BTS win Artist of the Year at American Music Awards
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South Korean boy band BTS won the award for Song of the Summer for Swim at the 2026 American Music Awards.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SEOUL – K-pop boy band BTS won the top honour of Artist of the Year at the 52nd American Music Awards (AMA) in Las Vegas on May 25.
The win marked their second Artist of the Year victory at the AMA, following their historic first win in 2021 as the first South Korean act to win the title.
The group received the award after returning as a full group earlier in 2026 with its fifth studio album, Arirang, following the completion of all seven members’ military service.
The group also claimed Best Male K-Pop Artist and Song of the Summer for the single Swim (2026).
BTS prevailed in a high-powered Artist of the Year category that included singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, winner of the most American Music Awards of any musician over her career, as well as Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, Lady Gaga and others.
Arirang saw strong commercial success upon its release in March, with the lead track Swim earning widespread popularity globally.
According to the May 23 Billboard Global Excluding US chart, Swim topped the chart for the sixth time while sitting at No. 2 on Billboard’s Global 200 chart. Arirang also ranked No. 2 on Spotify’s Weekly Top Album Global chart, while Swim ranked No. 4 on the music streaming platform’s Weekly Top Song Global chart.
As BTS walked onto the stage to accept the Artist of the Year award, the crowd erupted into chants of “BTS! BTS!”
“Armys, we did it once again!” RM, 31, said during the acceptance speech, referring to the nickname of BTS fans. “It’s an honour to receive this precious award after everyone completed their military service. Since this is a fan-voted award, our biggest thanks and gratitude, as always, go to Armys all over the world. You have stood by us for the past 13 years.”
J-Hope, 32, added: “We’ve had such an overwhelming response to this album. Honestly, thank you for embracing Arirang and every single song on this album. We’re so grateful.”
Jimin, 30, also thanked fans for supporting the group throughout their ongoing tour.
“Thank you for following us on tour and showing us so much love in every city,” he said. “And to all the Armys who always support and love us, thank you. We love you.”
The AMA nominees are determined by fan engagement metrics, including streaming, album sales, radio airplay and tour revenue, making the win a particularly significant reflection of BTS’ global fandom power.
BTS are scheduled to continue their tour with concerts in Las Vegas on May 27 and 28, before returning to Busan in South Korea in June for concerts coinciding with its 13th debut anniversary.
The red-carpet gala, which aired live on CBS and Paramount+, opened with members of BTS in a pre-recorded performance of Arirang track Hooligan from their recent Vegas concert.
In other AMA wins for K-pop, the Song of the Year accolade went to Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the voices behind Golden, the upbeat tune from the hit 2025 Netflix animated movie KPop Demon Hunters. The trio also won for best vocal performance.
Twice won the Best Female K-Pop Artist award, marking their first trophy at the AMA, though they were nominated in 2022. The girl group beat fellow nominees Aespa, Blackpink, Illit and Le Sserafim in one of the ceremony’s most closely watched categories.
Katseye, a global girl group with members from four countries, took home three awards, including New Artist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for Gnarly (2025).
Swift was the leading nominee heading into the ceremony, with eight nods, including for Album of the Year for The Life Of A Showgirl (2025) and Song of the Year for The Fate Of Ophelia (2025). She did not win in any of the categories and did not attend the event.
Carpenter, also a no-show, won Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for Man’s Best Friend (2025).
Billy Idol, an icon of 1980s rock, received a lifetime achievement honour. The 70-year-old reflected on starting a career in punk rock in 1976.
“We thought it may last only about six months, let alone 50 years,” Idol said before performing rousing versions of Eyes Without A Face (1984) and Dancing With Myself (1981). THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, REUTERS
