ALPHA DRIVE ONE added two more trophies to its breakout rookie year at the 2026 Korea Grand Music Awards (KGMA), winning the IS Rising Star award and Best Music at the ceremony held on November 8 at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome.
The wins cap a remarkable debut year for the WAKEONE boy group, which has now collected 17 trophies at major domestic and international awards ceremonies since debuting in January, according to Sports Kyunghyang.
Member Xinlong also took home the Popularity Award, giving the group honors in both the group and individual categories on the same night.
The group also lit up the KGMA stage with energetic performances of “FREAK ALARM” and “BORN DIRE,” with a sharp dance break between the two songs that drew cheers from the arena.
Accepting the awards, the members thanked their fans, ALLYZ, for standing by them. “It is an honor to receive such a precious award,” the group said on stage. “Just being able to perform on stage is truly precious to us, and to also receive a rookie award is unbelievable — we are so grateful. We thank ALLYZ, who always embraces us.”
ALPHA DRIVE ONE debuted on January 12 with its first mini album “EUPHORIA,” which sold 1,441,270 copies in its first week on the Hanteo Chart. Its second mini album, “UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST,” followed on August 24 and sold 1,139,747 copies in its first week, bringing the two albums’ combined first-week sales to 2,581,017.
The group has also made inroads overseas. The second mini album was officially released in the United States on October 2 and went on to rank No. 5 on Billboard’s World Albums chart, No. 9 on Emerging Artists and No. 20 on Top Album Sales in the October 17-dated charts.
The momentum has shown up in brand rankings as well: ALPHA DRIVE ONE ranked highest among boy groups that debuted in 2026 in the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute’s November rookie idol group brand reputation rankings.
The KGMA haul adds to a debut year that has already made ALPHA DRIVE ONE one of 2026’s most decorated rookie groups, and the seven-member act heads into the final stretch of the year with its “top rookie of 2026” reputation firmly backed by results.
