BTS “We agonized over music that’s truly us”… Rising above pressure, stars in “Song of the Summer” [2026 AMA]

[Herald Economy = Reporter Ko Seung-hee] The group BTS has set another remarkable record by taking the stage at the American Music Awards (AMA), one of the three major pop music awards ceremonies in the United States, for the first time in five years. Their presence, which made their military hiatus seem insignificant, still shone brightly on the awards stage.

At AMA 2026, held on the 25th (local time) at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, BTS won the Song of the Summer category for "SWIM," a track from their fifth full-length album.

Already nominated this year in three categories, including Artist of the Year, Song of the Summer, and Best Male K-Pop Artist, BTS added their 12th career AMA trophy with this win. It was an unrivaled run, as they have never missed out on a trophy since their first appearance in 2018.

Taking the stage as winners, BTS first expressed their gratitude to ARMY around the world. Leader RM began by saying, "Sending a huge shout of thanks to ARMY all over the world! Thank you so much for giving 'SWIM' so much love."

He also candidly shared the intense struggles they went through while preparing their comeback album. RM said, "In fact, when we were making this album, we felt quite a bit of pressure. We seriously wondered, 'At this very moment, what kind of music is most like us?'" He added, "But the one thing we believed throughout that process was that we had to keep challenging ourselves and keep moving forward."

After receiving the microphone, V individually thanked the staff at their agency by name, saying, "I also want to express my gratitude to Nicole, Sunjeong, everyone at BigHit, and producer Pdogg."

In particular, V offered comfort to music fans around the world filling the venue with an emotional message inspired by the song title "SWIM." V shouted, "To everyone in the world who, in any situation, does not give up and keeps swimming through the sea called life, we send our love and support. So everyone, don't stop and keep going (Keep swimming)!" drawing thunderous applause.

That day, BTS not only appeared as nominees and winners in major categories, but also played their part as presenters, adding brilliance to the ceremony. Introduced by emcee Queen Latifah, they appeared on stage as a complete group and received an explosive cheer from global fans that seemed to paralyze the venue. It was the first time BTS had stood on the AMA stage together in five years, since becoming the first Korean artist to win the grand prize in 2021.

BTS made their debut at this awards show in 2018 as Favorite Social Artist. In 2019, they won three awards as Favorite Duo/Group - Pop/Rock, Tour of the Year, and Favorite Social Artist. In 2020, they won two awards as Favorite Duo/Group - Pop/Rock and Favorite Social Artist. In particular, in 2021, they claimed the top honor, Artist of the Year, making history as the first Asian singer to receive the grand prize, and added Favorite Pop Duo/Group and Favorite Pop Song ("Butter") to become a three-time winner. Then in 2022, they also swept the Favorite Pop Duo/Group and Favorite K-Pop Artist categories, proving their unrivaled influence.