BTS Won Artist of the Year. Then They Won Song of the Summer. Then They Won Best Male K-Pop Artist.
Three awards in one night, and the first one - Artist of the Year - they've won before. In 2021, BTS became the first Asian act to take the fan-voted top prize at the American Music Awards. Monday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, they did it again.
Busta Rhymes presented the award. BTS beat out Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift. RM took the mic: "We made it once again. Our biggest thanks and gratitude, as always, goes to the armies all over the world. You have stood by us for the past 13 years."
The show opened with BTS performing "Hooligan," the second single from ARIRANG, in a pre-recorded segment. RM sat out the performance due to an ankle injury; the six remaining members delivered the full stage. The group also presented SZA with Best Female R&B Artist before accepting their own awards.
BTS is now one of four acts to win Artist of the Year more than once, joining Taylor Swift (seven wins), and tying Justin Bieber and One Direction at two wins each - making BTS and One Direction the groups with the most wins in the category's history. The three awards bring their career AMA total to 14, second among groups only to Alabama's 23.
The Las Vegas timing was layered. All seven members attended the ceremony between the second and third nights of their four-show sold-out run at Allegiant Stadium. ARIRANG, released in March, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 641,000 equivalent album units - the group's seventh chart-topper. "Swim," the lead single and Song of the Summer winner, reached No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Taylor Swift entered with eight nominations - the most of any artist - and won none. She remains the all-time AMA leader with 40 career wins. Sabrina Carpenter took Album of the Year for Man's Best Friend, and the Song of the Year went to EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami - the singing voices of fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X - for "Golden" from the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters. KATSEYE won New Artist of the Year.
BTS's Allegiant Stadium run continues Wednesday and Thursday. The Arirang World Tour's North America leg runs through June before European dates begin.
