BTS is the First Asian Act Ever to Take Home the Biggest 2021 AMA’s Award

The South Korean band made their highly anticipated return at the American Music Awards winning all their nominations, including Artist of the Year. BTS went up against big artists like Ariana Grande, Drake, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and The Weeknd.  

Both BTS and Coldplay opened the show with “My Universe” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Later that night, BTS closed the show with Butter, their hit single.  

As well as snubbing the biggest award, BTS took home Best Pop/Rock Duo or Group and Best Pop Song with Butter.  

“I seriously forgot what I had to say,” RM beams. “Four years ago, we gave our first time ever TV live performance on this stage, AMAs, it was DNA. We were too excited and nervous at the time, and it’s been a long and amazing ride since then. Nobody could’ve ever bet on the odds of us standing here receiving this award. Except, you all ARMY.” 

ARMY is the loyal fandom name which stands for adorable representative MC for the youth.  

When the pandemic hit, BTS’s Map of the Soul 2020 Tour was forced to cancel. The seven members (RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, V, Jimin, Jungkook) and HYBE (their label) had to alter their plans for the past year as COVID continued to expand.  

“Once again, please allow us to offer our sincere apology to all fans who have waited for the BTS Map of the Soul Tour to resume,” HYBE stated. 

After almost two years, BTS returned to Los Angeles with their four day in-person concert, Permission to Dance.  

When BTS was called to the stage to receive the Artist of The Year award, the members went in for a group hug in awe of the news. 

“We had the North American debut four years ago at the AMAs. We really didn’t expect to win Artist of the Year like that,” Suga says brightly. “It’s all thanks to ARMY. Thanks ARMY!” 

As the other members are waiting to make their speech, time starts to run short. Jungkook jumps to the front to give his ready-to-go English speech. 

“We just wanted to make people happy with our music. We believe that this award opens the beginning of our new chapter,” Jungkook says, as he stops to put his hand on his chest, displaying how nervous he is. “In the past few years, we learned that each and every moment is precious. In 2022, we want to focus on –” 

As Jungkook tries to gather the rest of his speech, he eventually forgets it and is pulled aside playfully by Jin. 

“I am deeply moved by this award. I appreciate your love. Thank you, ARMY. Thank you, AMAs. Thank you! We purple you,” V adds as the closing comment. 

BTS took home all three nominations while never forgetting to show their gratitude towards ARMY. In all three speeches, they mentioned ARMY and how much they longed to perform face-to-face. 

The night concluded with BTS performing Butter, which is their second single that topped Billboard’s Hot 100, but this time for nine consecutive weeks. 

“Seven boys from Korea, united by love for music, met the love and support of all the ARMY all over the world. This whole thing is a miracle, seriously. We will never take this for granted. Thank you so much,” RM concluded gratefully.