BTS turned a hiatus into a non-issue at Monday night’s 52nd annual American Music Awards, where the fan-voted Artist of the Year prize went to the group for the second time. Among the American Music Awards winners, it was the clearest reminder that military service may pause a release schedule, but it does not appear to pause ARMY’s voting habits.
The group previously won the top award in 2021. This year’s win marks its first Artist of the Year victory since the members began their hiatus for military service.
Why BTS and Katseye stood out
Katseye also cleaned up, winning New Artist of the Year in a category with plenty of heat. The group beat Sombr, Olivia Dean, Ella Langley, Leon Thomas and Alex Warren, a lineup that made the win feel less like a coronation and more like a very organized fan mobilization.
Katseye finished with three awards overall:
- New Artist of the Year
- Best Music Video for “Gnarly”
- Breakthrough Pop Artist
Sombr, despite losing New Artist of the Year, still left with three trophies. After performing during the show, he picked up Best Rock/Alternative Song for “Back to Friends” and Best Rock/Alternative Album for “I Barely Know Her.” His third win, Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist, was announced off-air.
How KPop Demon Hunters became a major winner
The buzz around “KPop Demon Hunters” turned into hardware. “Golden,” performed by the singing voices of HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, won Song of the Year.
That was not the only win tied to the project. The “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack won Best Soundtrack, while “Golden” also took Best Vocal Performance and Best Pop Song. Together, the film’s music won four categories, making it one of the night’s biggest presences.
The CBS and Paramount+ broadcast only presented awards to winners who were in the room to accept them. That meant some major results were left for after the telecast, including Album of the Year. Sabrina Carpenter won that prize for “Man’s Best Friend,” one of three total wins revealed for her after the show wrapped.
Who won the most awards
Once the full results were out, several artists and acts tied for the most wins, with three each. The three-time winners were:
- BTS
- Katseye
- Sombr
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Cardi B
- Bruno Mars
- The singing voices of HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami
Several others won twice: Bad Bunny, Ella Langley, Shakira, Tyla and Zara Larsson. Karol G also reached two if her special International Artist Award of Excellence is counted alongside her competitive win for Best Latin Album.
Taylor Swift entered the night with the most nominations, eight in all, but did not win. Her all-time AMA record remains secure, however, with 40 career wins. Olivia Dean, who had seven nominations, also went home without a win, as did Lady Gaga and Alex Warren, who each had six nominations.
Complete list of winners
General categories
- Artist of the Year: BTS
- New Artist of the Year: Katseye
- Album of the Year: Sabrina Carpenter, “Man’s Best Friend”
- Song of the Year: The singing voices of HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, “Golden”
- Collaboration of the Year: PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
- Social Song of the Year: Tyla, “Chanel”
- Best Music Video: Katseye, “Gnarly”
- Best Soundtrack: “KPop Demon Hunters”
- Tour of the Year: Shakira, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour
- Breakout Tour: Benson Boone, American Heart World Tour
- Breakthrough Album of the Year: Zara Larsson, “Midnight Sun”
- Best Throwback Song: Black Eyed Peas, “Rock That Body”
- Best Vocal Performance: The singing voices of HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, “Golden”
- Song of the Summer: BTS, “Swim”
Pop categories
- Best Male Pop Artist: Justin Bieber
- Best Female Pop Artist: Sabrina Carpenter
- Breakthrough Pop Artist: Katseye
- Best Pop Song: The singing voices of HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, “Golden”
- Best Pop Album: Sabrina Carpenter, “Man’s Best Friend”
Country categories
- Best Male Country Artist: Morgan Wallen
- Best Female Country Artist: Ella Langley
- Best Country Duo or Group: Zac Brown Band
- Breakthrough Country Artist: Sam Barber
- Best Country Song: Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
- Best Country Album: Megan Moroney, “Cloud 9”
Hip-hop categories
- Best Male Hip-Hop Artist: Kendrick Lamar
- Best Female Hip-Hop Artist: Cardi B
- Breakthrough Hip-Hop Artist: Monaleo
- Best Hip-Hop Song: Cardi B, “ErrTime”
- Best Hip-Hop Album: Cardi B, “Am I the Drama?”
R&B categories
- Best Male R&B Artist: Bruno Mars
- Best Female R&B Artist: SZA
- Breakthrough R&B Artist: Leon Thomas
- Best R&B Song: Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
- Best R&B Album: Bruno Mars, “The Romantic”
Latin categories
- Best Male Latin Artist: Bad Bunny
- Best Female Latin Artist: Shakira
- Best Latin Duo or Group: Fuerza Regida
- Breakthrough Latin Artist: Kapo
- Best Latin Song: Bad Bunny, “NUEVAYoL”
- Best Latin Album: Karol G, “Tropicoqueta”
Rock and alternative categories
- Best Rock/Alternative Artist: Twenty One Pilots
- Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist: Sombr
- Best Rock/Alternative Song: Sombr, “Back to Friends”
- Best Rock/Alternative Album: Sombr, “I Barely Know Her”
Other genre categories
- Best Dance/Electronic Artist: David Guetta
- Best Male K-Pop Artist: BTS
- Best Female K-Pop Artist: Twice
- Best Afrobeats Artist: Tyla
- Best Americana/Folk Artist: Noah Kahan
Winners by total awards
- Bruno Mars, 3: Best Male R&B Artist, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album
- BTS, 3: Artist of the Year, Song of the Summer, Best Male K-Pop Artist
- Cardi B, 3: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, Best Hip-Hop Song, Best Hip-Hop Album
- Katseye, 3: New Artist of the Year, Best Music Video, Breakthrough Pop Artist
- Sabrina Carpenter, 3: Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Artist, Best Pop Album
- The singing voices of HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, 3: Song of the Year, Best Vocal Performance, Best Pop Song
- Sombr, 3: Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist, Best Rock/Alternative Song, Best Rock/Alternative Album
- Bad Bunny, 2: Best Male Latin Artist, Best Latin Song
- Ella Langley, 2: Best Female Country Artist, Best Country Song
- Karol G, 2: International Artist Award of Excellence, Best Latin Album
- Shakira, 2: Best Female Latin Artist, Tour of the Year
- Tyla, 2: Best Afrobeats Artist, Social Song of the Year
- Zara Larsson, 2: Collaboration of the Year, Breakthrough Album of the Year
- Benson Boone, 1: Breakout Tour
- Billy Idol, 1: Lifetime Achievement Award
- Black Eyed Peas, 1: Best Throwback Song
- Darius Rucker, 1: Veterans Voice Award
- David Guetta, 1: Best Dance/Electronic Artist
- Fuerza Regida, 1: Best Latin Duo or Group
- Justin Bieber, 1: Best Male Pop Artist
- Kapo, 1: Breakthrough Latin Artist
- Kendrick Lamar, 1: Best Male Hip-Hop Artist
- KPop Demon Hunters, 1: Best Soundtrack
- Leon Thomas, 1: Breakthrough R&B Artist
- Megan Moroney, 1: Best Country Album
- Monaleo, 1: Breakthrough Hip-Hop Artist
- Morgan Wallen, 1: Best Male Country Artist
- Noah Kahan, 1: Best Americana/Folk Artist
- PinkPantheress, 1: Collaboration of the Year
- Sam Barber, 1: Breakthrough Country Artist
- SZA, 1: Best Female R&B Artist
- Twenty One Pilots, 1: Best Rock/Alternative Artist
- Twice, 1: Best Female K-Pop Artist
- Zac Brown Band, 1: Best Country Duo or Group
