Enhypen wins Special International Music Award at Japan Record Awards

Boy band Enhypen [BELIFT LAB]

Boy band Enhypen won the Special International Music Award at the 65th Japan Record Awards on Wednesday, becoming the fastest artist to win the award.

The awards are aired live annually on Dec. 30 on Japanese broadcasting channel TBS and are organized by the Japan Composer's Association.

The awards started in 1959 and are one of the oldest and most prestigious music awards in Japan.

The Special International Music Award, first introduced in 2020, recognizes international acts active in Japan.

BTS was the first to win the award.

"We are thrilled to have received this award," Enhypen said in a press release. "We will become an artist that is remembered by many people and return the love and gratitude to the fans around the world."

Enhypen debuted as a seven-member band in November 2020 under Belift Lab, a HYBE subsidiary. The band was formed in September of the same year through cable network Mnet and HYBE's audition show "I-LAND" (2020).

It recently dropped its fifth EP "Orange Blood" on Friday, which topped Oricon's daily album chart on Tuesday. The album also sold 1.38 million copies on the first day of its release, breaking its first week sales of its previous EP "Dark Blood," according to album sales tracker Hanteo Chart.

To find out more about Enhypen, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]