2026 American Music Awards: Again, Tyla defeats Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, (FULL WINNERS LIST)
- +Morgan Wallen – I’m The Problem
- +Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
- +WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
- +Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl
- +Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
- +WINNER: HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami – “Golden”
- +Morgan Wallen – “I’m The Problem”
- +Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
- +Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”
- +BigXthaPlug, Bailey Zimmerman – “All the Way”
- +David Guetta, Teddy Swims, Tones And I – “Gone Gone Gone”
- +Morgan Wallen, Tate McRae – “What I Want”
- +WINNER: PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson – “Stateside”
- +Shaboozey, Jelly Roll – “Amen”
- +Disco Lines, Tinashe – “No Broke Boys”
- +Role Model – “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”
- +ROSALÍA, Björk, Yves Tumor – “Berghain”
- +Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
- +Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”
- +Charli xcx – Wuthering Heights
- +Beyoncé – “Cowboy Carter Tour”
- +Kendrick Lamar, SZA – “Grand National Tour”
- +WINNER: Shakira – “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour”
- +WINNER: Benson Boone – “American Heart World Tour”
- +Kali Uchis – “The Sincerely, Tour”
- +Megan Moroney – “Am I Okay? Tour”
- +Sleep Token – “Even in Arcadia Tour”
- +Breakthrough Album of the Year (New)
- +Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
- +WINNER: Zara Larsson – Midnight Sun
- +WINNER: Black Eyed Peas – “Rock That Body”
- +WINNER: The Singing Voices of HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami – “Golden”
- +Sienna Spiro – “Die on this Hill”
- +Bella Kay – “iloveitiloveitiloveit”
- +Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
- +Harry Styles – “American Girls”
- +Noah Kahan – “The Great Divide”
- +PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson – “Stateside”
- +Tame Impala, JENNIE – “Dracula”
- +Taylor Swift – “Elizabeth Taylor”
- +WINNER: HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami – “Golden”
- +Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
- +Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”
- +Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
- +WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
- +Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl
- +Breakthrough Country Artist (New)
- +BigXthaPlug, Bailey Zimmerman – “All the Way”
- +WINNER: Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
- +Morgan Wallen – “Just in Case”
- +Russell Dickerson – “Happen to Me”
- +BigXthaPlug – I Hope You’re Happy
- +WINNER: Megan Moroney – Cloud 9
- +Morgan Wallen – I’m The Problem
- +Breakthrough Hip-Hop Artist (New)
- +Playboi Carti, The Weeknd – “Rather Lie”
- +YKNIECE, Quavo, Metro Boomin, Breskii – “Take Me Thru Dere”
- +WINNER: Cardi B – AM I THE DRAMA?
- +YoungBoy Never Broke Again – MASA
- +WINNER: Bruno Mars – “I Just Might”
- +Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller – “It Depends”
- +Mariah the Scientist – “BURNING BLUE”
- +WINNER: Bruno Mars – The Romantic
- +Mariah the Scientist – HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY
- +Summer Walker – Finally Over It
- +Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda
- +Breakthrough Latin Artist (New)
- +WINNER: Bad Bunny – “NUEVAYoL”
- +Benny Blanco, Selena Gómez, The Marías – “Ojos Tristes”
- +Fuerza Regida – “Marlboro Rojo”
- +Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera – “ME JALO”
- +WINNER: KAROL G – Tropicoqueta
- +Netón Vega – Mi Vida Mi Muerte
- +Peso Pluma, Tito Double P – DINASTÍA
- +Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist (New)
- +Noah Kahan – “The Great Divide”
- +Linkin Park – “Up From the Bottom”
- +WINNER: sombr – “back to friends”
- +WINNER: sombr – I Barely Know Her
- +Zach Bryan – With Heaven on Top
- +Best Americana/Folk Artist (New)
South African singer Tyla emerged as one of the biggest winners at the 2026 American Music Awards after clinching the Best Afrobeats Artist award ahead of Nigerian stars Burna Boy, Wizkid and Rema, as well as Ghanaian-American act MOLIY.
South African singer Tyla emerged as one of the biggest winners at the 2026 American Music Awards after clinching the Best Afrobeats Artist award ahead of Nigerian stars Burna Boy, Wizkid and Rema, as well as Ghanaian-American act MOLIY.
The 52nd edition of the American Music Awards was held on Sunday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with Queen Latifah serving as host.
The ceremony was broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+, with winners determined largely through fan voting.
Tyla also won the Social Song of the Year award for her hit track “Chanel”. The latest victories mark her second consecutive win in the Best Afrobeats Artist category, following her triumph at the 2025 edition.
