The 3rd ‘ASEA 2026’ Launches Round 2 of Main Voting Today (April 2nd)… Intense Competition Begins for Top 20 Nominees

The ‘3rd ASIA STAR ENTERTAINER AWARDS 2026 (ASEA 2026),’ a premier global music awards ceremony, officially commenced Round 2 of its main voting today, April 2, at 11:00 AM (KST), marking the start of an intensified race for the trophies.

This second round of voting features the top 20 artists in each category, selected based on the results of the Round 1 voting held in March. The final standings for this round will be calculated by combining 50% of the Round 1 scores with 100% of the Round 2 scores. Notably, cumulative points from previous monthly pre-votings will not be factored into the Round 2 results. With only the top 10 artists from each category advancing to the Final Voting stage, the enthusiasm from global fans is expected to reach new heights.

Leading artists who secured first place in their respective categories during Round 1 continue to show strong momentum. This includes PLAVE (The Best Group - Male), ISEGYE IDOL (The Best Group - Female), Lim Young Woong (The Best Solo - Male, Trot, and Fan Choice - Singer), Sunmi (The Best Solo - Female), QWER (The Best New Artist), ATEEZ Jongho (The Best O.S.T), Cha Eun-woo (The Best Actor - Male), Yoona (The Best Actor - Female), AHOF (Fan Choice - 5th Generation Artist), Lee Junho (Fan Choice - Actor), and Lee Chaemin & Yoona of ‘The Tyrant’s Chef’ (Fan Choice - Couple). All eyes are on whether these frontrunners can maintain their lead through Round 2.

Meanwhile, top-tier nominees from Round 1, including BTS Jin, Hearts2Hearts, Lee Chan-won, TWS, Byeon Wooseok, and Kim Hyeyoon, are poised for a fierce comeback, signaling a tight competition for the top spots.

Global fans can participate through the official voting platforms: PODOAL, mubeat, and my1pick. Voting for Round 2 allows up to 200 votes per category per day and will continue until April 19 at 11:59 PM (KST). The combined results from the three platforms will be updated daily at noon (KST) on the official ASEA website.

The excitement for the 'Fan Choice' categories (5th Generation Artist, Singer, Actor, and Couple), which are determined 100% by fan votes, will persist even after Round 2 concludes. Final Voting for these categories is scheduled to run from April 29 until the on-site polls close on the day of the ceremony, May 17. Consequently, the results of this Round 2 vote are seen as a critical turning point that will shape the final outcome.

‘ASEA 2026’ will take place on May 16 and 17 at the Belluna Dome in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Co-hosted by Newsen and @style and organized by the ASEA Organizing Committee, the ceremony continues to draw significant anticipation from music fans worldwide with its expanded scale and star-studded global lineup.