BTS Wins “Artist of the Year” at 2026 American Music Awards

BTS received the highest honor at the 2026 American Music Awards (AMAs), taking home the “Artist of the Year” title. At the ceremony held on the 25th (Korean time) at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, USA, BTS not only won “Artist of the Year” but also claimed “Song of the Summer” for the Title Track from their fifth studio album “ARIRANG,” titled “SWIM,” and additionally secured the “Best Male K-Pop Artist” award.

This marks the first time in five years that BTS has attended the American Music Awards in person, since they became the first Korean artist to win “Artist of the Year” in 2021. They had not appeared at the ceremony back then, but this time they showed up during their “BTS World Tour in Las Vegas” while in the U.S. city. BTS also performed the opening track “Hooligan” on stage and presented the award to SZA, who won the “Best Female R&B Artist” title.

Notably, BTS entered multiple categories for this awards show just six days after releasing their fifth studio album on March 20 of this year. The American Music Awards nominations are based on Billboard and Luminate data from March 21 of last year to March 26 of this year. The renowned U.S. awards prediction site goldderby estimated BTS’s odds of winning “Artist of the Year” at 56.5%, with Bad Bunny at 21.1% and Taylor Swift at 15.3% following closely behind.

The American Music Awards have a unique feature in that winners are determined entirely through fan voting. Voting concluded on the 8th of this month, and BTS’s overwhelming fan presence in North America is believed to have influenced the outcome. BTS is currently on a tour in North America, and as the economic impact of their concert venues gains attention, what is known as “BTSnomics” is being revisited.

Meanwhile, other K-pop artists also performed strongly. For the “Best Male K-Pop Artist” category, BTS, ATEEZ, ENHYPEN, Stray Kids, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER competed for the award. In the “Best Female K-Pop Artist” category, aespa, BLACKPINK, ILLIT, LE SSERAFIM, and TWICE were nominated. The global girl group KATSEYE appeared on stage in three categories: “New Artist of the Year,” “Breakthrough Pop Artist,” and “Best Music Video.”