(From the top) Girls Generation, 2NE1, Brown Eyed Girls and SHINee (Photos courtesy of SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, NegaNetwork and Jonathan Hicap)

K-pop stars Girls Generation, 2NE1, Brown Eyed Girls, SHINee, Kara, Epik High and Baek Ji-young are the only commercial K-pop artists that have garnered nominations in the 7th Korean Music Awards.

Considered as a counterculture and anti-mainstream music awards body, the Korean Music Awards emphasizes on music as an art form and recognizes mostly non-commercial and independent singers in South Korea.

Except for the seven, the KMA shut out major label singers in South Korea where mainstream K-pop artists dominate the scene.

The nominees were selected by a committee that focused solely on the musical value of the artists’ songs and not on album sales or popularity.

All-female K-pop groups Girls Generation (aka SNSD) and Brown Eyed Girls snagged three nominations each.

Girls Generation’s hit song “Gee” and Brown Eyed Girls’ “Abracadabra” are nominated for Song of the Year along with the 3rd Line Butterfly’s “A Heavy Night Fog,” The Black Skirts’ “Like Me,” Broccoli, You Too’s “Universal Song” and Lee Sora’s “Track 8.”

Girls Generation is also nominated in the Best Pop Song for “Tell Me Your Wish” and Best Dance and Electronic Song for “Gee.”

Brown Eyed Girls also bagged nominations in the Best Dance and Electronic Album for “Sound G” and Best Dance and Electronic Song for “Abracadabra”.

2NE1 is nominated for the Best Rookie of the Year award and the Best R&B and Soul Song for “I Don’t Care.”

KARA is competing in the Best Pop Song category for “Mister” and Best Dance and Electronic Song for “Honey.”

Boy band SHINee’s hit song “Ring Ding Dong” is nominated as Best Pop Song. SHINee is the only boy band that is nominated in this year’s Korean Music Awards.

Epik High and Planet Shiver’s “Remixing The Human Soul” is nominated in the Best Dance and Electronic Album category.

The nominees in the 7th Korean Music Awards are:

Album of the Year
The Black Skirts - 201
Broccoli, You Too - Universal Song
Seoul Electric Band - Life is Strange
Swallow - IT
Lee Sora - 7th Album

Song of the Year
3rd Line Butterfly - A Heavy Night Fog
The Black Skirts - Choahaejwo
Brown Eyed Girls - Abracadabra
Broccoli, You Too - Universal Song
Girls' Generation - Gee
Lee Sora - Track 8

Musician of the Year
Drunken Tiger
Seoul Electric Band
Yoon Sang
Lee Sora
Jang Ki Ha & Faces

Rookie of the Year
2NE1
The Black Skirts
Guckkasten
Park Joo Won
Apollo 18

Best Rock Album
49 Morphines - Partial Eclipse
Method - Spiritual Reinforcement
The Moonshiners - Moheomkwangbaekseo
Seoul Electric Band - Life Is Strange
Apollo 18 - The Blue Album
Haneumpa - Dokkam

Best Rock Song
3rd Line Butterfly - A Heavy Night Fog
The Black Skirts - Choahaejwo
Broccoli, You Too - Universal Song
Swallow - Du Saram
Lee Jang Hyuk - Auschwitz Orchestra
Plastic People - Heukbaeksajin

Best Pop Album
No Reply - Road
Park Ji Yoon - Flower, Again the First Time
Summer of Thoughts - Summer of Thoughts
Oh So Young - Tempo
Yoon Jong Shin - Dongne Han Bakwo
Lee Sora - 7th Album

Best Pop Song
Bobby Kim - That Thing Called Love
Park Ji Yoon - Faded Memory
Baek Ji Young - Like Being Hit By A Bullet
SHINee - Ring Ding Dong
Girls' Generation - Tell me your wish (Genie)
Lee Sora - Track 8
Kara - Mister

Best Dance & Electronic Album
Motet - Mo: Tet
Brown Eyed Girls - Sound-G
Epitone Project - Kinyeonghaeng ui Shigan
Epik High & Planet Shiver - Remixing The Human Soul
Yoon Sang - Things I Didn't Know Then
House Rulez - Star House City

Best Dance & Electronic Song
Brown Eyed Girls - Abracadabra
Girls' Generation - Gee
House Rulez - High School Disco (Day)
Baek Ji Young - My Ear Candy
Kara - Honey
Yoon Sang - Let's go

Best Rap & Hip Hop Album
Drunken Tiger - Feel Ghood Muzik: The 8th Wonder
Verbal Jint - The Good Die Young
Unspoken - Rainbow 7
Pento - Pentoxic
P - Type - The Vintage

Best Rap & Hip Hop Song
Dynamic Duo - Keep The Change
Drunken Tiger - Monster (English ver.)
Rhyme Attack - K-bonics
Verbal Jint - Infernal Affairs
Overclass - San E - Rap Genius

Best R&B & Soul Album
Kim Shin Il - Soul Soul Soul
Deez - Envy Me
Ra.D - Realcollabo
All That - Touch Me
Jung Yup - Thinking Back On Me

Best R&B & Soul Song
2NE1 - I Don't care
Deez - Devil's Candy
All That - Missing U
Jung Gi Go - Byebyebye
Jung Yup - You Are My Lady

Best Jazz & Crossover Song
Check Kim/Jaeil Jung - The Methodologies
Malo - This Moment
Jangeun Bae Trio - Go
Youngjoo Song Trio - Love Never Fails
Jo Yun Seong - Bach Renovation

Best Jazz & Crossover Album
Ccotbyel - Yellow Butterfly
Park Joo Won - Jipshi ui Shigan
Sim Seong Rak - Listen To The Music Of The Wind
Yang Bang Ean -Timeless Story
Pudditorium - Episode: Ibyeol

Best Jazz & Crossover Performance
Check Kim/Jaeil Jung - The Methodologies
Park Joo Won - Jipshi ui Shigan
Jangeun Bae Trio - Go
Youngjoo Song Trio - Love Never Fails
Sim Seong Rak - Listen To The Music Of The Wind
Jo Yun Seong - Bach Renovation

Best Film and TV Music Album
National Athlete
Noodle Road
Mother
Thirst
Haeundae/Tidal Wave

There will also be a Musician of the Year Netizen Vote which will be based solely on online votes.