The buzzy girl group took home its first American Music Award after slaying the stage with "Pinky Up."
Yoonchae, Lara Raj, Janice Joostema, Sophia Laforteza and Megan Skiendiel of KATSEYE accept the New Artist of the Year award onstage at The 52nd American Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 25, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Rich Polk/Dick Clark Productions
Icons recognize icons! At the American Music Awards Monday (May 25), KATSEYE took home the award for new artist of the year, beating out a star-studded lineup of nominees that included Leon Thomas, Olivia Dean, Alex Warren, Ella Langley and sombr. Naturally, the global group shouted out a fellow world-conquering pop group for paving the way for their award-winning moment.
“We want to give a special shout-out to BTS tonight for inspiring us to represent our culture at a global scale,” said group member Sophia Laforteza after thanking key behind-the-scenes players such as HYBE’s Chairman Bang and Geffen Records CEO John Janick. Each of the five young ladies — Manon Bannerman, who is on hiatus, was not with the group at the ceremony — delivered a bite-sized acceptance speech, with Lara Raj later noting, “We’ve always been on a mission to celebrate diversity and represent our people and our cultures.”
