BTS Wins Big at AMAs 2026 After Military Service

As reported by Yonhap, Tuesday, May 26, BTS received the award at the AMAs held in Las Vegas, Monday, US time. (BigHit Music - Yonhap)

BTS again won the main award for Artist of the Year at the 2026 American Music Awards. This victory is important because it was achieved only two months after the K-pop group returned after a nearly four-year hiatus due to military service.

As reported by Yonhap, Tuesday, May 26, BTS received the award at the AMAs held in Las Vegas, Monday, US time. This is BTS's second victory in the highest AMAs category after 2021.

BTS beat a number of big names in the world, including Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars, and Taylor Swift. The seven-member group also returned to the AMAs stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena after a five-year absence.

"ARMY, we did it again!" said RM, BTS's leader, when accepting the award.

RM said the award was special because it was achieved after all BTS members completed their military service. He also expressed his gratitude to ARMY around the world who accompanied them for 13 years.

Jimin also thanked fans who attended BTS's tour in various cities. In Korean, he said, "Thank you so much to ARMY for your support and love. I love you."

BTS's victory did not stop at Artist of the Year. They also brought home Song of the Summer through the song Swim, the lead single from their new album, Arirang, as well as Best Male K-pop Artist.

Yonhap reported that the 2026 AMAs nominations were determined from streaming data, album and digital sales, song airplay on the radio, and tour revenue. The winners are chosen entirely by fan votes.

The event was also a big night for Katseye, a K-pop girl group based in the United States. They won three awards, namely New Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Pop Artist, and Best Music Video for the song Gnarly.

Katseye also performed their latest song, Pinky Up. When receiving the award, group leader Sophia paid tribute to BTS.

"We want to give special tribute to BTS tonight for inspiring us to represent our culture on a global level," Sophia said.

Yoonchae, the only Korean member of Katseye, said she was grateful to be able to share the moment with the other members.

Netflix's KPop animation Demon Hunters and its original theme song, Golden, also caught the attention. Both of them won four awards, namely Song of the Year, Best Vocal Performance, Best Pop Song, and Best Soundtrack.

Ejae and Rei Ami, two members of the Korean-American trio who performed Golden in the film, were present to receive the Song of the Year award. The other member, Audrey Nuna, was not present.

"This song is driven by the fans," said Ejae, who also co-wrote the song.

Meanwhile, the Best Female K-pop Artist award went to TWICE.

BTS's victory made the 2026 AMAs once again show the strength of the K-pop fan base in the global music market. This time, K-pop came not only through one big name, but also through new groups, animations, and theme songs that also won major awards.