Taylor Swift leaves 2026 American Music Awards empty-handed despite eight nominations

Despite entering the night as the top nominee with eight nominations, pop superstar Taylor Swift left the 52nd edition of the American Music Awards empty-handed.

Swift, who skipped the event, missed out on multiple awards, including Album of the Year for The Life of a Showgirl and Song of the Year for The Fate of Ophelia

Held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and hosted by Queen Latifah, the event instead belonged to a new wave of breakout stars and fan-favourite acts who dominated the night with emotional wins and standout performances.

Rising global acts KATSEYE and SOMBR emerged among the evening’s biggest winners, each collecting three awards while also delivering some of the ceremony’s most talked-about performances.

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter celebrated a major career milestone after securing her first AMA victories. She won Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Artist, and Best Pop Album, further cementing her dominance in global pop music.

Meanwhile, K-pop supergroup BTS thrilled fans with a surprise live appearance and added three more trophies to their growing AMA legacy. The group claimed Artist of the Year, Best Male K-pop Artist and Song of the Summer for their hit single Swim, bringing their total AMA wins to 14.

R&B hitmaker Bruno Mars also enjoyed a successful night, winning Best Male R&B Artist, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Album.

Another standout moment came from vocal trio HUNTR/X, featuring EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI, who picked up their first AMA wins for Song of the Year, Best Vocal Performance and Best Pop Song. EJAE also earned an additional award for Best Soundtrack for KPop Demon Hunters.