K-pop had one of its biggest nights yet at the American Music Awards on Monday, with BTS winning Artist of the Year and “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters taking Song of the Year.
The ceremony, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, marked BTS’s first appearance at a major awards show in roughly four years after the group paused activities in 2022 while its seven members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service.
The group last performed at the AMAs in 2021, where they played “Butter” and “My Universe” with Coldplay. BTS returned in March this year with their new album Arirang.
BTS won all three categories in which they were nominated, taking home Artist of the Year, Best Male K-pop Artist, and Song of the Summer for “Swim”.
In the Artist of the Year category, BTS beat competitors that included Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, and Lady Gaga. The win made BTS the first Asian act to receive the award twice, after first winning the category in five years ago.
The band composed of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, debuted in 2013 and became one of the most commercially successful pop acts in the world with albums including Love Yourself: Tear (2018), Map of the Soul: 7 (2020), and BE (2020). The group are currently on their Arirang world tour, which includes four sold-out shows at Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium this week.
Accepting the Artist of the Year award, BTS leader RM told fans inside the arena: “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.
“It means even more to receive such a big award again after completing military service. Since this award was made by fans’ votes, I am even more grateful.”
BTS also opened the AMAs with a pre-recorded version of “Hooligan,” filmed during their Arirang world tour stop in Las Vegas.
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Alongside BTS’ wins came one of the night’s biggest surprises, when “Golden” from K-Pop Demon Hunters beat Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia,” Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem,” Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” and Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” to win Song of the Year.
The song, which is performed in the Netflix animated film by Korean American artists Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, has been the breakout success of the summer. Co-written by Ejae, it became the first K-pop song to win a Grammy award earlier this year, and also won at both the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards.
“This movie, this song is fuelled by the fans. You guys truly sealed the Honmoon,” said Ejae, referring to the mystical barrier in KPop Demon Hunters that separates the human world from demons. In the film, the fictional girl group Huntr/x use music to “seal” the barrier and stop demons crossing into the human world.
Rei Ami thanked the fans, her family, and friends, and said KPop Demon Hunters had given her “a year that changed my life”. Nuna did not attend the ceremony.
KPop Demon Hunters also won Best Soundtrack, while “Golden” picked up a second prize for Best Vocal Performance.
Released by Netflix in June 2025, KPop Demon Hunters became one of the platform’s biggest hits to date, while “Golden” spent eight weeks at No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as the first K-pop song led by female vocalists to top the chart, and helped the soundtrack place four songs simultaneously in the chart’s top 10.
A sequel to the hit film is currently in production.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter won Album of the Year for Man’s Best Friend, as well as Favourite Female Pop Artist and Favourite Pop Album, while indie musician Sombr took three prizes including Best Rock/Alternative Song for “Back to Friends”. Girl group Katseye also won three awards, including New Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Pop Artist, and Best Music Video for “Gnarly”.
