MACAU, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The inaugural WIEA Weibo International Entertainment Awards was held from April 25 to 26, 2026, at Galaxy Arena in Macau, bringing together some of the biggest names in Asian entertainment from China, South Korea, and Thailand. Hosted by Weibo, one of China’s most influential social media platforms, the highly anticipated international entertainment gala drew a capacity crowd and featured headline performances from Thai actors and singers BILLKIN and PP KRIT, EXO member and soloist BAEKHYUN, Korean-American hip-hop star Jay Park, rising K-pop group RIIZE, Hong Kong mega-group MIRROR (members Keung To, Ian Chan, Anson Lo, and Edan Lui), and Chinese singer and actor Zhan Xuan.
During the ceremony, one of the most talked-about moments came when Jay Park took to the stage as the final act on his birthday, delivering a medley of hit songs and a limited-edition collaborative performance with LNGSHOT. After the set, the artists celebrated his birthday together on stage, with fans erupting in a chorus of “Happy Birthday.” BAEKHYUN surprised fans with a Mandarin rendition of the ballad I Truly Believe and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to fans in Chinese: ” Thank you, Cherry (BAEKHYUN’s fandom name), for letting me stand here. No matter how far apart we are, love can always reach across. Thank you for your unwavering love. My feelings for you have never changed — so please, keep running with me into the future. I love you.” The flawless performances and heartfelt message to fans reflected Weibo’s key role in connecting Chinese and international entertainment cultures.
19 Honors Unveiled Across Two Days of Live Spectacle
The ceremony awarded 19 honors spanning individual, group, and institutional categories:
- DOMMIU (Li Youyin) — Rising Star of the Year
- LNGSHOT — Breakthrough Group of the Year (Overseas)
- Hearts2Hearts — Fan Favorite Group the Year (Overseas)
- RIIZE — Emerging Group of the Year (Overseas)
- SM Entertainment — Label of the Year (Overseas)
- BILLKIN — Breakthrough Artist of the Year (Overseas)
- PP KRIT — Popular Artist of the Year (Overseas)
- Jay Park — All-Around Artist of the Year (Overseas)
- IRENE — Popular Solo Artist of the Year (Overseas)
- 82MAJOR — Promising Group of the Year (Overseas)
- Thomas (Zhuang Xingkai) — Promising Artist (Overseas)
- Kong (Zhu Junrong) — New Artist of the Year (Overseas)
- Zee (Li Haihai) — Artist to Watch of the Year (Overseas)
- NuNew (Lin Jingyun) — Artist on the Rise of the Year (Overseas)
- STAYC — Best Group Stage Performance of the Year (Overseas)
- Apink — Icon Group of the Year (Overseas)
- Zhan Xuan — Fan Favorite Artist of the Year
- MIRROR — Group in the Spotlight of the Year
- BAEKHYUN — Influential Artist of the Year (Overseas)
The scene of the inaugural WIEA Weibo International Entertainment Awards
Jay Park and BAEKHYUN headlined a two-day performance lineup that brought together a diverse mix of artists and styles, turning WIEA into a continuous, high-energy live experience. Day one opened with dynamic performances from DOMMIU, LNGSHOT, and Hearts2Hearts, whose high-impact stage presence quickly set the tone for the night. RIIZE followed with a series of crowd favorites including “Fame,” “Siren,” and “Love 119,” prompting a venue-wide singalong that underscored their growing global appeal. The momentum carried into back-to-back performances by PP KRIT and BILLKIN, who delivered “Guilty Pleasure” and “Mr. Everything” with polished vocals and strong stage charisma, drawing sustained cheers from the crowd. Jay Park closed the night with a headline set, performing “Think of You” and “May Day,” elevating the atmosphere to a peak and bringing the first day to a powerful close.
The second day shifted tone while maintaining intensity. IRENE opened with a solo performance that combined elegance and precision, setting a refined stage presence. Thomas, Kong, Zee, and NuNew each followed with multiple songs, offering a varied mix of styles that kept the audience engaged throughout. MIRROR members Keung To, Ian Chan, Anson Lo, and Edan Lui then took turns on stage, each bringing distinct energy and fan-favorite moments that reignited the crowd. Performances by 82MAJOR and STAYC added another layer of vibrant choreography and sound, while Apink’s appearance turned into a collective singalong, with fans joining in on their well-known hits. BAEKHYUN closed the event with a seven-song set, delivering a polished and emotionally resonant finale that marked a fitting end to the two-day showcase.
