IU and Hyuna nominated for awards

Prior to the 2015 Golden Disc Awards, which will be held in Beijing this month, Ilgan Sports, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, will introduce the K-pop groups that have been nominated for grand prizes.

In the sea of new releases, singer-songwriterIU, young sexy diva Hyuna and returning veteran Kim Dong-ryul each captivated music listeners with their distinctive music last year.

IUreleased her album "A Flower Bookmark" in May, in which she covered hits from the '70s and '80s in her own style. Although she did not promote the album, most of the songs were successful on their own.

It was the only album the young singer-songwriter released last year, but she was chosen as singer of the year in a survey conducted by Gallup Korea.

In November, she also won artist of the year at the Melon Music Awards.

Hyuna, a member of girl group 4Minute, ruled the music charts in July with her single "Red", which she especially tailored to her fans.

Kim released his first studio album in six years in October.

By Park Hyun-taek [so@joongang.co.kr]