South Korean seven-piece BTS have won artist of the year at the American Music Awards (AMAs) for the second consecutive year, cementing their status as one of the world’s biggest bands.
The award, considered the ceremony’s grand prize, is just the latest crown jewel for the so-called kings of K-pop, who have been on a $1bn world tour since returning from a nearly four-year hiatus in March.
BTS also won song of the summer for their album’s lead single Swim and best male K-pop artist, while label partners Katseye were dubbed new artist of the year.
Golden, the viral single from the animated hit film K-Pop Demon Hunters, was named song of the year, while Sabrina Carpenter won album of the year for Man’s Best Friend.
Carpenter also won best female pop artist and best pop album, while Justin Bieber was named best male pop artist.
BTS beat artists including Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga in the artist category, as well as the likes of Harry Styles, Tame Impala and PinkPantheress in the song category.
Swift, who holds the record for the most AMA wins, went into this year’s awards with eight nominations but came home empty-handed.
But PinkPantheress didn’t miss out, picking up collaboration of the year for Stateside with Zara Larsson.
Larsson, who performed at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Sunderland over the weekend, also won breakthrough album of the year for Midnight Sun.
Katseye also won two other prizes – best music video for Gnarly and breakthrough pop artist, while Huntrix also picked up best vocal performance, and best pop song.
EJAE added to that with a win for best soundtrack for KPop Demon Hunters. While she attended alongside Rei Ami, Audrey Nuna was unable to make it due to work commitments.
Rock veteran Billy Idol received the lifetime achievement award, having recently also found out he is to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“We thought it may last only about six months, let alone 50 years,” Idol said, before going on to performing 80s hits including White Wedding and Eyes Without a Face.
The Black Eyed Peas picked up best throwback song for Rock That Body, the single from The E.N.D., the band’s 2009 album.
Singer Fergie left the group in 2018 but there was an emotional – and surprise – reunion at the event in Las Vegas.
“What a moment,” she said on the stage, holding hands with her fellow former bandmates.
“I want to thank all of the fans for voting for this so I can stand up here right now with my longtime friends and brothers, the Black Eyed Peas. In honour of this special song, this era, Rock That Body, there’s so many memories along the line with that.
“I want to thank everyone who made TikToks and Instagram videos and making this moment possible so that my son would put our song on his playlist,” she joked.
The Pussycat Dolls also took us back in time with a red-hot performance of their 2005 hit Don’ Cha, with a cameo appearance from Busta Rhymes, who also separately performed a medley of his greatest hits.
Teddy Swims, who was nominated alongside David Guetta and Tones And I for Gone Gone Gone, also sang a collection of his best-known tracks, including hit Mr Know It All.
Other award winners on the night included Sombr, SZA, Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, Bad Bunny, Twice, Shakira and Bruno Mars.
Queen Latifah was the host for the evening, with other performances from artists including Katseye, Keith Urban, New Kids on the Block and Twenty One Pilots.
Sombr won three prizes including best rock/alternative song for Back to Friends, saying on stage: “I wrote this song when I was 19 and depressed all by myself in my bedroom. So being here, I never would have expected that.”
While nominees at the AMAs are selected based on commercial performance, winners are decided entirely by public ballot, with votes cast through the AMA website and social media.
That means these awards largely amount to a battle of the fan bases – and there is perhaps no fan base as zealous as the so-called BTS Army.
Millions of acolytes around the world devotedly follow every move by band members Jung Kook, Jimin, V, Suga, RM, Jin and j-hope – pouring into stadiums, flooding radio stations with song requests and orchestrating online campaigns to generate traffic and increase rankings on streaming platforms.
The official Army fan base – standing for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth – is a decentralised group spanning dozens of countries, and has been widely credited as fuelling the group’s meteoric success.
“Armys, we did it once again!” the band’s leader RM, 31, declared during their acceptance speech. “Since this is a fan-voted award, our biggest thanks and gratitude, as always, go to Armys all over the world.”
Already the biggest K-pop group of all time, and one of the biggest music acts globally, BTS has only gained more momentum following its return in March with the release of their fifth studio album, Arirang. The band took a break in 2022 for the members’ mandatory military service.
BBC music correspondent, Mark Savage, described the record as a “genuine return to form” for the group, noting that they had “rekindled the fire” which fuelled their earlier triumphs.
“We’ve had such an overwhelming response to this album,” J-Hope, 32, said as they accepted the AMA. “Honestly, thank you for embracing Arirang and every single song on this album. We’re so grateful.”
“Thank you for following us on tour and showing us so much love in every city,” added 30-year-old Jimin. “And to all the Armys who always support and love us, thank you. We love you.”
That tour, which is currently making its way across the United States, will see BTS returning to Busan in South Korea in June for concerts coinciding with their 13th debut anniversary.
Source: BBC
