Highlights
- BTS dominates AMAs 2026 by surpassing Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, to win three of its biggest awards.
- This is the group’s second time receiving the Artist of the Year award, marking a milestone moment for K-pop.
- As BTS wins Song of the Summer 2026, leader RM thanked fans, with V reiterating the message of the track while they accepted the honor.
BTS is back, and its grip on the American awards scene is stronger than ever. The septet has taken home the Artist of the Year, Song of the Summer, and Best K-pop Male Artist at the 52nd American Music Awards with Swim, the lead track from their fifth studio album and first post-hiatus release, ARIRANG. The group notably performed Hooligan from their latest album at the American Music Awards this year.
Which artists competed against BTS at the AMAs?
As BTS wins Song of the Summer 2026, the group surpasses pop juggernauts such as Harry Styles and Taylor Swift to gain the ultimate crown. On the other hand, BTS’ Artist of the Year 2026 win was against other big players of the industry like Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift. As for the Best Male K-pop Artist, the septet won by competing with ATEEZ, ENHYPEN, Stray Kids, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT). Notably, ENHYPEN, TXT, and BTS are all labelmates under HYBE but are managed by different sublabels within that ecosystem.
AMAs 2026 BTS: ARIRANG’s chart success
BTS’ win carries weight beyond the honor. ARIRANG, which dropped in March, debuted with immediate commercial force, pushing Swim atop Billboard's Global Excl. US chart six times this year. At the moment, the song currently sits at No. 2 on the Billboard Global 200, while on Spotify, it ranks No. 4 on the Weekly Top Songs Global chart. On the other hand, their album, ARIRANG, holds No. 2 on the Weekly Top Albums Global chart of the same music streaming platform.
What did BTS say in their AMAs speech?
According to The Korea Herald, while accepting the Song of the Summer award, leader RM acknowledged the pressure while making this album as they tried to “figure out” what kind of music felt like them “right now.” He added, “The only thing we believed then was that we had to make music that felt most like us.” Group member V spoke as well, closing the speech, reiterating the song's message. “To everyone out there who keeps swimming no matter what, we send you our love and support. So, keep swimming, no matter what,” he said.
As for the Artist of the Year Award, the US Weekly noted the BTS frontman RM thanked ARMYs around the world for their support which enabled them to achieve the feat yet again, post their military service. “It's [a] fan voted award so our biggest thanks and gratitude as always goes to the ARMYs all over the world that stood by us for the past 13 years, thank you so much,” he added further.
How many AMAs has BTS won overall?
BTS became the first Asian act to claim the Artist of the Year honor in 2021 at the AMAs. The same night, they also swept the honors in the categories of Favorite Duo or Group and Favorite Pop Song with Butter. With a second Artist of the Year win in 2026, the track set by the group is unprecedented. And with the Best Male K-pop Artist, these three awards bring BTS’ career tally of AMAs to 14.
BTS now has two Billboard Artist of the Year wins. That puts them alongside artists like Justin Bieber and One Direction, who have also won the same accolades. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift holds seven honors, and is the only artist with the highest number of awards in this category. Among groups and duos specifically, Alabama still leads, nevertheless, BTS is making history by being one of the four top winners.
BTS dominates AMAs 2026 as ARIRANG takes over Las Vegas
The AMAs are just a stop on the road for BTS. The group is currently on their ARIRANG World Tour, which spans globally across 85 concerts in 34 cities. The group recently performed in Las Vegas on Saturday (May 23) and is scheduled for another set of performances on May 27 and May 28. After the Vegas run, BTS will be heading to Busan (South Korea) in June for concerts aligned with their 13th debut anniversary. Thirteen years in, and the group is still swimming.
