The South Korean pop group BTS secured the highest honour at the 52nd annual American Music Awards (AMAs), cementing their global status despite an extended hiatus driven by mandatory military service commitments. Proving that their international fanbase remains intensely loyal, the group claimed the coveted Artist of the Year award for the second time in their career. BTS previously achieved this milestone in 2021, and their return to the apex of the category served as a major highlight of the ceremony.
In addition to winning Artist of the Year, the K-pop group enjoyed a highly successful night by securing victories across multiple competitive brackets. The group won a total of three accolades, adding the Song of the Summer award and the Favourite Male K-Pop Artist trophy to their extensive collection of international honours.
Breakthrough Triumphs and Multi-Award Winners
The 52nd edition of the prestigious music gala, as reported by industry publication Variety, also cast a significant spotlight on emerging musical acts and established cross-genre artists. The rising pop collective Katseye created a major stir by navigating fierce competition to claim the New Artist of the Year title. The group further demonstrated their commercial and creative momentum by securing trophies for Best Music Video and Breakthrough Pop Artist, matching BTS with a total of three awards.
The rock and alternative categories were heavily dominated by the singer Somber. Although he missed out on the newcomer award, he delivered a highly energetic performance that anchored the event’s live broadcast. Somber ultimately concluded the night with three trophies, winning Favourite Rock/Alternative Song for his track “Back to Friends” and Favourite Rock/Alternative Album for his project “I Barely Know Her”.
Collaborative projects were also recognised by the voting academy. The song “Golden”, featured on the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack, earned a joint victory for performing artists EJI, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, who collectively took home the Song of the Year accolade.
Broadcast Regulations Alter Major Category Announcements
A notable administrative rule implemented during this year’s AMA ceremony dictated that only the names of artists physically present at the venue would be read out on the main stage during the live television broadcast. Consequently, the reveal for several major categories, including Album of the Year, did not feature in the primary television transmission. It was later confirmed that Sabrina Carpenter won Album of the Year for her critically acclaimed studio release Man’s Best Friend, propelling her into a tie for the night’s most successful artist with three total wins.
| Artist / Group | Nominations Received | Total Trophies Won | Primary Winning Category |
| BTS | Multiple | 3 | Artist of the Year |
| Katseye | Multiple | 3 | New Artist of the Year |
| Somber | Multiple | 3 | Favourite Rock/Alternative Song |
| Sabrina Carpenter | Multiple | 3 | Album of the Year |
| Taylor Swift | 8 | 0 | N/A (Historic Record Maintained) |
| Olivia Dean | 7 | 0 | N/A |
| Lady Gaga | 6 | 0 | N/A |
| Alex Warren | 6 | 0 | N/A |
Sitting alongside BTS, Katseye, Somber, and Sabrina Carpenter at the top of the leaderboard were hip-hop star Cardi B, pop icon Bruno Mars, and the vocalists of the band Hunter/X, who all secured three trophies each to share the spot for the highest number of wins at the 52nd ceremony.
High-Profile Snubs and Historic Records Maintained
The 52nd American Music Awards produced several surprising outcomes for some of the industry’s most commercially successful solo acts. Pop icon Taylor Swift entered the evening as the most-nominated individual, accumulating a total of eight nominations across diverse categories. Despite this substantial mathematical advantage, Swift failed to convert any of her nominations into a victory, concluding the event without a single trophy. Nevertheless, her historical legacy remains untouched; she continues to hold the absolute record as the most-awarded artist in the history of the American Music Awards, possessing 40 career AMA trophies.
Swift was not the only prominent artist to face a difficult evening at the awards gala. British singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, who entered the event with seven nominations, left empty-handed. Similarly, pop icon Lady Gaga and rising artist Alex Warren, who each held six nominations across major categories, also concluded the 52nd annual event without securing a single win.