental Album (最佳專輯獎)

Instrumental category – Individual awards

Best Instrumental Album Producer (最佳專輯製作人獎)
Best Instrumental Composer (最佳作曲人獎)

Technical category – Individual awards

Best Album Design (最佳專輯裝幀設計獎)

Technical category – Record label awards

Best Vocal Recording Album (最佳演唱錄音專輯獎)
Best Instrumental Recording Album (最佳演奏錄音專輯獎)

Key Points about the Golden Melody Awards:

History

In the early 1980s, Taiwan’s popular music culture was booming, but there were no exclusive awards for music. Therefore, Tsai Chin(蔡琴) wrote a letter to the then Director of Government Information Office, James Soong(宋楚瑜), hoping that the government could hold a large-scale music awards ceremony to support and encourage musicians.

After several years of hard work and preparation, in 1990, the first Golden Melody Awards ceremony finally took place. The host was the goddess, Louise Tsuei (崔苔菁). What was special was that at that time, for the Best New Artist and the Best Male and Female Mandarin Singer awards, the finalists had to sing live, and the judges in the audience immediately selected the winners. In other words, these finalists had to compete with one song. The atmosphere was very exciting and tense.

The first Best Male Singer was Johnny Yin (殷正洋), and the Best Female Singer was Jody Chiang (江蕙). The Best New Artist is Sky Wu (伍思凱).

Criteria and Selection:

The winners are chosen by a panel of industry experts, including musicians, producers, and critics. The selection process is rigorous, aiming to recognize artistic and technical excellence.

Ceremony:

The award ceremony is a grand event, featuring performances by leading artists and attended by numerous celebrities. It is broadcast live on television and followed by millions of viewers.

Song suite presented by Eason Chan in 2015

Who is the biggest snub of Golden Melody Award?

The answer goes to Fish Leong(梁靜茹), who made a debut in 1997, has competed for the Best Female Mandarin Singer for the sixth time. Her songs have accompanied many people through uncomfortable moments in life, and she has been dubbed the “Queen of Healing Love Songs”. There is an urban legend about “Fish Leong” existing in everyone’s heart.

However, her road to Golden Melody Award has been extremely bumpy. She has been shortlisted for six times and has yet to be crowned the winner. Many fans hope that Fish Leong, who tore off the love song label and worked hard to transform in 2020, can win the award she has owed for many years. Take it home! (She was nominated for the sixth time in 2020)

One of my favorite Fish Leong’s songs since I was little.

Artists who have won the most Golden Melody Awards

The artists who have won the most Golden Melody Awards are known for their outstanding musical achievements and sustained influence. Here are some famous artists who have won multiple awards:

Jay Chou(周杰倫): Jay Chou is one of the artists who has won the most Golden Melody Awards. With his innovative music style and versatile performance, he has won many important awards including Best Mandarin Male Singer and Best Album.

Award	Number of Wins	Number of Nominations	Winning Years
Album of the Year Award	3	4	12th(2001), 13th, 15th
Best Mandarin Album Award	1	6	22nd
Best Mandarin Male Singer Award	2	8	20th, 22nd
Best Album Producer Award	1	8	13th
Song of the Year Award	2	6	19th, 20th
Best Composer Award	2	7	13th, 19th
Best Lyricist Award	0	2
Best Arranger Award	0	1
Best Music Video Award	1	3	20th
Best Single Producer Award	1	2	18th
Best Album Producer Award (演奏類) (instrumental category)	1	1	19th
Best Composer Award (演奏類) (instrumental category)	1	1	19th
Best Album Award (演奏類) (instrumental category)	0	1
Best New Artist (最佳新人獎)	0	1

Jolin Tsai(蔡依林): As a pop music queen, Jolin Tsai has also won many awards at the Golden Melody Awards, including Best Mandarin Female Singer and Best Album.

JJ Lin(林俊傑): Singaporean. With his outstanding singing and creative talents, JJ Lin has won the Best Mandarin Male Singer and other important awards at the Golden Melody Awards many times.

Jody Chiang (江蕙):

Jody Chiang is a Taiwanese singer. She began recording albums in the 1980s and retired in 2015, having released over 60 albums. Her trademark ballads and folk songs are typically sung in Taiwanese. Her role in Taiwan’s popular music scene is often compared to that of Teresa Teng(鄧麗君). She is the older sister of Chiang Shu-na(江淑娜).

She has won totally 14 awards in GMA with 1 Best Female Singer award(1990), 5 Album of the Year awards(1993, 2005, 2006,2009, 2011), 4 Best Female Taiwanese Singer awards (2000,2001,2002,2003), 1 Best of Popularity Song award (2009), 1 Best Composition award(1993), 1 Best Lyrics award(2009), 1 Lifetime Contribution Award(2015)

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What is GMA, Golden Melody Awards (金曲獎Jīn qǔ jiǎng)?