2026 American Music Awards Recap: BTS, KATSEYE, and HUNTR/X Shine Bright
The 2026 American Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with seven different acts each winning three awards. Taylor Swift, despite leading with eight nominations, did not win any awards, but she still holds the record for the most AMA wins in history with 40 trophies. BTS secured artist of the year for the second time and also won song of the summer and best male K-pop artist, bringing their total AMA count to 14 awards. Justin Bieber won best male pop artist, tying with Kenny Rogers for the second-most AMA wins among male artists.
KATSEYE won new artist of the year and also received awards for best music video and breakthrough pop artist. HUNTR/X's "Golden" won song of the year, best vocal performance, and best pop song. Sombr earned three wins, including best rock/alternative song, best rock/alternative album, and breakthrough rock/alternative artist. Bruno Mars, Cardi B, and Sabrina Carpenter also took home multiple awards in various categories.
Other notable winners included Karol G, Zara Larsson, Twenty One Pilots, and The Black Eyed Peas. Queen Latifah hosted the event, which was broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. The nominees were determined based on fan engagement metrics, and the awards show was created by Dick Clark in 1974.