The singer, widely recognised for merging amapiano, pop, R&B, and Afrobeats influences into what she describes as “popiano”, has continued to dominate international award platforms despite ongoing conversations around genre classification.
Her latest win has again sparked debate among some music fans over whether her sound fits strictly within the Afrobeats category. However, others have described the recognition as another major milestone for African music on the global stage.
In previous interviews, Tyla has maintained that she represents African music broadly while proudly promoting her South African amapiano roots. She has also advocated for wider recognition of different African genres beyond the umbrella Afrobeats label.
The singer has enjoyed a remarkable rise in recent years, earning Grammy Awards for Best African Music Performance for “Water” in 2024 and “Push 2 Start” in 2026. Her self-titled debut album also received widespread international acclaim.
Other notable winners at the 2026 AMAs included K-pop acts and surprise results. BTS won Artist of the Year, while KATSEYE swept all three of its nominations, including New Artist of the Year. Despite leading with eight nominations, Taylor Swift failed to win any awards.
Other major winners included Sabrina Carpenter, who won Album of the Year for Man’s Best Friend, and HUNTR/X, whose song “Golden” earned Song of the Year. Tyla won Social Song of the Year and Best Afrobeats Artist, while Cardi B and Bruno Mars dominated the hip-hop and R&B categories.
In other genres, Morgan Wallen, Bad Bunny, and Shakira took top country and Latin honours. Indie artist Sombr also stood out with three wins in the rock and alternative categories.
Morgan Wallen – I’m The Problem
Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl
Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
WINNER: HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami – “Golden”
Morgan Wallen – “I’m The Problem”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”
BigXthaPlug, Bailey Zimmerman – “All the Way”
David Guetta, Teddy Swims, Tones And I – “Gone Gone Gone”
Morgan Wallen, Tate McRae – “What I Want”
WINNER: PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson – “Stateside”
Shaboozey, Jelly Roll – “Amen”
Disco Lines, Tinashe – “No Broke Boys”
Role Model – “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”
ROSALÍA, Björk, Yves Tumor – “Berghain”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”
Charli xcx – Wuthering Heights
Beyoncé – “Cowboy Carter Tour”
Kendrick Lamar, SZA – “Grand National Tour”
WINNER: Shakira – “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour”
WINNER: Benson Boone – “American Heart World Tour”
Kali Uchis – “The Sincerely, Tour”
Megan Moroney – “Am I Okay? Tour”
Sleep Token – “Even in Arcadia Tour”
Breakthrough Album of the Year (New)
Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
WINNER: Zara Larsson – Midnight Sun
WINNER: Black Eyed Peas – “Rock That Body”
WINNER: The Singing Voices of HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami – “Golden”
Sienna Spiro – “Die on this Hill”
Bella Kay – “iloveitiloveitiloveit”
Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
Harry Styles – “American Girls”
Noah Kahan – “The Great Divide”
PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson – “Stateside”
Tame Impala, JENNIE – “Dracula”
Taylor Swift – “Elizabeth Taylor”
WINNER: HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami – “Golden”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”
Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl
Breakthrough Country Artist (New)
BigXthaPlug, Bailey Zimmerman – “All the Way”
WINNER: Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
Morgan Wallen – “Just in Case”
Russell Dickerson – “Happen to Me”
BigXthaPlug – I Hope You’re Happy
WINNER: Megan Moroney – Cloud 9
Morgan Wallen – I’m The Problem
Breakthrough Hip-Hop Artist (New)
Playboi Carti, The Weeknd – “Rather Lie”
YKNIECE, Quavo, Metro Boomin, Breskii – “Take Me Thru Dere”
WINNER: Cardi B – AM I THE DRAMA?
YoungBoy Never Broke Again – MASA
WINNER: Bruno Mars – “I Just Might”
Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller – “It Depends”
Mariah the Scientist – “BURNING BLUE”
WINNER: Bruno Mars – The Romantic
Mariah the Scientist – HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY
Summer Walker – Finally Over It
Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda
Breakthrough Latin Artist (New)
WINNER: Bad Bunny – “NUEVAYoL”
Benny Blanco, Selena Gómez, The Marías – “Ojos Tristes”
Fuerza Regida – “Marlboro Rojo”
Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera – “ME JALO”
WINNER: KAROL G – Tropicoqueta
Netón Vega – Mi Vida Mi Muerte
Peso Pluma, Tito Double P – DINASTÍA
Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist (New)
Noah Kahan – “The Great Divide”
Linkin Park – “Up From the Bottom”
WINNER: sombr – “back to friends”
WINNER: sombr – I Barely Know Her
Zach Bryan – With Heaven on Top
Best Americana/Folk Artist (New)
