BTS Wins Artist of the Year at 2026 American Music Awards (AMA)

BTS won Artist of the Year at the fan-voted 2026 American Music Awards (AMA), their second win in the category. The Silicon Review reports on the K-pop group's triumphant return to the AMAs stage.

BTS won Artist of the Year at the 2026 American Music Awards, marking their second victory in the top category following their historic 2021 win. The fan-voted award saw the K-pop septet defeat a star-studded field including Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, and Harry Styles.

The 52nd American Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Monday, May 25. BTS made their first in-person appearance at the ceremony in five years, opening the show with a performance of "Hooligan" from their comeback album “ARIRANG.”

The group also won Song of the summer for "SWIM" and Best Male K-Pop Artist, bringing their career AMA tally to 14 awards. They are tied with One Direction as the group with the most wins in the Artist of the Year category.

Accepting the award from rapper Busta Rhymes, RM addressed the ARMY: "We made it once again. Thank you, it's an honor to have this precious award once again after everybody's done their military service." He added that the biggest thanks go to ARMYs worldwide who have stood by the group for the past 13 years.

BTS was one of seven acts to win three awards each on the night. Others tied for the lead included Bruno Mars, KATSEYE, HUNTR/X, and Sombr. Taylor Swift went 0 for 8 nominations, her first year without a win at the AMAs since 2017.

The American Music Awards winners are determined entirely by fan votes across streaming, sales, radio airplay, and touring data tracked by Billboard and Luminate.

The Silicon Review's analysis indicates that BTS's Artist of the Year victory marks a triumphant return to the American awards circuit after completing military service. The group's ability to secure the top fan-voted prize against pop's biggest names underscores the enduring global reach of their fanbase, known as ARMY.