The group BTS reaffirmed its scorching popularity by winning three awards, including the top prize, at the 2026 American Music Awards (American Music Awards, hereinafter AMA).
On the 25th at 5 p.m. local time, the 2026 AMA ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, U.S.
The ceremony opened with a stage video of BTS's Las Vegas performance "Hooligan." Notably, BTS returned to the awards ceremony in person for the first time in five years since 2021, when they became the first Korean artist to win the top prize.
Earlier, BTS was nominated in three categories, including Artist of the Year, which is the top award, as well as Best Male K-pop Artist and Song of the Summer, and won all three categories.
In particular, in the Artist of the Year category, they beat global pop stars such as Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny to once again take home the trophy, reaffirming their status as a top global artist.
The members thanked fans, saying, "We did it once again. We are grateful that every member completed military service and can receive such an honorable award again," and "We thank ARMY around the world."
In addition, at the ceremony, KATSEYE won all three categories they were nominated for, including New Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Pop Artist and Best Music Video, and performed the "Pinky Up!" stage.
Also, Netflix's K-pop Demon Hunters won four awards, including Song of the Year for "Golden," Best Soundtrack, Best Vocal Performance and Best Pop Song.
Meanwhile, the AMA, along with the Grammy Awards and the Billboard Music Awards, is one of the most prestigious ceremonies representing the U.S. popular music scene. Based on objective data such as album and digital sales, streaming figures, radio airplay counts and tour performance, it selects the artist who had the greatest influence on the public over the year.
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