▲ K-pop boy group BTS is seen in this photo provided by BigHit Music. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ K-pop boy group BTS (Yonhap)
▲ K-pop boy group BTS is seen in this photo provided by BigHit Music. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(News Focus) BTS-AMAs

(News Focus) BTS' 2nd AMA win highlights fan power, raises Grammy hopes

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, May 26 (Yonhap) -- BTS' second Artist of the Year win at the American Music Awards (AMAs) underscores the group's sustained global fan power, while renewing questions over whether that dominance can lead to a long-sought Grammy victory.

The South Korean group, which first won the top AMA honor in 2021 as the first Asian act to do so, claimed the award again at this year's ceremony held in Las Vegas on Monday (U.S. time), becoming the only Asian artist to win it twice.

Fans had the final say on who won the 2026 AMAs among the nominees chosen based on streaming, album and digital sales, and radio airplay, among others. The result shows how organized BTS' fanbase remains despite the group's nearly four-year hiatus due to the members' mandatory military service.

BTS returned March 20 with its fifth studio album, "Arirang," and topped the Billboard 200 for three consecutive weeks with the album. Its lead single, "Swim," became the group's seventh song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

However, the AMAs' fan-driven format differs sharply from that of the Grammy Awards, where winners are selected by roughly 15,000 voting members of the Recording Academy, with a stronger emphasis on musical assessment by industry peers.

Despite multiple nominations, including three consecutive nods for best pop duo/group performance, BTS has yet to win a Grammy -- a gap that has persisted even as the group collected trophies at other major U.S. music awards, including the Billboard Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.

"Arirang" may signal an attempt to address that gap. Unlike "Butter," the English-language single that helped secure the band's first AMA top prize, the new album incorporates traditional Korean elements. It includes the melody of the folk song "Arirang" and the sound of the historic Bell of King Seongdeok, suggesting a shift toward more artistic and culturally rooted work as a group that originated in Korea.

Some industry observers believe that the shift may play better with Grammy voters, who tend to favor album craft over pure chart performance.

"The Grammys may now open the door to BTS for best pop duo/group performance," pop music critic Lim Jin-mo said. "It is still a mainstream category, not one of the general field awards though, so it would be very meaningful."

He added that the band had a chance of getting a nod in one of the Recording Academy's top six categories, such as Album of the Year. "But it is disappointing that 'Arirang' does not have a song that really jumps out and grabs listeners' ears." He said BTS may need to release a new single quickly to widen its public impact.

The 69th Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 7 next year. The eligibility window for the next ceremony closes in late August, with nominations due in November.

BTS is expected to submit the new studio album and "Swim" across multiple categories. The group's seven members are also eligible voters, alongside Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, producer Pdogg, Tomorrow X Together's Yeonjun and Le Sserafim's Huh Yun-jin.

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