The 2026 American Music Awards, held on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, delivered a night of surprises and a rare shutout for one of music's biggest superstars. Taylor Swift, who entered with a leading eight nominations, failed to win a single award. Despite the disappointing evening, Swift remains the most decorated artist in AMA history with 40 wins.
BTS took home the coveted Artist of the Year award for the second time, having first won in 2021. The K-Pop group is now tied with Justin Bieber and One Direction with two wins in the category. Only Swift has more, with seven. BTS also won Song of the Summer for “Swim” and Best Male K-Pop Artist, bringing their career AMA total to 14. Among groups, only Alabama has more AMA wins, with 23.
The night had no single dominant winner. Instead, seven acts tied for the most awards, each taking home three trophies. Those acts were Bruno Mars, BTS, Cardi B, KATSEYE, Sabrina Carpenter, HUNTR/X, and Sombr. This rare occurrence highlights the diverse range of talent recognized this year.
Justin Bieber won Best Male Pop Artist, his 19th AMA win overall. That ties him with the late Kenny Rogers for the second-most wins among male artists, behind only Michael Jackson (24). Bieber now holds the record for the most AMA wins among living male artists.
KATSEYE, the global girl group, won New Artist of the Year, making them the seventh consecutive female act to win that category. Previous winners include Camila Cabello, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Dove Cameron, and Gracie Abrams. KATSEYE also took Best Music Video and Breakthrough Pop Artist. The group had been nominated for the Grammy for Best New Artist earlier in 2026 but lost to Olivia Dean.
HUNTR/X saw their song “Golden” continue its award-season dominance, winning Song of the Year. The track had already won Best Song Written for Visual Media at the Grammys and Best Original Song at the Oscars. HUNTR/X also won Best Vocal Performance and Best Pop Song.
Sombr won three awards in the rock/alternative categories: Best Rock/Alternative Song for “Back to Friends,” Best Rock/Alternative Album for I Barely Know Her, and Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist. Sombr's album win was a surprise—even to him—as it peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, while the other nominees all reached No. 1.
Bruno Mars won Best Male R&B Artist, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album. Cardi B claimed Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, Best Hip-Hop Song, and Best Hip-Hop Album. Sabrina Carpenter won Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Artist, and Best Pop Album.
Other big winners included Twenty One Pilots, who won Best Rock/Alternative Artist for the second consecutive year and fourth time overall. Only Linkin Park has won more times in that category (six). Karol G won Best Latin Album for Tropicoqueta and also received the International Artist Award of Excellence. Her album beat out Rosalía's Lux, which is expected to be a major contender at the upcoming Grammy Awards.
The Black Eyed Peas won a brand-new category, Best Throwback Song, for “Rock That Body,” a 2010 hit. The song was the most recently released among the nominees, which also included 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up” (1993) and Goo Dolls’ “Iris” (1998).
Swift was not the only nominee to go home empty-handed. Olivia Dean, who had seven nominations, also failed to win. Warren and Lady Gaga each went 0-for-6.
Queen Latifah hosted the 52nd American Music Awards, which aired on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. The AMAs are the world’s largest fan-voted award show, created by legendary producer Dick Clark and first awarded in 1974.
Nominees for the 52nd AMAs were determined based on key fan interactions, including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay, and tour grosses. These metrics were tracked by Billboard and Luminate, covering the eligibility period from March 21, 2025 through March 26, 2026.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Penske Media Corporation, parent company of Billboard.
Source: Billboard News