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Rei Ami and Ejae, The Singing Voices of HUNTR\/X, accept the award for Song of the Year at The 52nd American Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 25, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Rich Polk\/Dick Clark Productions via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Dick Clark Productions via Getty<\/p>\n
K-pop, Korean culture and the power of K-pop fandoms were on full display at the 2026 American Music Awards (AMAs). BTS and KPop Demon Hunters dominated the night, winning a combined total of seven awards. The AMAs are notable in that\u2014unlike, say, the Grammys\u2014they\u2019re a fan-voted awards show, and anyone with a valid Facebook, Google or Instagram account may vote<\/a> wherever the AMAs voting page is accessible. As a result, winners at the AMAs tend to reflect the artists and songs with passionate fanbases and broad public support.<\/p>\n Here are some notable K-culture moments from this year\u2019s AMAs, which were held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Monday, May 25th.<\/p>\n ForbesOscars Cut \u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 Speech Short, Fans Are FuriousBy Regina Kim<\/a>BTS wins Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards (AMAs) for the second time<\/p>\n Hosted by Queen Latifah, the 2026 American Music Awards opened with a taped performance of BTS\u2019s \u201cHooligan\u201d from the septet\u2019s sold-out Vegas concert at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, May 23. The packed stadium showed crowds of screaming fans waving lightsticks and chanting \u201cHooligan!\u201d as the pop superstars performed onstage\u2014a powerful testament to BTS\u2019s global popularity and the right kind of energy needed to kick off an awards show.<\/p>\n BTS won all three awards they were nominated for at this year\u2019s AMAs, including the biggest award of the night, Artist of the Year. This marks the second time<\/a> they\u2019ve landed the show\u2019s highest honor, after winning in 2021. They also won Song of the Summer for \u201cSwim,\u201d beating out Alex Warren\u2019s \u201cFEVER DREAM,\u201d Bella Kay\u2019s \u201ciloveitiloveitiloveit,\u201d Ella Langley\u2019s \u201cChoosin\u2019 Texas,\u201d Harry Styles\u2019s \u201cAmerican Girls,\u201d Noah Kahan\u2019s \u201cThe Great Divide,\u201d PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson\u2019s \u201cStateside,\u201d SOMBR\u2019s \u201cHomewrecker,\u201d Tame Impala and JENNIE\u2019s \u201cDracula\u201d and Taylor Swift\u2019s \u201cElizabeth Taylor.\u201d BTS was also voted Best Male K-Pop Artist over other top K-pop boy bands including ATEEZ, ENHYPEN, Stray Kids and TOMORROW X TOGETHER. (TWICE won Best Female K-pop Artist at the 2026 AMAs; other nominees for that category included aespa, BLACKPINK, ILLIT and LE SSERAFIM.)<\/p>\n ForbesBTS Comeback Concert Gets A New Edit On Netflix: Here Are The DetailsBy Regina Kim<\/a><\/p>\n The 2026 AMAs marked BTS\u2019s first appearance at an American awards show in four years, and videos of the audience \u201closing their minds\u201d at the sight of the group have gone viral on social media.<\/p>\n In addition to winning three awards, BTS also presented the award for Best Female R&B Artist, which went to SZA. Before beginning her acceptance speech, SZA took a minute to fangirl over BTS. \u201cIt\u2019s so nice to meet you formally, in person, and it\u2019s crazy that this is the moment!\u201d she said. <\/p>\n What did the BTS members say in Korean during their acceptance speech for Artist of the Year at the 2026 AMAs?<\/p>\n \u201cARMYs, we made it once again!\u201d shouted BTS leader RM shortly after the group took to the stage to accept the award for Artist of the Year. Throughout their acceptance speech, the group repeatedly showed their gratitude to their fans, dubbed \u201cARMY.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you. It\u2019s an honor to have this precious award once again after everybody\u2019d done their military service,\u201d he continued. \u201cLike the legendary Busta Rhymes said, it\u2019s a fan-voted award, so our biggest thanks and gratitude as always goes to the ARMYs all over the world who stood by us for the past 13 years. Thank you so much.