Beyond the performances, WIEA’s Wish Envoy, the cyber wish-granting mascot “MEWOWOW Xiaojin”, delivered fan wishes through cross-screen interactions. RIIZE’s six members took turns completing fan “fansign challenge” cards, each interaction triggering waves of excitement across the venue. PP KRIT shared his aspirations to explore new acting roles and, when asked about his birthday wish, responded playfully, “I want to fall in love,” drawing laughter from the audience. BILLKIN engaged in a live Q&A session, where he hinted at an upcoming album, adding anticipation among fans.
The timing of the event also coincided with Jay Park’s birthday, prompting the entire audience to join in a spontaneous “Happy Birthday” singalong, creating one of the night’s most memorable communal moments. BAEKHYUN leaned into fan culture by recreating viral Weibo moments and fulfilling popular requests, including a playful “puppy ears” gesture that drew enthusiastic reactions.
One of the most emotional highlights came during Zhan Xuan’s fan interaction segment. Responding to fan questions, he shared a simple but heartfelt message: “I hope I never let a single encounter down.” The moment deepened as the venue’s main screen displayed a montage of fan messages and shared memories, capturing his journey alongside supporters. Visibly in tears, Zhan Xuan thanked them on the spot.
Weibo Strengthens Overseas Entertainment Ecosystem by Connecting Global Entertainment Communities
The successful launch of WIEA marks a new phase in Weibo’s global entertainment strategy, signaling a broader evolution from content distribution platform to a fully integrated social hub for international entertainment. Leveraging its scale, social infrastructure, and cross-platform reach, Weibo is building a connected ecosystem that brings together artists, fans, and industry partners across markets. By lowering the barriers of geography and culture, the platform enables deeper interaction and shared value creation between global talent and Chinese audiences.
Since early 2025, Weibo has broadened its international content strategy, expanding beyond core markets in South Korea and Thailand to include artists and partners from Europe, the United States, and Japan. Working closely with talent agencies, record labels, and live event organizers, Weibo integrates high-impact IP with upstream and downstream resources to form a collaborative network built around “platform + artist + content.” Rather than relying on isolated promotional bursts, the platform supports a continuous engagement cycle that connects content releases, fan interaction, and offline events. From pre-release buzz and digital campaigns to post-release engagement and live performance amplification, Weibo enables a full-lifecycle approach that strengthens both visibility and long-term audience connection.
In its ongoing work with international artists, Weibo has focused on increasing direct, frequent interaction between creators and fans. Through artist accounts, livestreams, short-form video, interviews, and behind-the-scenes content, the platform enables ongoing engagement beyond major promotional windows. This approach helps artists maintain visibility in new markets while giving fans more consistent access to content and interaction. For creators, this translates into sustained audience growth; for fans, it creates a more immediate and participatory experience.
This approach has proven scalable across different markets and talent tiers. It not only increases content visibility and fan retention, but also supports the transition of artists from short-term attention spikes to longer-term brand and IP value. For international artists, Weibo offers a structured pathway to build presence within China while maintaining relevance across global audiences. For fans, it transforms engagement from passive consumption into active participation, narrowing the distance between artists and their communities.
Looking forward, Weibo will continue to expand its international entertainment initiatives with a focus on long-term ecosystem development. With social connectivity as its foundation, content as its driving force, and cultural exchange at its core, the platform aims to foster a more open and interconnected entertainment environment. Through continued investment in creator partnerships, content innovation, and cross-market collaboration, Weibo is positioning itself to support a more integrated and mutually beneficial global entertainment ecosystem.
About Weibo
Weibo is a leading social media for people to create, share and discover content online. It combines the means of public self-expression in real time with a powerful platform for social interaction, content aggregation and content distribution. Any user can create and post a feed and attach multi-media and long-form content. User relationships on Weibo may be asymmetric; any user can follow any other user and add comments to a feed while reposting. This simple, asymmetric and distributed nature of Weibo allows an original feed to become a live viral conversation stream.
