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American Music Awards 2026: Cat's Eye wins New Artist, Sabrina Carpenter takes Album of the Year, Huntrix claims Song of the Year
The 2026 American Music Awards delivered multiple surprises with K-pop inspired group Cat's Eye winning New Artist of the Year and paying tribute to BTS, while Sabrina Carpenter scored a major upset by winning Album of the Year for her debut. Huntrix's Golden featuring AJ, Audrey Nuna and Ray Ami took Song of the Year, beating Taylor Swift among others.
The 2026 American Music Awards ceremony delivered a night full of surprises and landmark moments that reflected the increasingly global nature of popular music. From K-pop influenced newcomers to established pop stars, the fan-voted awards showcased a diverse range of winners that defied many predictions heading into the evening.
Rising girl group Cat's Eye emerged as one of the night's biggest stories, claiming the coveted New Artist of the Year award over fellow emerging acts including Alex Warren and Leon Thomas. In an emotional acceptance speech, the group paid special tribute to BTS for inspiring them to represent their culture on a global stage, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the audience. The group also doubled its haul by winning Best Music Video for their track Gnarly.
One of the ceremony's biggest upsets came in the Album of the Year category, where Sabrina Carpenter emerged victorious with her project in what marks her first ever American Music Awards win. Although she was absent from the ceremony, her triumph over heavyweight contenders including Cardi B, Lady Gaga, and Morgan Wallen sent shockwaves through the music industry and confirmed her meteoric rise over the past year.
The Song of the Year category produced another unexpected result, with Golden by Huntrix featuring AJ, Audrey Nuna and Ray Ami claiming the top honour. The track edged out strong contenders including songs by Kehlani, Olivia Dean, and Taylor Swift. The winners celebrated the power of fan voting, acknowledging that the passionate support of their fandom made the victory possible.
Overall, the 2026 AMAs painted a picture of a music industry that is more globally connected than ever before. The prominence of artists drawing from Korean, Filipino, and other Asian cultural influences alongside traditional Western pop acts demonstrated that the boundaries of mainstream music continue to expand, with fan communities around the world playing an increasingly decisive role in shaping the industry's biggest honours.