\u201d <\/p>\n J-Hope then shared a few words of gratitude in English before it was Jimin\u2019s turn.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for passionately following us on tour and showing so much love in every city,\u201d Jimin said. He then added in Korean, \u201cThank you so much to the ARMYs who support and love us. We love you!\u201d<\/p>\n Jin said in Korean, \u201cARMYs, we love you so much!\u201d while Suga simultaneously said, \u201cThank you!\u201d Jung Kook thanked the AMAs, adding, \u201cIt feels so good to be back!\u201d<\/p>\n Forbes\u2018BTS: The Return\u2019 Documentary: 10 Things You Might Have MissedBy Regina Kim<\/a>KPop Demon Hunters wins four awards at the 2026 American Music Awards (AMAs)<\/p>\n The blockbuster animated movie KPop Demon Hunters<\/a> also swept all four categories it was nominated for at the 2026 AMAs, including Song of the Year, Best Vocal Performance and Best Pop Song for \u201cGolden\u201d as well as Best Soundtrack. Artists EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, who provide the singing voices for the film\u2019s protagonist K-pop girl group HUNTR\/X, were the nominees for three of the four categories.<\/p>\n \u201cTruly this movie and this song is fueled by the fans,\u201d said EJAE while accepting the award for Song of the Year. \u201cYou guys sealed the honmoon! The fact that this is voted by the fans means so much. Thank you so much to the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n EJAE then went on to thank the KPop Demon Hunters team before throwing her arm around REI AMI and wishing her a happy birthday. REI AMI, whose birthday happened to fall on the date of this year\u2019s AMAs, greeted the audience while holding up a finger heart<\/a>, a heart sign made by crossing one\u2019s thumb and index finger that has been popularized by K-pop and K-drama stars. <\/p>\n \u201cOkay, I\u2019m gonna make this quick because I have to pee so bad,\u201d REI AMI said, sparking laughter from the audience. \u201cThank you to all the fans that voted. KPop Demon Hunters would not be what it is without our passionate fandom. Thank you for the hilarious memes, the crazy fanfics and the support. Thank you for laughing, crying and singing with us for the past year.\u201d<\/p>\n REI AMI ended her speech by yelling \u201cFor the fans!\u201d \u00e0 la her character Zoey, while EJAE gave a shoutout to Audrey Nuna, who wasn\u2019t in attendance.<\/p>\n Forbes\u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 Directors On How They Made The Netflix Animated HitBy Regina Kim<\/a>What did Yoonchae say in Korean when KATSEYE won New Artist of the Year at the 2026 AMAs?<\/p>\n Earlier in the night, EJAE and REI AMI also introduced KATSEYE\u2019s performance of \u201cPINKY UP.\u201d<\/p>\n KATSEYE\u2014the global girl group formed by Geffen Records and HYBE, one of the world’s leading K-pop agencies\u2014also won in all three categories<\/a> they were nominated for, including Best Music Video (for \u201cGnarly\u201d), Breakthrough Pop Artist and New Artist of the Year.<\/p>\n While accepting the award for New Artist of the Year, each KATSEYE member shared a few words of gratitude in the language reflecting her heritage. <\/p>\n \u201cWe wanna give a special shoutout to BTS tonight for inspiring us to represent our culture on a global scale,\u201d the group\u2019s leader Sophia said before saying \u201cthank you\u201d in Tagalog. Yoonchae, the group’s sole Korean member, then walked up to the mic and said in Korean, \u201cI am so grateful to be able to share this moment with the members.\u201d <\/p>\n For a full list of the 2026 American Music Awards winners, see here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Forbes\u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 Trio EJAE, Audrey Nuna And REI AMI Honored At KACF GalaBy Regina Kim<\/a><\/p>\n Find Regina on Instagram<\/a>, Threads<\/a> and Bluesky<\/a>.<\/p>\n