The 2026 American Music Awards (AMAs) returned to Las Vegas on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, bringing together a wide mix of global pop favorites, breakout newcomers and genre-defining veterans.
Hosted by Queen Latifah, the 52nd edition reflected the AMAs’ audience-focused voting system, with wins shaped by fan engagement across music sales, streaming and social activity.
This year’s results leaned into both comebacks and first-time milestones, with K-pop, Latin and other pop acts sharing the spotlight.
BTS leads with multiple major wins
BTS emerged as one of the most awarded acts of the night, taking home Artist of the Year, Best Male K-Pop Artist, and Song of the Summer for “SWIM”. The group’s wins reinforced their continued global presence across both mainstream and genre-specific categories.
Sabrina Carpenter dominates pop categories
Sabrina Carpenter had a standout night, winning Album of the Year for Man’s Best Friend, along with Best Female Pop Artist and Best Pop Album.
KATSEYE makes a strong breakthrough
KATSEYE had one of the most notable breakthrough moments of the awards, winning New Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Pop Artist, and Best Music Video for “Gnarly”.
“Golden” dominates song and performance categories
HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami) had one of the most awarded songs of the night with “Golden”, winning Song of the Year, Best Pop Song, and Best Vocal Performance. The track also stood out as one of the most awarded entries across multiple categories.
Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress win collaboration and album recognition
Zara Larsson earned Breakthrough Album of the Year for Midnight Sun, while also sharing Collaboration of the Year with PinkPantheress for “Stateside”.
Tyla and Bad Bunny continue global momentum
Tyla won Best Afrobeats Artist and also took Social Song of the Year with “CHANEL” and Bad Bunny added to his consistent award run with Best Latin Song for “NUEVAYoL” and Best Male Latin Artist, further cementing his position as one of the most dominant Latin acts globally.
Rock and alternative categories highlight sombr’s breakout year
Sombr had a strong showing in rock and alternative categories, winning Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist, Best Rock/Alternative Song for “back to friends”, and Best Rock/Alternative Album for I Barely Know Her. His wins marked one of the most biggest genre sweeps of the night.
Additional winners and special categories
- Justin Bieber won Best Male Pop Artist
- TWICE won Best Female K-Pop Artist
- Shakira also won Best Female Latin Artist, adding to her touring success
- Black Eyed Peas won Best Throwback Song (New) for “Rock That Body”
- KPop Demon Hunters took Best Soundtrack
If there was one clear takeaway from this year’s AMAs, it’s that there’s no single “centre” of pop anymore. From Seoul to São Paulo to Los Angeles, the wins were scattered across genres, languages and fandoms, almost like a very well-curated world playlist hitting shuffle at the right time.
Source: GULF NEWS
--Agencies
