my timesThe Korea Times
  1. Entertainment
  2. K-pop

BTS wins Song of the Year at 2026 MTV VMAs

Listen
By Pyo Kyung-min
  • Published Sep 28, 2026 1:45 pm KST
  • Updated Sep 28, 2026 2:31 pm KST
Members of K-pop boy band BTS perform during iHeartRadio Music Festival at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., Sept. 18. Reuters-Yonhap

Members of K-pop boy band BTS perform during iHeartRadio Music Festival at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., Sept. 18. Reuters-Yonhap

K-pop royalty BTS won Song of the Year for "SWIM" at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in the United States, Sunday (local time). The win caps a comeback year for the septet, which reunited as a full group in March after a nearly four-year hiatus.

BTS, which did not attend the ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, also won Best K-Pop and Best Group, sweeping all three categories for which it was nominated. The Best Group trophy is its fifth, following four straight wins from 2019 to 2022, making BTS the most-awarded act in the category's history.

"SWIM," the lead single from its fifth studio album "ARIRANG," beat out a field that included Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter's "Bring Your Love" and Huntrix's "Golden" from the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters."

BTS is the second Asian act to win Song of the Year, after BLACKPINK's Rosé won last year for "APT." with Bruno Mars.